Judy Girard announced plans to retire by the end of this year from her post as President of HGTV, capping a career of more than 25 years in television. Scripps Networks says it has begun the search for a new boss for its largest cable network.
"I have had an amazing time in television, and feel extremely fortunate to have spent the last 10 years at Scripps Networks running two of the best lifestyle networks in cable. Now I am looking forward to spending more time with my husband and enjoying some of the lifestyle pursuits our networks have helped popularize," said Girard.
She joined Scripps in 1998, first as General Manager, then President of Food network. Girard moved to HGTV as President in 2005 and quickly went to work broadening the audience of the network, attracting new, younger viewers to the existing base of loyal fans.
"With HGTV fully distributed, the challenge for Judy and the brand team has been to further strengthen the relationship between the brand and the viewer. She has done that, capitalizing on the strong engagement HGTV enjoys with consumers while also expanding the definition of the brand to include real estate, living green and really all things that relate to home – no matter how you define it. As a result, HGTV has had solid, year-to-year ratings growth month after month," said Scripps Networks President John Lansing.
Prior to her Scripps years, Girard held top programming positions with Americast (a joint venture of Disney and several telecom companies) and the Lifetime network.
