HALLMARK CHANNEL UNVEILS ROBUST SLATE OF ALL-NEW PROGRAMMING FROM MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA LAUNCHING SEPTEMBER 13, 2010
Two Original Series Picked Up for 2010, Anchored By A New Season of 'The Martha Stewart Show,' 'Mad Hungry with Lucinda' and a New One-Hour Talk Show Executive-Produced by Emmy(R) Award-winning Writer and Director David Steinberg and Featuring Sirius Radio's 'Whatever' Duo,
Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt
Hallmark Channel Also Greenlights Two Hour-Long Primetime Interview Specials and
Two Holiday Specials Starring Martha Stewart
New York, June 7, 2010-On the heels of the multi-year strategic partnership announced earlier this year, executives from Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia today revealed the original "how-to" programming block set to launch exclusively on the cable network this fall. The slate of new programming is anchored by the debut of the Emmy(R) Award-winning series "The Martha Stewart Show" on Hallmark Channel beginning September 13th at 10:00-11:00 a.m., ET/PT weekdays.
"The Martha Stewart Show," nominated for two Daytime Emmy(R) Awards last month in the categories of Best Lifestyle Show and Best Lifestyle Host, will continue to air from New York City with a live studio audience. Named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best food shows on television, Martha Stewart will continue covering subjects near and dear to her heart encompassing all aspects of living.
"Everyone at Hallmark Channel is thrilled to be welcoming Martha Stewart to our family this September," said Bill Abbott, President and CEO, Hallmark Channels. "It is a watershed time for us. Not only are we working with the acknowledged leader in cooking, d�cor, design and gardening, but we also have the opportunity to develop a fully integrated lifestyle block of programming on multiple platforms which speaks to the strengths of both Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart. We believe it will speak to our viewers, distributors and advertisers."
Martha Stewart said: "With Hallmark Channel we have found a perfect home for our programming, and I'm excited that we will be able to offer audiences even more of the informative, entertaining and inspiring content they want and expect from us."
Charles Koppelman, MSLO's Executive Chairman and Principal Executive Officer stated: "For some time, it has been a strategic goal to expand our broadcasting presence and further cultivate the deep pool of talent we
have at our company. With Hallmark Channel, a brand that is compatible with our mission and values, all the pieces have come together. We now have an on-air destination for Martha Stewart followers and are better positioned than ever to serve the women who identify with our brand on a network that reaches 90 million households."
New Programming
Following "The Martha Stewart Show," Hallmark Channel will air two new series: Between 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, the network will air an hour-long topical talk show, executive-produced by Emmy Award-winning writer and director David Steinberg and hosted by Sirius XM's "Whatever" hosts Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt. The show will have an intimate studio audience and provide a unique platform for the humorous duet to explore the daily headlines and everyday issues on the minds of viewers across the country. The home audience will be engaged through call-in and Skype-ing opportunities throughout the hour.
From 12:00 - 12:30 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, Hallmark Channel will premiere "Mad Hungry with Lucinda." Lucinda Scala Quinn is the ubiquitous Executive Food Editor at MSLO, host of the radio show "EatDrink" on Sirius XM and author of popular cookbooks including her most recent title, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys. Lucinda's goal with the show is to bring family back to the dinner table. Lucinda will reveal her tips on how she has conquered the challenge of whetting the appetite of her husband and three sons.
Everyday Food Series
Following Lucinda, from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, Hallmark will air seasons one through four of the critically acclaimed series "Everyday Food," offering quick, easy and practical cooking solutions. The series brings to life MSLO's award-winning Everyday Food magazine and is complemented by the popular iPhone app, Martha's Everyday Food.
From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, Hallmark Channel will put the spotlight on select episodes from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's extensive library of programming including "From Martha's Kitchen," "From Martha's Home" and "From Martha's Garden," among others.
There will be encore airings of "The Martha Stewart Show" at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays enabling millions of viewers to have access to the program in the afternoon.
Prime-Time Specials with Martha Stewart
Martha is preparing two prime-time specials celebrating Halloween and Christmas. The hour-long programs will focus on the crafts, traditions and history of these two viewer-favorite holidays.
Martha is also preparing two prime-time in-depth interview specials featuring extremely fascinating innovators and doers in the fields of entertainment, politics and culture.
About Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWN), is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 90 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading network in providing quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, general entertainment and home and lifestyle content. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on the greatest family movies of all time.
About Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.:
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is a diversified media and merchandising company, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and distinctive products. The Publishing segment encompasses four magazines, including the company's flagship publication, Martha Stewart Living, periodic special issues and books. The marthastewart.com website provides consumers with instant access to MSLO's multimedia library, search and find capabilities, recipes, online workshops, community and personalization, as well as wedding-planning tools powered by WeddingWire and digital invitations with pingg.com. The Broadcasting segment produces such programming as the Emmy-winning daily, nationally syndicated television series, "The Martha Stewart Show," and Martha Stewart Living Radio on SIRIUS channel 112 and XM Radio 157. In addition to its media properties, MSLO offers high-quality Martha Stewart products through licensing agreements with carefully selected companies, including the Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's, the Martha Stewart Living line of home-improvement products at The Home Depot, Martha Stewart Crafts with EK Success at Michaels and independent retailers, Martha Stewart for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, the forthcoming Martha Stewart Pets line at PetSmart and more. In 2008, Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands; MSLO acquired the assets related to Lagasse's media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products. For additional information about MSLO, visit www.marthastewart.com.
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