Today is a big day at MSLO! The company will be previewing some of its newest initiatives at a special meeting this afternoon at company headquarters. Among the new announcements is a new eight-episode television show called "Help Me, Martha!" that will be produced by Mark Burnett, who is currently the executive producer of the Martha Stewart Show. The hour-long program will feature Martha Stewart and a new cast of home and lifestyle experts tasked with solving some of life's most difficult challenges in and around the home, at work or at play. The episodes will focus on everything from planning last-minute parties and home transformations to averting wedding disasters.
In publishing, the company has announced the launch of a new digital magazine called "Boundless Beauty" that will debut later this year. The online digital magazine will provide users with touch-optimized navigation and will be able to support video as well as audio content. It will demonstrate the beauty of everyday living using innovative digital media to inform and inspire with extraordinary imagery that can be distributed on digital tablet devices.
MSLO also announced that the title of "Body + Soul" magazine will be changed to "Whole Living" beginning with the June, 2010, issue. Over the past five years, the magazine's circulation has increased more than 200%, while traffic on wholeliving.com has grown 119% year-over-year.
Some of the cross-platform concepts MSLO will also discuss today include:
- "At Martha's Table" brings the world's finest chefs to the table every week. Across MSLO's media platforms, the world's finest chefs have a seat at the table, from MSLO's Emeril Lagasse, Lucinda Scala Quinn, and Sarah Carey to guests like Jamie Oliver and Lidia Bastianich. This promotional program includes segments on "The Martha Stewart Show," Emeril's weekly satellite radio show, special event programming on Martha Stewart Living Radio with talent including Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, and Eric Ripert, as well as a new original Web series that will feature Emeril Lagasse. MSLO will also provide an opportunity to partner on holiday hotlines and live broadcasts based at the country's most important food festivals where consumers can get expert tips and techniques that can be used at home.
- "Martha Celebrates America" will discover treasures in towns across the country. MSLO will tap its audience to find treasures that are uniquely American--people, places, and things that are special to their hometowns. This summer, consumers will submit photos and videos of their local favorites, creating the ultimate treasure map and enabling users to rank and rate one another's finds online. Then, on "The Martha Stewart Show," Martha will surprise one lucky town when she celebrates her newest discovery with a special event.
- "Cooking for Kids" celebrates the joy of cooking for family. MSLO's Emeril Lagasse will "kick it up a notch" in the kitchen as he cooks with E.J., his adorable seven-year-old son, every month in Everyday Food. Family fun will also be a big part of the entertainment on "The Emeril Lagasse Show" premiering this spring on ION Network. On marthastewart.com and emerils.com, picky eaters will find playful games and their moms will find recipes to keep everyone happy. And in the pages of Whole Living, consumers will discover ideas for family excursions, including a trip to the local farmers' market.
- With "Local, Seasonal, Fresh" MSLO will help consumers discover farm-fresh flavor one vegetable at a time. Across MSLO media, from our magazines, and marthastewart.com to our television shows, MSLO will share its distinctive perspective on how consumers can realize the full potential of fresh ingredients. The message will travel coast to coast as Emeril launches his latest book, Farm to Fork, with a national book tour in June.
- To mark "Martha Stewart Living Magazine's 20th anniversary" in December 2010, MSLO will kick off a year of celebration in the magazine, along with new retail events and special television programming on Hallmark Channel. The multiplatform celebration will look back over the past two decades of American living, and look forward with innovative ideas for the years ahead.
- "Into Your Cart" offers everyday recipes and meal-planning ideas. Across its magazines, on its television shows Everyday Food, "The Martha Stewart Show," and "The Emeril Lagasse Show," and through "Martha's Everyday Food"iPhone app, MSLO helps consumers put everything they need "into their cart" to make everyday food even better and easier.
12 comments:
Ah yes, big changes comes to Martha Stewart. . . .all in an effort to reach a younger demographic. After all, those of us who have been MS consumers for a long time are, by definition, getting too old to count any more. This upcoming year should prove interesting. . . .
All this lapsed viewer wants is a return to the old daytime show format.
What happened to the cartoon? I recall a post about that a while ago...
Thanks for the news. I was hoping that we'd see more of the old Martha Stewart Living program.
How exciting is all of this!!
Ah, yes, the cartoon! No word on how that's coming along. I'll keep me ear to the ground.
Who says I'm a "lapsed viewer"?? Yes, I did prefer the old daytime format which wasn't constantly about product placement and celebs. But I still watch. . . .
But, mark my words, big BIG changes are coming to Living and other formats, too.
Too bad they can't take a decade or 2 off Martha's age. . .easier to reach that younger demographic.
But through it all, I continue to love the MS aesthetic and to greatly admire the young designers who bring a wonderfully fresh look to the business and the new products.
Love the magazine. Love the Sirius XM channel, especially Whatever w/Alexis and Jennifer, but I'm that "lapsed viewer" and I will remain so for the daytime show.
I don't like celeb related talks shows across the board. From daytime gabfests to nightime fare, they just seem phony and forced. I want information and I want it beautifully presented, which the old show achieved perfectly. When I want that content now I just peruse Martha On Demand.
I visited the site that allowed one to purchase downloads of old segments, but the price point was too high and the topics were sparse, at the time. If Martha made the entire catalog of old shows available and offered a subscription option then I would be sold. What was that site again? I'd like to give it another look.
Speaking of an aging Martha, in regards to her relevance to a younger audience, I think the old show was a great vehicle to test out new faces for MSLO. Have them join Martha for segments and build them up over time.
I remember laughing so hard when her niece, I think, joined in on a craft segment and the niece put forth that one leg of a pair of pantyhose is referred to as a pantyho. It's that rapport building I miss from the daytime show.
The site for the "Martha University" video segments is iAmplify.com. Just search for Martha Stewart to locate her videos. I remember that episode with Sophie, too! It was quite funny. Sophie could not stop laughing once Martha pointed out that pantyhose was neither plural or singular: "There's no such thing as a panty-HO!" Hilarious!
It's unfortunate that "Martha University" wasn't more popular. There have not been updates to the video collection since Halloween. I find a great selection of segments each month on iTunes.
The only thing I don't like about the new show format is the "rushing" to get eveything in (which is not always successful). I like that there are changes coming.. it will be exciting.
Also loved the segment on the old show with Sophie and the panty-ho! I've never seen Martha laugh so hard. I'll bet Sophie never made hand made soap again.
I'm looking for the clip of that episode, do you know where I can find it?
I would love a clip of that also, been looking for years!
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