Better (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Better is a syndicated
lifestyle television show. It airs weekdays on 80 stations across the United States. The program is produced and distributed by Meredith Corporation
which was first founded as a publishing company back in 1902. Better gets its name from Meredith's flagship publication, Better Homes and Gardens
. Much of the show's content is tied not only to Better Homes and Gardens but also to Meredith's other magazines including More
, Fitness, Ladies' Home Journal
, Parents
, and Family Circle
. Each episode features a mix of subject matter experts and celebrity guests. There are both in-studio interviews and pre-taped feature stories.
and JD Roberto
from studios in Midtown Manhattan
. The show's other primary personality is correspondent Lesley Nagy.
Initially, Better was hosted by Lowe in New York City and Kimberly Maus at KPTV
in Portland, Oregon
. In August 2009, the show's West Coast operations moved to WFSB
in Rocky Hill, Connecticut
, near Hartford
. At that time Lowe became the program's solo host.
Rhiannon Ally was named Lowe's co-host in January 2011. She originally joined the program in September 2009 as a correspondent based out of Rocky Hill. She had also served as Lowe's substitute.
On September 12, 2011, JD Roberto
was added as a co-host.
The show currently airs on most of the 13 stations owned by Meredith, as well as on stations owned by companies including Fox
, CBS
, Tribune
, LIN TV
, Journal,Belo
, and Sinclair
.
Some Meredith stations air a localized version of the program, under varying titles using local hosts, à la PM Magazine
. For example, WNEM-TV
's version is called Better Mid-Michigan; while WGCL-TV
's edition is known as Better Mornings Atlanta; and KPHO-TV
's show is called Better Arizona. WPHL-TV
(a Tribune-owned Better affiliate) airs the national version in the morning with local cut-ins throughout the hour, branded as Better Philly.
This is not Better Homes and Gardens' first foray into television; in the 1990s, the magazine presented a similar syndicated weekly series, Better Your Home with Better Homes and Gardens. In addition, the Australia
n version of the magazine has their TV series as well.
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
lifestyle television show. It airs weekdays on 80 stations across the United States. The program is produced and distributed by Meredith Corporation
Meredith Corporation
The Meredith Corporation is a media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The company has two divisions, National Media and Local Media.-History:...
which was first founded as a publishing company back in 1902. Better gets its name from Meredith's flagship publication, Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens (magazine)
Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per...
. Much of the show's content is tied not only to Better Homes and Gardens but also to Meredith's other magazines including More
More (magazine)
More, launched in September 1998, is a women's lifestyle magazine published once a month by the Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 1.3 million and a circulation of 1.5 million...
, Fitness, Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
, Parents
Parents (magazine)
Parents, published by Meredith Corporation, is the oldest parenting publication in the U.S. It was first published in October 1926.Its editorial focus is on the daily needs and concerns of mothers with young children. The glossy monthly features information about child health, safety, behavior,...
, and Family Circle
Family Circle
Family Circle is an American women's magazine published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation. It began publication in 1932 as a magazine distributed at supermarkets such as Piggly Wiggly and Safeway. Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting bought the magazine in 1962. The New York Times Company bought...
. Each episode features a mix of subject matter experts and celebrity guests. There are both in-studio interviews and pre-taped feature stories.
Hosts and correspondents
Better is currently co-hosted by Audra LoweAudra Lowe
Audra Lowe is the host of Better, a syndicated lifetyle television show. The program airs weekdays on 80 stations across the United States. She has been with the show since its inception in 2007....
and JD Roberto
JD Roberto
John David "JD" Roberto is an American television personality, game show host and writer.-Biography:Born in White Plains, New York, Roberto went to the NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting...
from studios in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. The show's other primary personality is correspondent Lesley Nagy.
Initially, Better was hosted by Lowe in New York City and Kimberly Maus at KPTV
KPTV
KPTV is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Portland, Oregon market, which includes most of the state of Oregon and portions of Southwest Washington. KPTV is owned by the Meredith Corporation in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX , with its studios located in Beaverton and...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. In August 2009, the show's West Coast operations moved to WFSB
WFSB
'WFSB, channel 3, is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, owned by the Meredith Corporation. WFSB's studios and offices are located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and its broadcast transmitter is based on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. Syndicated...
in Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,966 at the 2000 census. Rocky Hill was part of Wethersfield, the neighboring town to the north, until it was independently incorporated in 1849....
, near Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. At that time Lowe became the program's solo host.
Rhiannon Ally was named Lowe's co-host in January 2011. She originally joined the program in September 2009 as a correspondent based out of Rocky Hill. She had also served as Lowe's substitute.
On September 12, 2011, JD Roberto
JD Roberto
John David "JD" Roberto is an American television personality, game show host and writer.-Biography:Born in White Plains, New York, Roberto went to the NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting...
was added as a co-host.
History and affiliates
Production of the program began in several test markets in 2007. The national version debuted in 2008.The show currently airs on most of the 13 stations owned by Meredith, as well as on stations owned by companies including Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Tribune
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
, LIN TV
LIN TV
LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in 1961. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and learning, music...
, Journal,Belo
Belo
Belo Corp. is a Dallas-based media company that owns 20 commercial broadcasting television stations and two regional 24-hour cable news television channels. The company was previously known as A.H. Belo Corp. after one of the early owners of the company, Alfred Horatio Belo, now the name of the...
, and Sinclair
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
.
Some Meredith stations air a localized version of the program, under varying titles using local hosts, à la PM Magazine
PM Magazine
PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
. For example, WNEM-TV
WNEM-TV
WNEM-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Flint/Tri-Cities market in Michigan. It is licensed to Bay City, and broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 . Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station has studios on North Franklin Street in downtown Saginaw, as...
's version is called Better Mid-Michigan; while WGCL-TV
WGCL-TV
WGCL-TV, virtual channel 46.1 is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Atlanta, Georgia area. Its city of license is Atlanta, and the station is owned by Meredith Corporation, making it the largest-market CBS station not owned by the network...
's edition is known as Better Mornings Atlanta; and KPHO-TV
KPHO-TV
KPHO-TV, channel 5, is a CBS-affiliate television station located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. KPHO-TV is owned by the Meredith Corporation, and has its studios located on Black Canyon Highway in the Alhambra Village section of Phoenix, with its transmitter located on South Mountain in Phoenix...
's show is called Better Arizona. WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV, channel 17, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by the Tribune Company and currently affiliated with the News Corporation-owned MyNetworkTV television network. This makes it the largest non-O&O station of the network...
(a Tribune-owned Better affiliate) airs the national version in the morning with local cut-ins throughout the hour, branded as Better Philly.
This is not Better Homes and Gardens
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n version of the magazine has their TV series as well.