Media Decoder: PBS to Show Block of ‘Martha’ Programs

Fans of Martha Stewart who since last fall have been tuning into her “Cooking School” program on PBS for advice on how to braise, roast and sauté are about to get some sweeter wisdom on how to handle the often overlooked stars of menus: baked goods and desserts.

Starting the first weekend in April, when PBS begins to show the second season of “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School,” the network will broadcast reruns of the program “Martha Bakes” after the show. “Martha Bakes” previously ran for two seasons on the Hallmark Channel.

While the new season of cooking classes offer advice on appetizers and main courses, like making pasta dough and sauces or buying and cleaning fish, the dessert segments guide viewers through the challenges of cheesecakes, puff pastry and trying to master what bakers always boast is the oh-so-easy popover.

KitchenAid, which is a sponsor of “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School,” signed up to sponsor “Martha Bakes,” exclusively. The company is also publishing 23 companion videos that will appear on Ms. Stewart’s Web site, along with other Web sites like AOL and Yahoo.

Alison Adler Matz, senior vice president for strategic brand sales at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, said that KitchenAid worked with “Martha Bakes” because the series offers aspiring bakers so much instruction.

“They really like the educational and informative tone of this,” she said.

Some baking fans may still catch reruns of the baking show on the Hallmark network. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia owns the first season of “Martha Bakes,” and Hallmark has licensing rights to the second season through late September.

Ms. Stewart seemed pleased that the instructional videos she originally produced at her home in Bedford, N.Y., and her studio in Chelsea attracted such a following. A spokeswoman for Ms. Stewart said the “Cooking School” program drew one million viewers each week.

“Cooking and teaching, my two biggest passions, are front and center on a show that viewers are finding accessible and useful,” Ms. Stewart said in a statement.

Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/pbs-to-show-block-of-martha-programs/?partner=rss&emc=rss