The Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership was proud to host Scripps Networks 10th anniversary of Home and Garden Television (HGTV) on November 19 at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Mayor Bill Haslam and Knox County Chief of Staff Mike Arms gave proclamations and officially made November 19th HGTV Day in Knoxville and KnoxCounty.

“It didn’t take long - HGTV has become one of those key identifiers for our community,” said Bruce Hartmann, president and publisher of the Knoxville News Sentinel and Partnership Board chair. “While their reach is truly worldwide, Scripps Networks presence locally has been a driving force both economically and culturally for the past decade. The company has grown a highly-skilled workforce and provided opportunities for new companies, freelance professionals and service providers abound.”

HGTV was launched 10 years ago in Knoxville after Ken Lowe, HGTV’s founder and now president and CEO of HGTV’s parent company, The E.W. Scripps Co., pitched the concept of the network to Scripps’ top management.

“Who we are is almost as important as where we are,” said Lowe at the celebration. “When we first created HGTV, I thought our own people should experience the lifestyle of what we were putting on the television screen. If we had been based in an entertainment capital like Hollywood or New York, surrounded by people who primarily were entertainment-oriented, I truly believe that HGTV would have developed in a very different way and I’m not sure it would have been similarly successful.”

On December 30, 1994, HGTV went on the air to 6.5 million homes in 44 markets and now, 10 years later, HGTV is seen in more than 87 million households and is widely recognized as one of the country’s premier cable networks.

HGTV spawned the larger media enterprise Scripps Networks - comprised of the Food Network, DIY, Fine Living, Shop at Home and Great American Country.

Scripps Networks has a far reaching economic impact in Knoxville, employing more than 600 individuals locally and more than 1,100 across the country.

The event was sponsored by RIVR Media, LLC, First Tennessee, Michael Brady Inc. and Richardson Turner Construction Company Inc.

HGTV Founder Ken Lowe remarks on the incredible success of Scripps Networks, headquartered in Knoxville, and thanks area businesses, business leaders and government officials for their continued support over the past 10 years.