HGTV Chief to Retire

KNOXVILLE, July 16: Judy Girard will step down as the
president of HGTV, the largest among the portfolio of Scripps Networks’
lifestyle channels, at the end of this year.

"I have had an amazing time in television, and feel
extremely fortunate to have spent the last 10 years at Scripps Networks running
two of the best lifestyle networks in cable,” said Girard, who led Food Network
to prominence and most recently guided HGTV through a rebranding process and
contemporized programming with new hit series such as Design Star and Color Splash. "Now I am looking forward to spending more
time with my husband and enjoying some of the lifestyle pursuits our networks have
helped popularize.”

HGTV, launched in 1994, boats more than 90 million household
subscribers. Girard, who has more than 25 years of television experience,
joined Scripps in 1998. She was initially general manager and then president of
Food Network. She was asked to lead HGTV in 2005. A search is currently
underway for Girard’s successor.