>> Hallmark Cancels 'The Martha Stewart Show'

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Martha Stewart’s daytime program will not continue on Hallmark after the current season wraps in May, sources close to the network confirm.

The Martha Stewart Show will continue to air in reruns until the end of the summer, but Hallmark declined to renew it in light of its steep price-tag.

The lease on the show’s expensive Manhattan studio expires this year and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia president and COO Lisa Gersh has said that the company will shop for a more economical location.

“Our expensive studio lease is expiring next year, and we will either bring television in-house or find lower cost space, which will significantly reduce our TV operating margins,” said Gersh at the UBS investor conference last December.

Hallmark is still in discussions with MSLO about renewing the company’s other programs which include Emeril’s Table and Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn.

Spokespeople for Hallmark and MSLO would not confirm that the show has been axed.

“The daytime block on Hallmark Channel demonstrated year over year ratings growth and earned The Martha Stewart Show two Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season on Hallmark Channel," the companies said in a joint statement. "That show will continue to air through the end of summer 2012. MSLO and Hallmark Channel are in discussions about potential new programming and concepts for daytime.”

The Martha-branded programming block launched on Hallmark in September 2010 at a hefty eight hours but was downsized only a month later in the face of underwhelming ratings. It now stands at five hours.

Comments

Advice for Martha Stewart

Go to Oprah's Network

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Amazon Block 1

Recent Addi(c)tions

Movie News
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 7:41PM
TV News
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 4:59PM
TV On DVD Review
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 1:17PM
Music Interview
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 11:35AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:59AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:57AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:54AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:52AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:50AM
TV Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:43AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:33AM
TV Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:19AM
CD Review
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:09AM
Movie Contest
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:09AM
CD Review
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 6:56AM


ADVERTISE HERE