Make that lots of real people. HGTV and its sister networks–the Food Network, the Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living–are now the channels of choice for the home obsessed. On any given night in prime time, about 1 million viewers tune in to HGTV and Food, up 35 percent over last year. And when they tune in, they tend to stick around rather than channel-surf. That’s one reason advertising sales for those two channels–and their most popular shows like “House Hunters,” “Sensible Chic” and “Emeril, Live!”–are up more than 30 percent this year. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based Scripps Networks, which owns the channels, even has ambitions to beat Martha Stewart at her own show-and-sell game. Their parent, E.W. Scripps, just bought the Shop at Home Network, so viewers can buy what they see.

Scripps has plenty of new competition–MTV’s “Cribs” (tours of stars’ over-the-top digs), VH1’s “Rock the House” (famous musicians redecorate an unsuspecting fan’s room) and TLC’s “Trading Spaces” (we know you’ve seen it). But Scripps is sticking with the script laid out by its president, Ed Spray, an unlikely choice for America’s tastemaker. This self-effacing former network exec was teaching communications at Syracuse University when he was tapped several years ago to help build a niche network that would provide the house-proud with the kind of 360-degree view they could never get from shelter magazines. Spray was happy to be back on the firing line, but admits he didn’t have a clue how to fill up the programming hours. So he followed the example of many successful TV pros before him and stole ideas from the competition–in this case, PBS’s “This Old House.”

Spray was pleasantly surprised when viewers tuned in. Gradually, he realized the trick was to give them information they could use no matter how fancy–or humble–their home. Tone is key, too. Show hosts should be friends, not instructors. “Our best shows reinforce the idea that when it comes to home design, we’re all in this together,” says Spray. And that we’re not going to get too stressed about it. The network’s son-of-Muzak soundtrack, grinning guests and tai chi-paced camerawork are meant to reassure viewers that a happy ending is a coat of paint away. Quick, jumpy edits are forbidden. HGTV shows college dorm rooms only after the beer signs and racy posters have been removed. The feel-good formula is crucial. “Our viewers know they won’t see anything anxiety-provoking or disturbing,” says Spray. “We see that when the news in the world is dark, people tune in. We’re a safe haven.”

But safe can’t mean boring. So Spray and his team have tried to add some drama to help fend off all the new competition. There’s “Designers’ Challenge,” which follows the struggles and inevitable triumph of, say, refurbishing a powder room, and “Extreme Homes,” which tours oddball dwellings. Lately, as Spray strives to fill a whopping 85 hours of programming each day for all his channels, he’s combined nesting TV with ’70s-era staples like “The Dating Game.” In “Love by Design” a single woman evaluates three potential blind dates by scrutinizing their homes, then works with a designer to overhaul a room for the one she likes best (note to Bachelor No. 2: Kiss posters aren’t furniture). In the Food Network’s “Date Plate,” three suitors try to woo a girl by making her dinner.

Worried that the competition might lure away well-heeled viewers, Spray launched Fine Living, which celebrates the pleasures money can buy, and he’s been nudging HGTV upscale. He gets lots of advice, too, from viewers on how to do his job. He has 10 people handling 6,000 calls, letters and e-mails a month from fans looking for advice on grout, or offering a frank appraisal of a new show host. Scripps is hoping to cash in on that intense loyalty with the Shop at Home Network it just bought. Industry analysts say the move could be a bonanza. “Scripps’s message could be a powerful one: tune in, learn something and maybe buy the equipment you need,” says Josh Bernoff, of Forrester Research.

Spray’s team is also stalking a new hit, but finding one isn’t easy. He’s rejected a pilot in which a roulette wheel is used to pick color schemes. He’s nixed the “Art of Butchering” and a sexually explicit game show called “Fork Play.” The Next Big Thing will bring in viewers without offending–his audience wants it that way, says Spray. “Viewers come to us because we’re soothing. They trust us,” he says. “We have to be sure we don’t undermine that relationship.” Give Spray credit for his instincts, but too bad we won’t get to see “Fork Play.”