Predicting the Fate of Paula Deen's Upcoming Network

Paula Deen, America's most lovable racist, is set to make a comeback of sorts in the cooking show world. In September, the 67-year-old celebrity chef is going to launch the cleverly titled "Paula Deen Network." Unlike her previous cooking show ventures, this network won't be aired on any television screens. That's right, Paula's goin' digital y'all!

It will be available for smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Featuring cooking videos, and cooking videos only. Some will be long and some will be short. That is really all she can do. Cook, and laugh. Cook, and say "more butter" every four seconds. Cook, and pretend like she is not an awful person. In a promotional video Deen says, "you can throw out your TV now," which might may be a dig at the Food Network—the station she was fired from over a year ago. In the video, Deen goes on to say how happy she is to be in Georgia with her brand new kitchen, her family, friends, and new friends. I'm amazed she got through the whole video without bursting into tears.

The network is available online to subscribers willing to pay an as-of-yet unspecified monthly rate. Early registration begins in July, where early-bird fans will be entered in a sweepstakes to win a trip to Georgia to meet Paula Deen herself, and also be part of her live studio audience. Can you say dream vacation? Once the network launches, a free 14-day-trial will be available for those on the fence.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Deen claims that she was, of course, offered the opportunity to return to television but she chose to shut those offers down because that's not what her fans want. "After much research and talking to our fans, this is what they wanted. They wanted to be able to watch me anytime, anywhere, any place," said Deen. "IPads are so much lighter to tote around than a TV. In a network program, you only have 22 minutes. The fans are going to see things they have never seen before. They are going to see all of me." Looks like Paula wants to parade this whole thing as her being able to have more creative control, and supposedly cater to her fans more. The big question is, will the network be successful? Another question is, did Deen really think people were trying to tote around television sets?

My guess is no (regarding the first question). As beloved a figure Deen is to some people, it's not hard to come by cooking videos for free on YouTube, and other sites. Then again, executives over at Paula Deen Ventures—the company making this network, which Paula Deen is the majority owner of—are acting pretty confident that this is going to be huge. The Wall Street Journal reports their excitement: "Her social-media audience spiked in the weeks after the controversy broke, growing to more than six million across social-media platforms and more than one million email subscribers. To build on that, Ms. Deen has embarked on a 20-city summer tour across the south to attract network subscribers."

Her popularity spiked after she was exposed as a racist? That's depressing. Oh, but it was so long ago! Things were different then. Stop raining on her parade. Sorry y'all, but I can't find it in me to "forgive" Paula for saying and doing some very hurtful things. The worst part is, she didn't seem all that apologetic then and definitely doesn't now. Neither does her family. Take her son Jamie, for instance, who recently reignited controversy after posting a picture of him on Twitter kissing a woman his family forced to dress up like Aunt Jemima. Unsurprisingly, his Food Network show has also been cancelled.

Personal feelings about her aside, it doesn't seem like Deen is offering much in this network. Only very dedicated, southern-style amateur cooks might find it useful. I mean, is she really all that entertaining? There is a difference between watching content because it's there and it's free versus watching content you sought out to find. Will enough people seek Paula out? I really do not think so, but another rich business person disagrees with me. Private-equity investor Jahm Najafi, has put a $100 million investment on the network, and is also pretty darn confident he didn't make a huge mistake. What do I know? Perhaps Paula is going to shine bright on iPhones all over the world. What a world that will be!