By Luqman Adeniyi
NEW YORK (AP) --HGTV is working the buddy system.
The home-and-garden network has upped the number of shows with co-hosts who are related or married to five, adding "America's Most Desperate Kitchens," hosted by cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri, to its lineup of shows hosted by spouses, siblings and other assorted relatives.
Keeping it all in the family is deliberate: "The natural conversation and exchanges between them as experts with a pre-existing relationship engages audiences," said HGTV general manager Allison Page.
The lifestyle network's top show "Brother vs Brother," starring brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott fixing houses for resale, averaged 2.5 million viewers this season – a 47 percent increase over last year's viewership, according to Nielsen ratings.
Carrino and Colaneri are back with their fourth HGTV show this summer. In their newest offering, the duo renovates kitchens in homes across the country. Colaneri said they enjoy being able to portray their relationship exactly as it is without any amped-up drama.
"We are first cousins, best friends and we are almost like brothers," Colaneri said.
Their first HGTV gig hosting "Kitchen Cousins" came out of the blue: They got the surprise call from the network 10 months after a friend sent in a video she made of them.
"I don't think for one second we ever thought this is something we can do," Carrino said.
Page said the network's audience is mostly women, but they have worked to expand it. Since hosting on HGTV, Carrino said, "Big burly union electrical workers" have come up to him saying, "Can I get a picture? I love your show."
Page said the two-host system helps diversify the demographic of the audience, especially when each of the hosts has a different expertise. She said "the shows that focus on physical construction and decoration appeal to both" men and women.
"Our fans stretch from young children to adults," Colaneri said. "There is always someone who comes up to you that you would never expect."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More