The Cooking Channel: Food Network Launching Second 24-Hour Food Station

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 Share  Comments 81 Scripps, the parents company of the Food Network, will be launching a second 24-hour food network on May 31, reports Brian Stelter at the New York Times. They'll soon be announcing six new original series for the channel, including new series for both Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse:

Ms. Ray, the celebrity chef turned talk show host, will headline "A Week in a Day," a one-hour show about stocking up on the week's meals. Mr. Flay will be the host of a half-hour show, "Brunch With Bobby." Emeril Lagasse will present "Fresh Food Fast," a show that focuses on organic and locally grown ingredients.

An ad executive at Scripps explains the decision on the new network:

"[T]he advertiser demand for Food was outstripping the audience growth," Jon Steinlauf, the senior vice president for ad sales for Scripps Networks, said this week. "Therefore, creating a second channel started making more sense. ... When you see Fox lining up its third Gordon Ramsay cooking show in prime time, I think food's arrived as a mainstream genre," Mr. Steinlauf said.