<P> Schonfeld, who was also a partner in the company, was appointed as managing director of TV Food Network and maintained a spot on its management board along with two Providence Journal employees . The original lineup for the network included Emeril Lagasse (Essence of Emeril), Debbi Fields, Donna Hanover, David Rosengarten, Curtis Aikens, Dr. Louis Arrone, Jacques Pépin, and Robin Leach . The following year, the network acquired the rights to the Julia Child library from WGBH . </P> <P> In 1995, Schonfeld resigned as managing director of the network, but remained on its board until 1998, when he sold his interest in the company to Scripps . Erica Gruen was hired as president / CEO of the network in 1996, becoming only the second woman in history to be CEO of a U.S. television network, and led it to explosive growth through 1998, tripling the subscriber base, viewership and revenue, and launching FoodNetwork.com, the #1 site for food . In fact, in 1997, it was the second fastest growing cable network . Gruen changed the brand positioning from Schonfeld's "TV for people who cook" to "TV for everyone who loves to eat," thereby greatly improving the appeal to viewers and advertisers, and saving the network from bankruptcy . Greg Willis and Cathy Rasenberger were two of the original members of the start - up team who led the affiliate sales and marketing of the company from 1995 to 1998 . Greg Willis served as senior vice president of worldwide distribution until he left to join Liberty Media in 1998 . </P> <P> The A.H. Belo Corporation acquired Food Network when it purchased The Providence Journal Company in 1996 . Myrhen left the Journal Company the following year . Belo sold the network to the E.W. Scripps Company in 1997, in a trade deal that resulted in Belo acquiring the television - radio station combination of KENS - AM / TV in San Antonio, Texas . In March 2009, the Food Network launched a repurposed Food.com as a bookmarking site that allows users to aggregate and search for recipes from different sources online . </P> <P> The 1080i high definition simulcast feed of Food Network launched on March 31, 2008 . </P>

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