Martha Stewart Show Ends Hallmark Run Amid High Costs

Martha Stewart's television expansion at Hallmark Channel ended after two seasons because production expenses outweighed financial returns, while her broader legacy also included founding elder care centers with Mount Sinai in New York.

The Martha Stewart Show moved to Hallmark Channel in September 2010 after previously running as a syndicated program. The network promoted the acquisition as a major programming move, with president Bill Abbott describing it as "a match made in TV heaven."

The show's premiere attracted about 199,000 viewers, according to TVLine. Hallmark later reduced its planned daytime programming block, and the program averaged about 225,000 viewers per episode in 2011, including only about 41,000 women ages 25-54.

Hallmark ultimately canceled the series in January 2012 after two seasons. TVLine reported that promotional costs approached $10 million, including about $5 million to $8 million for the "Make the Move With Martha" campaign.

Financial pressure also affected Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the company behind the program. Then-MSLO president and COO Lisa Gersh addressed plans to reduce television costs as the Manhattan studio lease approached expiration.

"Our expensive studio lease is expiring next year, and we will either bring television in-house or find lower cost space, which will significantly reduce our TV operating margins" said Lisa Gersh, then-MSLO president and COO.

The television setback did not end Stewart's media career. Her baking series Martha Bakes, which premiered on PBS in 2013, later became one of the successful baking programs on television, according to TVLine.

Beyond entertainment, Stewart also established the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai in 2007, inspired by her mother Martha Kostyra's active life until age 93. A second center opened in 2019 at 10 Union Square, providing access to specialists in more than 20 medical fields.

The Mount Sinai centers focus on older adults through medical treatment, wellness programs, and support services. Nathan Goldstein, MD, professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of geriatrics for Mount Sinai Downtown, described the center's approach.

"The idea was simple: give older adults the services and support they need to live with health and dignity," said Nathan Goldstein, MD, professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of geriatrics for Mount Sinai Downtown.

The centers provide services including tai chi, yoga, music therapy, nutrition planning, fall prevention programs, and caregiver support groups. Mount Sinai data cited by Times of India showed patients had half as many emergency room visits, shorter hospital stays, and 50 percent lower readmissions after hospital stays.

Goldstein said the center's name reflects its focus on wellness and patient participation in healthcare decisions.

"We call it the Center for Living for a reason," said Nathan Goldstein, MD, professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of geriatrics for Mount Sinai Downtown.

The downtown center recorded nearly 5,000 patient visits in its first year, according to Mount Sinai data cited by Times of India. The program also trains medical students, pharmacy residents, and postgraduate trainees in geriatric care.

Goldstein also discussed the need for specialized training as the population ages and outpatient care becomes increasingly important.

"Given this country’s rapidly ageing population, the need for the kind of specialised training in geriatrics we provide at our Center has never been greater. Developing the skills of physicians in outpatient medicine and ambulatory practice will be absolutely essential to keeping older adults functional and out of the hospital over the next 20 to 30 years," said Nathan Goldstein, MD, professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of geriatrics for Mount Sinai Downtown.