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‘Ray’ Hits 500th Show

Mar 29, 2009  •  Post A Comment

As Rachael Ray’s syndicated show airs its 500th episode April 1, her brand continues to grow among viewers looking for convenient ways to cook and care for their families.
Ms. Ray is the driving force behind a growing empire of products, including her own magazine, several nonprofit organizations and product lines of food, dishware and pet food, as well as her multiple programs, including “Tasty Travels” on Food Network and “Rachael Ray” in syndication.
She said new offerings are in the works for her product lines, including a tomatoes-in-a-box product to join her line of soup stocks-in-a-box, new dishes and food-carrying cases. She’s also adding cat food to her pet food lineup.
With all of her projects, she said, she manages all the work by taking meticulous notes, coding ideas in notebooks for each of her endeavors and writing when she wakes up and before she goes to bed.
“I’ve had jobs that were physically a lot tougher than this job,” she said. “For me, this job is not a job. It’s really like what I would do on a day off. I chat. I like to travel and I like to cook dinner.”
In syndication, “Ray” premiered in 2006, posting a modest 2.0 household rating average during its first year. The show, produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment, has dipped a tenth of a ratings point each of its subsequent seasons, currently averaging a 1.8 household rating.
Ms. Ray said the time has flown by.
“It just really doesn’t seem like we’ve been around that long. I mean that in a good way,” she said.
The show gets its energy more from viewers, their suggestions and their participation than from celebrity guests, Ms. Ray said.
“We try and treat our celebrities like next-door neighbors, and we try and treat our neighbors like celebrities,” she said.
While Ms. Ray’s show touches on all different angles of home life, her bread-and-butter, if you will, is her cooking expertise.
Ms. Ray said one of her main goals over the past season was to create low-cost recipes for her viewers, trying to craft meals for under $10.
Ms. Ray said she has tried to remain thriftier with her offerings recently, opting to avoid pricier ingredients such as shrimp.
Going forward, Ms. Ray said she hopes to continue making the audience an integral part of her show by listening to feedback and doing more segments that viewers say they enjoy, like “Mystery Tasters.”
Of course, every year the syndication field gains more competition, including a fellow Harpo alum in Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose medical talk show is launching next season.
Ms. Ray said she had some words of advice for Dr. Oz that were imparted to her by her Harpo boss, Oprah Winfrey.
“Be yourself,” she said.

8 Comments

  1. RACHAEL RAY IS OFF THE CHAIN. RACHAEL KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK YOU ARE THE NEW SUNSHINE TO TV. YOU BRING SUNSHINE,JOY, AND HAPPYNEST TO SO MANY PEOPLE.WHEN MS.OPRAH WINFREY SAID THAT SHE SAW SOMETHING SHE DID AND SO DO YOUR FANS NOW. BE BLESS AND KEEP HAVING FUN.BECAUSE YOUR FUN OF COOKING, KEEPS US HAPPY..

  2. Lindsay Lohan is not going any where that could stop her from acting, so for a second time, I call BS on the extreme in depth inpatient rehab garbage. There is not any way her or her mommy will lose this chance to make bucks. And obviously she doesn’t loathe that scram bracelet sufficient to quit the jack and coke and quit stuffing sh*t up her sordid nose.

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