A lot of the "new" shows they describe are actually shows that are currently on the Food Network Canada. I had often wondered why the Food Network in the US didn't make use of the Canadian shows they were producing in their US line-up, because most of them aren't specifically "Canadian" in any discernable way.

Thank goodness. I don't think I could stand watching another episode of Unwrapped.

I liked Food Network when it first launched years ago showing vintage cooking shows, with Jane Curtin announcing. Not so much now. Too many celebrity cooks (I refuse to call them chefs) and not enough substance. If my cable company carries the new cooking channel I'll give it a try.

After reading the Times article, I'll be curious to see what they produce. Hungry Girl sounds awful-- recommending fat-free Pringles over fresh produce. Give me a freaking break.

I'll hope to see more healthful foods and less MEAT on the new channel.

I'll check it out. I am so sick of Bobby Flay, and a close second is Guy Fieri.

Hmm, I feel pretty skeptical as I really question the taste level of the Food Network executives of the last 8 years or so.

"Personality!" (with jazz hands!) seems to trump substance and I fear it will be the same at the Cooking Network despite the new focus.

But I'm sure I'll check it out anyway. Who knows maybe I'll be won over. I mean I sure do love Alton and Ina still.

It's about time. I lost interest years ago due to the huge number of "lifestyle" and reality shows instead of shows about food and cooking. I've replaced that time with ... actually cooking.

Thank goodness! There are only so many times you can hear Rachel Ray say "Yummo" before you get a bad taste in your mouth :)

I love Food Jammers. Think Alton Brown meets Instructables. A little wacky, but so much fun.

The NYT article makes me curious about the difference between the original Food Network and its Canadian counterpart, especially seeing the imports from Canada on the Cooking Channel line-up. Are the Canadian shows somehow more food-centric? Or is it that the American shows are now too game show-y or road trip-y? The article was vague in describing what the problems with the US programming are, so it's hard to gauge how the new shows will be different.

I can say that I like a lot of the Canadian shows. They're generally pretty well done and easy to keep up with, without being too gimicky. I'm a little sad that the rest of the world will find out about Chuck Hughes, because he's my favorite, but it's a good move for him. It's a shame you're not getting Wild Chef with Martin Picard. That guy has no fear.

Why not? It's not like we get the Canadian influence on any other TV channels (cough, HGTV, cough).

I would watch these new shows. Maybe I'll learn something new.

I definitely got bored with food network a long time ago. Now that my cooking is maturing, i feel i'm ready to try some more 'ambitious' recipes from people like Sara Molton and some of the network chefs from 5-10 years ago. Instead all i can see is Iron Chef, and some stupid challenge and the like. I'm sick of the 'reality' style cooking. And the 'ready made' cooking shows like Sandra Lee and Rachel Ray. I wanna learn real techniques, not how to make a meal from store bought stuff. Of course, AB, Tyler Florence, Ina and Giada still inspire me to cook as did Jamie Oliver when he was there, and that's what i'm really looking for.

Food Jammers is awesome! I'm glad they'll be spreading their wackiness to a wider audience.

I hope this spin off lives up to its name. In my opinion the Food Network is jumping the shark with shows like Private Chefs of Beverly Hills and Chef vs. City. Initially I enjoyed Throwdown but how long can they carry on the rues that someone is getting a TV special about the food they cook and not know Bobby Flay is coming. Then there's Dinner Impossible where you can count on some scripted screw up to overcome at the last moment. I'm annoyed with the characters they have doing some of the shows like Paula Dean, the Neelys, Aaron McCargo and Guy Fieri. I say characters because to me it seems that the show is more about the over the top character then the content of the show. I'm from South Carolina and every time I hear Paula’s saying "Hey Ya'll" it makes me cringe. Also don’t get me wrong, I like Guy’s Big Bite but how long can you take those catch phrases. The Food Network has become more about characters and drama then food. How many times have you heard "Remember when MTV played music videos?” It makes me wonder how long it will be before we can say something similar about the Food Network. I'm glad to hear more people are watching PBS because I grew up watching Julia Child and Justin Wilson on SCETV. Yes they were both characters but to me there was much more to the show. Incidentally I think Cooks Country is one of the best cooking shows out there.

One last thing, Youtube has an abundance of instructional videos by regular schmos like you and me that may not have the production budget but still manage do a fine job of passing on the knowlege.

They're also switching up some stuff on Food Network 1.0 too, so after reading about all the changes, I fail to exactly understand how the two channels will be different. For example, if they give Hungry Girl her own show, it will be basically like Sandra Lee promoting anorexia. I don't really put a lot of stock in Scripps' executive programming decisions for either network anyway.

I've been sick of FN for a while, though I used to love it. I got to the point where it was fun to laugh at the contradicting tips from the various hosts. And there were never enough Iron Chef episodes featuring Morimoto to hold my interest. If my cable picks it up, I may watch some of the stuff but I'm not overly interested.

For the rest of you, if you haven't already seen it, there is this:
http://www.foodnetworkhumor.com

Here's a quick run down of the Canadian shows:

Laura Calder: Can be really annoying, I think she enjoys her show more than the audience.

Chuck's Day Off: Favourite show by far, really awesome to watch guy, makes really good, straight cooking food. I love it.

Everyday Exotic: If you need a spice grinder for every dish you make, you might like this show. I find it a little boring.

As stated above, its too bad the US won't get The Wild Chef with Martin Picard, it's awesome.

What sucks is that we don't get Paula Deen, and I haven't seen a barefoot contessa in forever.

Food Jammers: A bit overrated, it is a bunch of guys in the west side of Toronto fumbling their way through a challenge that they more than often don't really fully complete. Skinny jeans, plaid shirts and winter hats.

I TOTALLY agree with David_B. Food Jammers is WAY overrated. Don't like the show at all.

Barefoot Contessa would be nice to see, I love her show.

And I cannot believe that Food Network US still plays Unwrapped - seriously? Have they not unwrapped everything already??

I have also gotten bored with the Food Network but I still love Mario Batali. I'd like to see more authentic ethnic food.
I really enjoyed Kylie Kwong on the Lifestyle channel.

I don't actually have cable right now, but even if I did, I doubt I'd watch much. Unless it was 24/7 Alton Brown. I could watch that man explain things until the end of time.

I split my time between the U.S. and Canada and I find myself watching much more of the Canadian food network. More of the shows actually involve cooking, while the American version contains more "about food in general" programming - sort of like how MTV doesn't really play music anymore.

David Rocco's "La Dolce Vita" is one of my favourites mentioned in the article. He lives in Italy and travels around learning how to make traditional regional dishes. The drunken chestnut episode is fantastic.

Now, if they REALLY wanted to bring in some Canadian content, they'd add reruns of Yan Can Cook and Pasquale's Kitchen Express.

I only watch Giada and Barefoot Contessa - I used to love Elie Krieger...but that's it...everything else is hardly cooking and tends to be more "cheffury" (cross between chef and puffery). Looking forward to this new channel. See the commercials for it all the time on Fine Living Network.