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HGTV

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HGTV
HeadquartersKnoxville, Tennessee
Ownership
OwnerScripps Networks Interactive

HGTV (also referred to as Home & Garden Television), is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows. It is also a popular Home & Garden website (HGTV.com).

Like its sister networks (DIY Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, Food Network and Great American Country), HGTV belongs to Scripps Networks Interactive of Cincinnati, Ohio. The network sponsors the annual HGTV Dream Home Giveaway.

History

Kenneth W. Lowe (then a radio executive with The E.W. Scripps Company and subsequently CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive) envisioned HGTV in 1992. With modest financial support from the E.W. Scripps board he purchased Cinetel, a small video-production company in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the base and production hub of the new network.

Cinetel became Scripps Productions, but producing more than 30 programs simultaneously proved daunting. The organization brought in former CBS television executive Ed Spray who implemented a system of producing (nearly all) programming through independent production houses around the US. Burton Jablin, as VP of Programming, set the tone and oversaw the production of the early series. About 90% of the network was original at launch, with 10% licensed and re-run from Canadian, PBS, and other sources.

Using local Scripps cable franchises (since divested), the FCC's "must carry" provisions of Scripps medium market television stations and other small television operators to gain cable carriage, the network launched in 1994. The major programming themes, unchanged since the beginning, were home building and remodeling, landscaping and gardening,decorating and design, and crafts and hobbies.

A variation of the logo used from December 1, 1994 to March 1, 2010

The channel originally started as the "Home, Lawn, and Garden Channel". The name was shortened and a logo developed. Later in late February - March 1, 2010, the logo has changed. The square with "G" in it is gone, the roof is larger and the "HGTV" letters are now set in Gotham Black, with the other Gotham fonts being used around the network. The network debuted with a skeletal staff, but with gradual acceptance by other cable operators, it now reaches 94 million households in the United States and has either partner networks, or network interests, in Canada, Japan, and elsewhere. It is now referred to simply as 'HGTV', the full name of the channel is de-emphasized.

E.W. Scripps spun off HGTV and the other Scripps cable networks and web-based properties into a separate company, Scripps Networks Interactive, in July 2008. E.W. Scripps broadcast television and newspaper properties remain in the original company.

Programming

Currently airing

Notable shows currently not airing

HGTV HD

HGTV HD, a 1080i high-definition channel, originally did not simulcast its parent network, but featured programming separate from HGTV.

On March 31, 2008, HGTV, along with Food Network, launched its HD simulcast of its standard definition feed. Standard definition programs on the HD feed are stretched to fill the screen rather than presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio.

Dispute with Cablevision

On December 31, 2009, Scripps removed Food Network and HGTV from Cablevision, a major cable television provider serving the Greater New York City metropolitan area on the day that their contract was set to expire. After months of negotiations, a consensus between Scripps and Cablevision was not reached, prompting the removal of the two channels.

On January 21, 2010, Cablevision and Scripps reached a deal and the channels were aired once again on the same day and by the next day in other areas.

AT&T U-verse carriage dispute

AT&T U-verse dropped Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, DIY Network and Great American Country on November 5, 2010 due to a carriage dispute.[1] But on November 7, 2010, the carriage dispute was resolved.[2][3]

Canada

In 1997, a Canadian version of HGTV launched. It is a joint venture between Canadian company Canwest and Scripps Networks.

References

  1. ^ AT&T's U-verse Drops Food Network, HGTV and Other Scrippy-s Networks, Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2010
  2. ^ Food Network, HGTV, Back on U-verse, Chicago Tribune, November 7, 2010
  3. ^ AT&T U-verse, Scripps Reconnect on Carriage Contract, MultiChannel News, November 7, 2010

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