Food Network announces Emeril Lagasse as new host of "Good Eats."

As new host of "Good Eats," Emeril Lagasse takes over the show from Alton Brown, the original host and creator.

Explaining the switch, Judy Girard, President of Food Network, said "During a recent comprehensive examination of our schedule, we realized that although Emeril was our biggest draw, he was only for less than three hours a day."

About the former host, Alton Brown, Food Network Girard said, "We appreciate Alton's work, but we feel that with Emeril Lagasse, we can entertain more people. The former, intelligent, sophisticated style of Good Eats unfortunately just isn't a profitable direction in this day's market."

Other planned changes in "Good Eats" involve recasting the equipment woman "W" with Jacqui Malouf and hiring Robert Urich to take over the vacated role of The Mad French Chef.

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodtv.com) is the only 24-hour cable television network and website devoted exclusively to all things related to food, cooking and entertaining. With headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, FOOD NETWORK is distributed to more than 71 million U.S. households. Internationally FOOD NETWORK can now be seen in Canada, Australia, France, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and the Philippines. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), which also owns and operates Home & Garden Television Network (HGTV), Do It Yourself (DIY), and Fine Living, is the managing general partner.

Press Contacts:
April Voll, Food Network, 312-410-2418 (april@fooltv.com)