tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438271575855307173.post6937369193360436721..comments2024-02-15T16:14:30.360-08:00Comments on The Damn True Experiment: An Open Letter To The Food NetworkTruehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10230038396571759241noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438271575855307173.post-77459226665368428542012-06-12T17:35:55.193-07:002012-06-12T17:35:55.193-07:00You make an excellent point Robert and I recognize...You make an excellent point Robert and I recognize that programming is directly tied to demographics and in turn to advertizing. That is what drives decisions. I'm struck though with the unavoidable recognition of the existence of "No Reservations". A show that manages to combine food, culture politics, economics and racial issues while educating, entertaining, enlightening, getting great ratings and drawing lucrative advertising. So much so that Bourdain and the shows producer have run from the nitwit that runs food network twice lest she turn it into Dinner Dipshits & Douchebags.<br /><br /><br /><br />The aforementioned certainly represents an anomaly in broadcasting in that it manages to be all those things AND worthy of watching. It would be difficult, if not impossible to duplicate…and the folks that run Food Network have made it clear that not only do they not wish to do so, they wish it to go away. They could however, without much effort, elevate their programming enough that it isn’t insulting, educates their audience while entertaining and provide a compelling advertising platform. They likely will not do so. Unilever & McDonalds have big enough advertising budgets to ensure that their garbage keeps getting marketed to the Type II Diabetic community.<br /><br />TrueTruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10230038396571759241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438271575855307173.post-70097117365063542882012-06-12T13:56:56.185-07:002012-06-12T13:56:56.185-07:00A couple of observations. First, I agree 100% tha...A couple of observations. First, I agree 100% that Food Network is not what it was, and I much prefer the old format.<br /><br />BUT the Food Network is not the Cooking Network. there's nothing that says they have to stick to a "chef teaches the unwashed masses how to make Coq au Vin" format. While entertaining, I'd find a network like that fairly dull and one-dimensional.<br /><br />Secondly, Food Network is NOT in business to educate (just like the 6:00 News is not in business to report the news.) Both are in business to make money. If Food Network's ratings are higher (and it appears to be,) then more power to them. As a business venture, they are doing the right thing.<br /><br />You an I are on the fringe. We're expecting graduate-level cooking shows from a network that's figured out that the money is in junior-high spectacle instead.<br /><br />Sadly, I doubt that's going to change. entertainment has ALWAYS catered to the masses and intelligent people have never represented a significant fraction of the masses.Robert Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16971289509322341222noreply@blogger.com