4.01.2013

New Cooking School Season, Plus Martha Bakes on PBS

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia today announced that the second season of the James Beard Award-nominated Martha Stewart's Cooking School and the first season of Martha Bakes will premiere on PBS stations nationwide beginning April 6, 2013 (check local listings). The programs will be presented in association with WETA Washington, D.C., the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital. JC Penney and KitchenAid will serve as sponsors, along with charitable partner March of Dimes, for the second season of Martha Stewart's Cooking School. KitchenAid has signed on as the exclusive sponsor for the first season of Martha Bakes.

The second season of Martha Stewart's Cooking School comes on the heels of a successful first season, which averaged approximately 1 million viewers each week and was seen in more than 92% of US households. In each 30-minute episode of the second season of Martha Stewart's Cooking School, which was both produced by MSLO and inspired by Emmy-Award-winning TV host Martha Stewart's bestselling book of the same title, Martha will demonstrate more classic cooking techniques and basics using her signature step-by-step, how-to teaching process. Episodes will include everything from soups, stews and seafood to roasting, sauteing and preserving.

"I'm very happy that Martha Stewart's Cooking School has been so well-received," said Martha. "Cooking and teaching—my two biggest passions—are front and center on a show that viewers are finding accessible and useful. Home cooking is truly one of life's greatest pleasures, and it's wonderful to see that more and more people are enjoying meals cooked in their own kitchens."

Following the success of Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Martha Stewart will re-air Martha Bakes, a 13-episode teaching series that originally aired on The Hallmark Channel. Throughout the series, exclusively sponsored by KitchenAid, Martha shares her best tips and techniques, giving viewers the confidence to create the finest desserts and delectable baked goods in their own kitchens. From the perfect cheesecake to flaky, melt-in-your mouth puff pastry, Martha's updated versions of the classics will set the standard.

"We couldn't ask for a more perfect fit. Our viewers have an affinity for cooking shows and they tune in to public television to learn," says Dalton Delan, executive vice president and chief programming officer of WETA. "These series are ideal for people who want to learn cooking and baking techniques — and who better to teach them than America's most trusted lifestyle expert?"

"We are so pleased that our stations will have the opportunity to bring their viewers more episodes of Martha Stewart's Cooking School and now Martha Bakes," said Donald Thoms, vice president of programming for PBS. "For decades, PBS has been a destination where viewers learn how to cook from some of the world's foremost experts, so we are happy that legacy will continue with new seasons of Martha Stewart sharing her culinary expertise."

In addition, MSLO has created and produced 13 original Martha Bakes videos and 13 original Martha Stewart's Cooking School videos exclusively for KitchenAid, which will launch on April 6th on marthastewart.com. Each video, either hosted by an expert from MSLO's culinary team or narrated by Martha Stewart, focuses on delicious recipes, helpful tips and techniques to make baking and cooking easier and more fun for every home cook.

Full episodes of the second season of Martha Stewart's Cooking School and the first season of Martha Bakes will also be available for viewing on PBS.org.

3 comments:

Rowaida said...

Wonderful news Andrew, so happy for MSLO. I wish we can watch her episodes in London or the Middle East

Mecky said...

These are nice, but I still want some old Martha shows. I miss them and although there are some videos on line, there was so much more to be seen that are timeless. When they first started airing, I had small children and I didn't have time to watch them as much as I would of liked. My children are grown now, but I am still inspired by Martha. I can say honestly that The Martha Stewart Show just wasn't the same. It didn't have the elegance as the old show did. I am sure you understand just what I am saying!
Several years ago DVDs were being sold but it didn't last for long. I don't understand why Martha isn't making more of them available. She worked so hard on them and I know I am not alone in wanting to see them again.
I do wish that Martha offered more in GARDENING and HOW-TOs than just cooking.
Andrew, how can we encourage Martha to share the old show again?

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Actually, Mecky, somone asked Martha that very same question today on a chat that she did on Facebook and she said that she would be making her old shows available online very soon - so stay tuned!