the buzz log

Jon and Kate Gosselin faces their June 12th anniversary of 10 years unhappily wed, overwhelmed by the tabloids, and under investigation for possible child labor laws. But The Learning Channel couldn't be giddier.

Less than a year ago, according to The Wrap, TLC was wringing its hands over slipping ratings, a sad state of affairs for the home of "Trading Spaces" (borrowed from a BBC TV series). Some executive shuffling got the cable network back on track, but when the Gosselins' misery was outed, TLC got an all-time ratings high.

Of course, that does highlight an irony of reality TV: If TLC had started out being more realistic about depicting this family's woes, rather than being skunked out, it probably woudn't have had a chance for its Memorial Day marathon victory. 

But in a slate built around domestic cuddliness and feel-good persistence (with the occasional tattoo and vehicular tune-ups), does the network threaten its image by sticking by the Gosselins? TV critics en masse felt queasy about the Season 5 premiere, and the Daily News (which has done its fair share of Jon & Kate's downfall coverage) called out the network directly: "TLC executives should step up and do the right thing — kill "Jon & Kate Plus 8," the TV series. Now."

Well, TLC does have something in the oven, whether as a Just-in-Case bit of progrmming, or on account of 'cuz big broods do so well on its line-up: The network has been looking for recent births of multiples for a new show, "Bringing Up Baby." And the show won't stick around the families long enough to see how they turn out.

Anyhow, TLC is debuting a bunch of wedding-themed shows, and its foray into foodstuffs is doing well with "Cake Boss" (a big buzzer in searches on Yahoo!), which features a famous Hoboken baker who's done confectionary creations for the likes of Britney Spears. Coming up is a Kelly Ripa-produced show, "Masters of Reception," about a New Jersey catering family. Apparently there's something tasty going on in the Garden State.

Besides the downward spiral of the Gosselins, there are other TLC programs that get attention. Here are the network's top 10 of its Web-hottest programs. 

  Top 10 TLC Shows,
past 30 days based on Yahoo! searches

1. "Jon & Kate Plus 8"    
2. "Miami Ink"
3. "18 Kids and Counting"
4. "What Not to Wear"
5. "L.A. Ink"
6. "American Chopper"
7. "Overhaulin'"
8. "Cake Boss"
9. "Little People, Big World"
10. "The Little Couple"