Martha Stewart Show Canceled

After seven seasons, The Martha Stewart Show will wrap production in April.

The show, which focused on food, decorating and crafts, had trouble finding it’s footing after it moved over to The Hallmark Channel in 2010. For a time, reruns of the sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’ aired before new eps of the Martha show, but “Girls” consistently rated a higher number. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia frequently absorbed the high cost of producing the show, since it provided opportunities to promote Martha’s many lines of products.

Lisa Gersh, president of Stewart’s Martha Stewart Omnimedia, told reporters in December: “Our expensive studio lease is expiring next year, and we will either bring television in-house or find lower-cost space, which will significantly reduce our TV operating margins.”

Production will end in April, but The Hallmark Channel will continue to air episodes for sometime after the show goes dark.

There was no word on whether the program “Everyday Food,” which is also produced in the same studio facility, would move to another production house, or if the show would also shut down.

While Martha may be down, by no means should people count her out. Martha’s greatest TV success was her taped show … going back to the tape format would allow them to cut costs and go back to what worked and made Martha the star that she is today. Now it’s a matter of finding the right format and the right audience, at the right production price.