When I read Kate Wagner’s (Twitter handle @McMansionHell) article on Curbed “We Need a New Kind of HGTV” I couldn’t help but react with a passionate “Hell yeah!” I agree with Kate – this television network is not meeting my “Home and Garden” needs.
Don’t get me wrong – I love watching HGTV.
It’s the first channel on after the kids go to bed and I flop onto the couch. It’s the channel that plays in the background while I cook dinner or fold laundry.
In other words, HGTV is my escape – aka home improvement eye candy. It feeds my grandiose dreams of transforming my small old fixer-upper into a spacious oasis. In other words, this network provides more entertainment than instruction. Or as the Denver Post puts it, an “escapist appeal of looking at other people’s beautiful homes.”
And I’m not alone. I’m in good company – from NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins to Pop Star Taylor Swift to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who all love HGTV. (Hey y’all – wanna come over and watch? I’ll make the popcorn!)
What does HGTV NOT provide me?
Every year, almost half of US home owners don’t expect to do a major renovation. So for the average home owner whose status is “I just need help with basic maintenance and maybe if I’ve got some time and a little extra in my bonus check, a small improvement project”, these shows lack guidance and instruction.
HGTV doesn’t teach how to handle day-to-day problems of maintaining a house or apartment. And isn’t basic maintenance an essential part of owning or renting?
I agree with Kate – the network has migrated to reoccurring dramas telling the stale story of a straight couple flipping properties in urban areas. While I believe there is value in these types of shows, I’d love to see more diverse programming reaching a broader audience with an instructional focus.
Ironically, I’m the exact demographic that Kate notes as HGTV’s target audience – yet I’m not 100% satisfied with the network.
I’m a woman (Kate – thank you for calling me wise and prudent), straight, married (sure Kate, my husband may have a “dopey” moment but don’t we all? But all in all, he’s a pretty savvy guy), 2.5 kids (actually 3 including twins…call me an overachiever), middle-class, living in an urban/ suburban area.
I have little in common with Kate’s demographic – millennials with staggering student loans forced to rent apartments at rates that match my mortgage. However, I feel Kate’s pain and am on board with her message. HGTV could better reflect the realities of American housing, both its renters AND its owners.
What exactly would I like to see from HGTV?
The network should focus on real life challenges on ALL parts of owning or renting a home. And do it with a balance of entertainment and education.
- Smaller renovations – DIY instructional shorts. Think “Small Changes, Big Impact” Current renovations shown are extensive and require hefty budgets far out of reach from a significant portion of homeowners.
- Organization and Maintenance- How about tips,tricks ans hacks for the following?
- Simple and budget-friendly hacks
- Decluttering
- How to keep track of maintenance tasks
- Restore and reuse of items
- Upscaling or freshening up décor
- Old houses – Show us creative yet authentic ways to preserve the charm of old houses and work within the old floor plans (versus major renovations of tearing down walls). (Although in their defense, since this post published they now have Houses with History which is about preservation and rehabilitation of old houses. )
- Interior design – How about a show on basics and trends? (sidenote – they do a great job with this in their magazine. And yes, I’m a subscriber)
- Gardening – How about more of the “G” in HGTV? Or if not gardening, how about “G” for green homes/ sustainability?
Keep the renovation shows! But…
The network is heavy in major renovation shows. And major renovations and upgrades are a significant part of owning a home. But there is a gap in these shows in addressing and educating home owners on ALL aspects of the renovation process.
What questions run through my and my husband’s heads as we potentially prepare for a major renovation that I think HGTV is perfectly positioned to answer?
- How do you prioritize which renovations to do first?
- How do you set a budget?
- How do you know how long a renovation will take?
- How do you save or fund these renovations?
- How do you pick the right contractor?
- What pitfalls could be in a contractor’s contract?
- How do you monitor the renovation progress? How do you stay on budget?
- How do you handle overruns and changes – both timelines and budgets?
What would a re-focused HGTV look like?
Somewhere in between HGTV and This Old House (maybe that’s actually another home improvement show. DIY Network? Dunno, that channel isn’t part of my basic cable programming…..)
Or maybe it would look like the old HGTV – back when programming included decorating, crafting and gardening too.
So I’m with Kate. I’d love to see HGTV return to its roots and re-focus its effort on more useful, down-to-earth programming that relates to a broader audience. AND do it a way that educates while still keeps the entertainment factor.
Ok, Ok I’ll say it – HGTV, please put a good dose of “Real” back into your “Reality” shows.
But I have to admit that HGTV must be doing something right. It’s the third-most-watched cable network after ESPN and Fox News (Fox News?!?! REALLY? I didn’t think people were all that into news…..but another topic, another day…….)
And maybe these changes will draw new viewers and challenge the predictions from financial analysts that viewership at HGTV has peaked.
But if HGTV doesn’t change its tune and sticks to shows with escapist appeal, I admit that’s OK too. I’m still a HGTV fan. A gal can still watch and dream about a turning her small 100+year old house into a spacious oasis, right?
Maybe I’ll throw a HGTV marathon party. Kirk Cousins – you are in charge of making chili. Taylor Swift – whip up some spinach dip. Hillary Clinton – leave the politics at home with Bill and grab some wine on your way over.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What would you like to see from HGTV? Please comment below!
Feature photo by Siniz Kim on Unsplash
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