14 DAY TRIAL // Jamie Oliver’s new ABC show, called “Food Revolution” and set on changing the eating habits of the people in Huntington, West Virginia, opened with great numbers at the end of last week – and part of that success is due to an appearance on Oprah, who openly recommended the British cook’s latest endeavor. ABC and Ryan Seacrest, who acts as producer on the new show, also did their fair share for this to be a hit, coming up with a very smart advertising campaign that started as early as the first weeks of the year, The Wrap informs.
Though faced with nothing but animosity when he first arrived in the US – and not solely because he happens to be a foreigner come to tell others how to live their lives – Jamie seems to have convinced audiences that he only means well and that his show is worthy of their attention – at least based on the numbers for the first episode. Oliver’s appearance on Oprah and the arguments he presented there but, most importantly, the fact that the Big O, as she’s called in the media, backed him up, did the rest, the same publication says.
“Jamie Oliver sparked something of a ratings ‘Revolution’ Friday thanks to some savvy scheduling, pervasive PR – and big assists from Oprah and Ryan Seacrest. Friday’s 9 p.m. timeslot premiere of ‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’ earned a 2.6 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 and 7.5 million viewers – the best ratings for any entertainment show on the night. It was also ABC’s best demo score in the Friday time period since late 2006, and the best Friday premiere for a new or returning show on any network since the fall of 2007. The strong performance for ‘Revolution’ wasn’t a surprise to anyone who’d been paying attention to ABC’s strong, pervasive marketing and publicity for the show,” The Wrap says.
On the Oprah interview, Ryan Seacrest explained that he had agreed to produce the show because he too had some weight issues while growing up, since he was overweight. However, the strongest part of the interview was when Jamie Oliver explained to parents that feeding their children junk food was nothing short of child abuse and the least they could do for when they could not oversee them was to make sure they were fed healthy food. Oprah herself weighed in on that by having two coffins wheeled in: one was a regular-sized one, while the other was what they call a “jumbo casket.” The market for this type of caskets for the obese is booming right now – and Huntington is no exception.
“I don’t think I’m Superman, however, I’ve got hindsight on my side. Four hours of TV back home got a billion dollars from the British government, got rubbish in vending machines taken out, got new standards, fresh produce, local food and we’re on the beginning of transition of change. And I pray and hope that with the six hours of TV I’m doing on ABC, that I want to inspire the parents of America to have an opinion for themselves and support me because the standards in this country are not protecting your kids,” Jamie Oliver said on Oprah. Below is the interview. Enjoy.
Jamie Oliver does The Oprah Winfrey Show – Part 1