Hallmark Channel shakes up programming ranks in wake of Martha Stewart ratings woes

Amid the disappointing performance of Martha Stewart on the Hallmark Channel, the company Friday forced out a key programming executive who had been hired just four months ago to work closely with the lifestyle maven.

Laura Sillars, a former HGTV programming executive, joined Hallmark in June as senior vice president for lifestyle programming. 

"We mutually decided to go in different ways," said Bill Abbott, chief executive of the Studio City-based Hallmark Channels. "It was not a good fit for either of us."

Sillars was not part of the team at Hallmark that decided in January to introduce Stewart to the channel and attempt a wholesale makeover of its programming.

She had been tasked with developing a slate of other original lifestyle shows so that Hallmark could wean itself from its reliance on reruns of classic feel-good programs such as "Little House on the Prairie" and tear-jerker movies.  She also was the company's day-to-day liaison with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

"It takes time to find the right chemistry and the right mix when you are dealing with high-profile talent," Abbott said.

Abbott also said that the demands of the job became too much for Sillars, who was commuting to the company's New York offices from New Orleans. 

"I wish the Hallmark Channels much success with their Martha Stewart programming, and their future programming," Sillars said Friday night.

Abbott's big bet this season was to turn over eight hours of its daytime schedule to Stewart.  But in the four weeks since Stewart's marquee show launched, it has produced anemic ratings. Telecasts of "The Martha Stewart Show" on Hallmark have been averaging fewer than 200,000 viewers -- less than half the audience of "The Golden Girls," which ran in the 10 a.m. slot on the channel a year ago.  A show featuring Stewart's daughter, Alexis, has produced even more dismal ratings.

"We are off to a slow start but the ratings have started to improve," Abbott said. Wednesday's telecast marked the show's highest ratings on the channel to date, with 250,000 people tuning in. 

The problem, Abbott said, is that viewers are used to watching original shows in the daytime on stations affiliated with the major networks. Hallmark's shift to lifestyle programming was a radical move that alienated many of its longtime viewers. Meanwhile, many of Stewart's fans have not made the switch to cable. Until this season, Stewart's show ran in syndication and was on NBC-owned TV stations.

Next week, Hallmark will try to boost the numbers by running Stewart's show at 8 p.m., when more viewers are available.

-- Meg James

Photo of Martha Stewart courtesy of Crown Media Holdings

 

Comments

[Georgia]

Martha Stewart at 8 o'clock in the evening? ? That's a woman's show, not one for prime-time, family TV viewing time. She has a great show, but it doesn't appeal to kids nor men, in my opinion. Big mistake to move Martha Stewart from daytime TV.

[SmartAssProducts.com]

I won't watch the Hallmark Channel again until they put "I Love Lucy" back on--at a regular time. Screw Martha Stewart, just give me Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel!

[Dontdoit]

Have they lost their minds? Hallmark Channel was very unique in that they showed those feel-good programs that no one else bothers with. I'll never understand why these things go the way they do. We have more than enough low-talent, face-in-the-camera shows already. Cooking, sewing, painting. Yap yap yap.

[Janet Branson]

I like the Martha show in the mornings. I do NOT want to watch her in the evenings. I LIKE LIttle House re-reuns and I LIKE the tear jerker movies. There are SO FEW good movies on TV and yours are the best. Please don't change your family rated movies. I LIKE the reruns of the family movies too. I watch them all the time.

[Katie]

I LOVE and miss Martha shows. We dont get Hallmark in this part of Canada, and I m pestering my service provider to get it. Please dont turn her loose!

[Lois Hecht]

Lucinda Scala-Quinn's show is terrific

[mrsmurgatroyd]

I never watch the Hallmark channel except at night. Did not even realize that Martha was on all day until last week. Channel surfing I came upon Alexis talk show. Really boring. The laid back personalities just do not fit that style of programming. Plus it is more fun to watch the channels with live or same day taped shows such as on HLN.
When you are watching the Hallmark shows they are not current or do not seem to be.
I really like Martha Stewart but using members of your family to fill time on TV does not often work. No negative words for Alexis, just a Martha Wannabe.

[jeffee]

Who wants to watch an old ex-con try to sell you something.

[joe]

cant stand her.

[Cam]

Let this be a lesson, do not mess with the Golden Girl line-up. Now just put the extra hour of Golden Girls back on and all will be right.

[Margie]

I have always been a Martha show fan, so I made the switch to Hallmark to watch the Martha Stewart programming. I think the new programming is great, and it is too bad the MS classic shows have been abandoned. With so many channels available, and Hallmark's reputation for old sitcoms and drama, most people will not even turn to Hallmark to see what is on in daytime. By showing Martha in the evening, at least it will appear in the newspaper TV listings and may attract some viewers.

[Hallmark is a sinking ship]

There just aren't enough people, even Martha Stewart fans willing to watch as much as Hallmark is airing them. Hallmark is drowning in a sea of TOO Much Martha and shows similar to hers. Hallmark also has a bad reputation of constantly changing the schedule. It's been going on for a long time and when they air a show they do back to back to back episodes, NOT a good thing.
You must also remember that many of us don't see Martha as wholesome and never will. She went to prison for Lying to officials and that is a fact no matter what anyone says about it. Those of us who feel this way (and there are many of us) won't tune in or accept the current programming as family friendly because we don't see a convicted felon as someone to admire.
And of course many of feel we don't need more home/craft/cooking/gardening shows, they have been done and too often like Reality TV.
Many of also feel there is nothing she can show us as we've been cooking, cleaning, doing crafts, gardening for many years.

As far as her collection at Kmart, it was cheap a few years ago and I haven't bothered buying anything since the towels I bought unraveled after the 2nd wash.

Don't get me wrong, Hallmark has a right to air whatever they want. We the viewers also have a right not watch it and most of us have jumped ship.

[Biana]

Have watched MSL for years. Very disappointed it went to cable... we cancelled our cable service. Hope it comes back to daytime TV.

[tony almonte]

You gave Martha 8 full hours a day without even a trial run or a chance to build up steam before letting her take over the network? You got fleeced Billy Boy and now you pay for it.

[Sonya]

Did anyone do any research on Martha fans to see how many actually got the Hallmark Channel? A huge number of fans do not get the channel on their cable outlet and are missing the shows badly.

I think executives at both Hallmark and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia dropped the ball on this one.

[Albert Johnson]

Where and why and who ever though of taking off the great family movies from Hallmark???
Who needs viewers is that your thought with this programming mess. The only channel I know of where the whole family can set and watch a great movie and not have to worry about its content...MS at 8 prime time the person that made this deal...are they still with Hallmark??? Good luck with your new listeners...if you get any. Al in Wisconsin

[brittney cooper]

why dont they put her on the STYLE network

they need to put little house on the pairie back on

[Catherine Amisano]

What happened to Hallmark? Did Martha Stewart buy the network or something??? I seriously think 5 hours (10 AM to 3 PM) of Martha Stewart everyday five days a week is horrible. I like Martha but that is just tooooo much. Give me a break. I want to see somehting besides Martha during the day. The reruns are great and they are old so we haven't seen them in awhile or maybe haven't seen them at all. Please reconsider.
A constant viewer up until now.
Catherine, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

[Nancy Robertson]

I am very upset with Hallmark Channel. I had all the shows I watch regularly and now they are on Hallmark Movie Channel that I have to pay extra for if I want to watch. Whose hairbrained idea was it to change all the scheduling? Now they run movies back to back to back all weekend. I won't watch Hallmark Channel until they bring back old scheduling.

[mslewis]

Don't get me wrong, Hallmark has a right to air whatever they want. We the viewers also have a right not watch it and most of us have jumped ship.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ratings problems for Martha's show have nothing to do with idiots like you!! Millions of fans watched The Martha Stewart Show everyday when it was in syndication and shown on a regular network. As has been mentioned, many fans do not have cable and cannot watch Martha's show now. Also, Hallmark Channel is not carried on many cable providers.

Martha's Omnimedia made a very poor decision to move to cable and I don't think showing Martha at 8:00PM will help the ratings at all. The time of day is not the problem, being on cable is the problem. I will bet a dollar that if Martha takes her show back to syndication, her ratings will go right back to where they were before Hallmark and Hallmark can go back to showing re-runs of old shows for the people who want to live in the past.