Interesting

The Food Network: The new MTV?

Younger viewers are tuning in to the network's food-obsessed programs, drawn by its sultry hosts and their own obesity fears.

Like a lot of old-line media companies, E.W. Scripps (SSP, news, msgs) is having problems. Its 20 newspapers are battling circulation and ad declines as readers and advertisers move to the Web. That is why the outfit's decision in 1997 to gobble up the Food Network now seems so prescient.

The network's performance, along with that of its sister channel, Home & Garden Television (HGTV), has helped the stock rise 22% since August. Even better, the Food Network is increasingly beloved by that most prized demographic, the 18-to-34 set.

Typical of the breed is Graham Kates, a 21-year-old political-science major at Binghamton University in New York state. He and his dozen housemates just can't get enough of the sultry Giada De Laurentiis, the "Everyday Italian" host, whose revealing outfits have helped win her a devoted following on college campuses around the country.

"It's not the cooking appeal," says Kates, "so much as it's her appeal." He and his friends record the show regularly so little things like classes don't get in the way.

Needless to say, Scripps is loving the attention from younger viewers. Attracting them is crucial given the graying of the Food Network's core audience of upscale women ages 25 to 54. Still, like any media company eager for a younger audience, the cable channel, which boasts 90 million subscribers, is being careful to avoid alienating its longtime viewers.

How to account for the younger generation's abiding interest in all things culinary? Putting engaging hosts on the screen is a major part of it. The biggest star in the Food Network kitchen, of course, is Rachael Ray. Oh sure, the indefatigable Ray may seem a tad overexposed. But her anti-Martha approach -- quick meals that anyone can prepare -- appeals not just to time-pressed parents but also to kids who might be intimidated by the perfectionism of you-know-who.

Young girls seem to be cooking more than the previous generation did. Trendspotters say the organic craze, as well as all the talk about an obesity epidemic, is prompting many youngsters to take responsibility for eating better.

"They're making decisions in grocery stores," says Laura Caraccioli-Davis, who runs the entertainment-marketing division at Starcom, a Chicago media-buying firm. "There's a lot of talk about health and wellness among kids."

College guys, meanwhile, scan cooking shows to pick up tips to impress dates. "Any time a girl sees guys cooking something delicious," Kates say, "it definitely helps out."

Then there's Kelsey Brown. The Knoxville, Tenn., eighth-grader loves to see how the likes of candy, pizza and hot dogs are made on the more-than-you-really-need-to-know show "Unwrapped."

"Sometimes it's kinda gross," Brown says. "One time I was watching a show on, like, Cheetos or chips, and I was, like, ooh, I'm not sure I like that.'"