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News Sentinel

By CARLY HARRINGTON, harringtonc@knews.com

Judy Girard, who has been at the helm of Food Network and most recently Shop At Home, was named Monday president of Home & Garden Television, the flagship brand of Knoxville-based Scripps Networks.

Girard, 59, will succeed Burton Jablin, who earlier this year was promoted to executive vice president of Scripps Networks, overseeing all programming and content for the company. Girard's appointment as president of HGTV is effective Nov. 14.

HGTV is the largest of the Scripps Networks brands, with about 90 million household subscribers and 5 million monthly visitors to its Web site, HGTV.com. Scripps also owns Food Network, Shop At Home, DIY Network, Fine Living and GAC-Great American Country.

"HGTV is a very well-established brand," Girard said. "It has been growing every year for the last decade. In terms of programming, it has been in the Top 15. I believe it can get into the Top 10."

In order to do that, Girard said the network must continue to broaden the definition of home. One way is to tell stories through shows like the new "My First Place," which broadcasts the personal stories of new homeowners.

It must also bring that programming to a wider audience, she said, through such emerging media as video on demand, the Internet, and, in the future, video on cell phones.

"HGTV is a mini-media company," Girard said. "That's the way we have to look at it and build it. It's not a linear network. It will continue to grow. It's just such an appealing network."

Girard, who has more than 25 years of television experience, joined Scripps in 1998.

Programming hits like "Iron Chef," "Unwrapped" and "The Naked Chef" anchored the network's programming schedule during Girard's tenure as president of Food Network.

During that time, the network achieved viewership gains of more than 100 percent. Distribution of the network also grew significantly, adding more than 40 million subscribers. Food Network now reaches 87 million households.

In January 2004, Girard was selected to head the integration of its then newly acquired electronic commerce network, Shop At Home.

Under Girard, the shopping network extended its reach from 45 million to about 53 million domestic households. Part of that effort involved featuring on-air talent from other Scripps brands, including Carol Duvall, who appears on both HGTV and DIY Network and most recently with Food Network's Emeril Lagasse.

Scripps expects to name Girard's successor in the next two weeks.

"We are so fortunate to have an executive with Judy Girard's experience and keen understanding of our industry to take the reins of one America's most successful television networks," John Lansing, president of Scripps Networks said in a statement. "Like Burton Jablin, Judy knows how to create lifestyle programming that viewers love."

Scripps Networks is a division of Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Corp., which also owns the newspapers The Knoxville News Sentinel and The Memphis Commercial Appeal and online comparison shopping service Shopzilla.

Business writer Carly Harrington may be reached at 865-342-6317.