• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 10, 2010

Dovetailing with those first summer barbecues, Scripps networks is scheduled to launch the Cooking Channel on Memorial Day weekend. And the popular Food Network will serve as a promotional platform for the company's second culinary outlet.

Cooking Channel will debut in about 55 million homes; it takes over the distribution of the soon-to-be-defunct Fine Living Network.

Scripps Networks Interactive CEO Ken Lowe spoke of Cooking's late May debut on a conference call Wednesday, adding that programming is in development and sales executives are "getting positive feedback." The company indicated that Cooking will offer more of an instructional approach than its Food Network counterpart and its reality series.

Scripps is paying multichannel operators to slot the Cooking Channel in Fine Living's spot on the dial. The company said that should add up to about a $1-per-subscriber fee over a period of time.

Scripps reported results Wednesday for the October-December period Wednesday -- the moribund Fine Living was its only network with a year-over-year revenue decline -- down 5% to about $12.2 million.

Total company revenue for the Scripps division with its networks was $369 million, up 8%. That excludes its recent acquisition of the Travel Channel.

Ad revenues (sans Travel) were up 7% to $281 million, but flat for all of 2009 as the recession was a headwind. Profit was $163 million in the business segment in the fourth quarter, up 8% if a programming writedown and other expenses are excluded.

Scripps will take over sales duties from Discovery Communications for Travel Channel by the end of March, in time to make it part of its upfront package. Affiliate fee operations will transfer in the second quarter.

CEO Lowe indicated that Scripps would invest more in marketing this year as it looks to attract new viewers to its channels. In 2009, the aim was to persuade current viewers to watch more.

Ratings at Food Network, HGTV and Travel are all up double digits among a key female 25-to-54 demo and total viewers this broadcast season.