Hallmark Channel, working in conjunction with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, has set its daytime fall lineup.
Beginning Sept. 13, the family-friendly network will premiere a new season of The Martha Stewart Show -- which was nominated last month for Daytime Emmy Awards in the best lifestyle show and best lifestyle host categories -- weekdays at 10 a.m.,
The sixth season of Stewart's show will be followed by a one-hour topical talker hosted by Sirius XM's Whatever hosts Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt at 11 a.m., succeeded from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. by Mad Hungry with Lucinda, featuring Lucinda Scala Quinn.
Hallmark Channel's "how-to" weekday programming block will air an hour-long topical talk show, executive-produced by Emmy Award-winning writer and director David Steinberg. The untitled show with Stewart's daughter Alexis and Hutt will play before a studio audience, providing a platform for the humorous duet to explore the daily headlines and everyday issues. The home audience will be engaged through call-in and Skype-ing opportunities throughout the hour.
At noon, Mad Hungry with Lucinda will feature Quinn, the executive food editor at MSLO, host of the radio show EatDrink on Sirius XM and author of popular cookbooks including her most recent title, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys. The show's goal: to bring families back to the dinner table, with the hosting proffering tips on how she has conquered the challenge of whetting the appetite of her husband and three sons.
After Mad Hungry at 12:30 p.m., Hallmark will choose installments from the first four seasons of Everyday Food, which offers quick, easy and practical cooking solutions by tapping MSLO's award-winning Everyday Food magazine, which is complemented by the iPhone app, "Martha's Everyday Food."
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the network will present select episodes from MSLO's programming library, including From Martha's Kitchen, From Martha's Home and From Martha's Garden.
Then, there will be encore airings of The Martha Stewart Show at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., affording viewers afternoon access to the show.
"Everyone at Hallmark Channel is thrilled to be welcoming Martha Stewart to our family this September," said Bill Abbott, president and CEO, Hallmark Channels, in a statement announcing the lineup. "It is a watershed time for us. Not only are we working with the acknowledged leader in cooking, décor, design and gardening, but we also have the opportunity to develop a fully integrated lifestyle block of programming on multiple platforms which speaks to the strengths of both Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart. We believe it will speak to our viewers, distributors and advertisers."
Charles Koppelman, MSLO's executive chairman and principal executive officer noted: "For some time, it has been a strategic goal to expand our broadcasting presence and further cultivate the deep pool of talent we have at our company. With Hallmark Channel, a brand that is compatible with our mission and values, all the pieces have come together. We now have an on-air destination for Martha Stewart followers and are better-positioned than ever to serve the women who identify with our brand on a network that reaches 90 million households."
Stewart also is preparing primetime specials celebrating Halloween and Christmas, with hour-long programs focusing on the crafts, traditions and history of these two viewer-favorite holidays.
She is also has cooking a pair of in-depth interview specials, featuring innovators and doers in the fields of entertainment, politics and culture.
