The Style Network

World Screen Weekly, October 30, 2008

CHANNEL: The Style Network

COUNTRY: U.S.

LAUNCH DATE: October 1, 1998

OWNERSHIP: Comcast Entertainment Group

DISTRIBUTION: 58 million homes via cable and satellite

DESCRIPTION: The Style Network is the home of the makeover: from beauty to fashion and from home to community. It targets women 18 to 49, with a special emphasis on 18 to 34. “We want to provide the expertise and inspiration for women who aspire to look fabulous, celebrate life, live well and be their best,” explains Katie Buchanan, the network’s VP of programming and acquisitions. The before and after is intrinsic to any makeover show, she explains. “But we believe in the before. We say, ‘You’re great, here’s what you looked like before, but imagine what could be in the after!’ We celebrate both, which I believe is a cornerstone of our brand.” Buchanan feels this approach opens the channel up to a broad audience. “We’re all women. We all have these issues. So as a network we want to inspire you, give you information, entertain you and make you feel better about yourselves.”

SENIOR MANAGEMENT:
 President & CEO, Comcast Entertainment Group: Ted Harbert

Executive VP, Finance & Business Operations, Comcast Entertainment Group: Steve Dolcemaschio 


Executive VP, The Style Network: Salaam Coleman Smith 


Executive Producer, Development & New Series, The Style Network: Sarah Weidman


VP, Programming & Acquisitions, The Style Network: Katie Buchanan

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: The Style Network celebrates its tenth anniversary this month. It grew out of the popularity of the fashion and red carpet programming that was on sister channel E! Entertainment Television and quickly made a name for itself with strong original programming. Although there is a lot of lifestyle programming on competing channels, Buchanan explains that Style stands out from the rest because its programming offers more than personality-driven shows. “Not only do we offer big personalities and really good stories, but we feature true experts. We always try to entertain our viewers with great characters and story, but we also hope they can get some fun take-away. The way we do this is very organic. We are not going to pound you over the head or preach to you about how to do something. But you are going to get a fun tip, or an interesting new idea. That is something that we really pride ourselves on and will continue to offer.”

Another characteristic that sets Style apart, as Buchanan explains, is, “We want to be [our viewers’] best friend, the person who is going to tell you the truth, that is going to be the shoulder to lean on, that’s going to be there to tell you, ‘Hey, you know what? Those jeans aren’t the best choice, but try these, have you thought about this color?’ That is something that is truly unique.”

Original programs have helped cement the channel’s relationship with its viewers. Clean House launched in 2003 and has consistently been a top-rated show. Host Niecy Nash, along with a team of experts, rescues families from cluttered and disorganized homes. Nash and her group help the family understand why they have accumulated so much stuff, then plan a yard sale and match then amount of dollars earned at the sale. The money is used to makeover the house.

Clean House has been so successful that it has spun off The Messiest Home in the Country, which conducts a nationwide search for the most disorganized and cluttered house. “The show has been phenomenal for us,” says Buchanan. “We did our second Messiest Home in the Country this past July and we had record-breaking ratings. It contributed to our highest-rated month, our highest-rated week. It’s clear that our viewers love that show.”

Two other very popular original shows are Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, which provides an inside look at the glamorous life of Baby Phat CEO and devoted mom Kimora Lee Simmons, and Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, a docuseries told from the point of view of the wedding planner. “It’s a fly-on-the-wall look at the making of a wedding, which comes with inherent stress and drama no matter what,” says Buchanan. “You can be completely organized top to tale and at the last minute something always goes wrong, which makes for very good television and an attractive story. The Whose Wedding Is It Anyway planners are these fantastic personalities that our viewers love, but also are real wedding experts, which is why this series is such a hit. We’re reaching our 100th episode next year and we’re planning a unique stunt that will include some incredible weddings.”

While 80 percent of The Style Network’s schedule is made up of original shows, 20 percent consists of acquisitions. “We look for high-volume, established series that already come with a built-in brand.” The first example is Extreme Makeover, which was a hit show on ABC. “It fits right into our brand—the makeover, the before and after, the story of why this person wants to go under this incredibly rigorous surgery and spending time away from their family. So that’s a really great series for us.”

Buchanan recently acquired the Canadian show Maxed Out, which looks at women with huge shopping habits, who are in debt, and examines why they spend so much money. And Glamour’s 50 Best Dressed is a countdown show from the U.K. based on a list published in Glamour magazine, told in a fun and cheeky way.

WHAT’S NEW: On November 9 Ruby launches, which tells the story of Ruby Gettinger, a severely obese woman from Savannah, Georgia, who struggles through weight loss and other issues with a group of close-knit friends. Style has created a microsite on its website that is all about Ruby. “You can have chats with Ruby, you can send her questions, there is a photo gallery of her through the years,” explains Buchanan. “She really opens herself up because you see her as a child and a teenager and through the years as her weight progresses. You can also get information about the show. It offers recipes and tips for healthy cooking. The online folks did an amazing job—the look and the feel of the site mirrors the show on the linear network—but it also takes it to a whole other level with really interactive tips.”

Running in Heels debuts on March 1. It’s a docuseries that follows a group of interns working at the fashion magazine Marie Claire. “There are a lot of fun and glamorous characters, including the all-knowing editor, Joanna Coles, who shows these interns the exciting side of working at a top magazine. She invites them into the world of fashion, but also shows there is a lot of hard work to be done!” notes Buchanan. “Marie Claire has been tremendous to work with, and it’s been a very collaborative partnership." 


WEBSITE: www.mystyle.com