NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey's network has begun not with a bang but with redeclared purpose by the Queen of Daytime for her new round-the-clock cable channel venture.
After years in the planning and months of hype, the
moment of launch on Saturday at 12 noon EST was rather quiet.
Buried in the middle of a holiday weekend (though
boasting the numerically catchy date 1-1-11), The Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN
for short, arrived free of glitz with a one-hour preview special hosted by
Winfrey, host of the syndicated "The Oprah Winfrey Show." She offered
a hearty overview of the live-your-best-life fare she will curate across the
network's schedule in the days ahead and further down the line.
The strategy seemed that of a soft opening, aimed
at whetting viewers' appetites so they regularly come back and sample the
network's expanding menu of new shows as they roll out.
"I wanted to take the ideals of great
television that we've established on the 'Oprah' show and bring them to you
through a variety of new shows 24/7," Winfrey said. "Every minute of
this network has been hand-selected by me for you, the viewers."
This spring, Winfrey ends her wildly successful
weekday syndicated show after 25 years. But premiering Saturday night on OWN,
"Behind the Scenes: The Oprah Show Final Season" is a 25-episode
reality series that will give viewers an intimate look at "Oprah" as
it draws to a close.
In her OWN preview special, Winfrey also touted
"Master Class," a series that will spotlight prominent people who
include Diane Sawyer, Simon Cowell, Jay-Z and Condoleezza Rice. The show airs
Sunday.
"In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman"
provides counseling to couples to help them repair their sex lives. It airs
Monday.
On "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next
TV Star," 10 contestants will compete to win a hosting job on an OWN show
of his or her own creation. The finalists were chosen from more than 9,500
online audition videos and thousands more hopefuls at open casting calls.
"Your OWN Show" premieres Friday.
Other shows, including reality series with Sarah
Ferguson, Duchess of York, who says, "I am broken," and with troubled
father-and-daughter actors Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, are among programs promised
for later.
Initially, the schedule is heavy with sneak
previews of series yet to come and multiple repeats of current shows, including
Winfrey's special, for those who missed them the first time.
"There are so many things happening here at
OWN, and we're just getting started," Winfrey, 56, said as her preview
drew to an end. "Every day, here's what I'm hoping — that you will find
something here to inspire you."
OWN initially will be available in more than 80
million homes. Originally announced three years ago, the venture's start date
had twice been delayed while its cost ballooned to a reported $189 million.
The Los Angeles-based OWN, a joint venture between
Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communication, is replacing the Discovery Health
network, which folded as a network on New Year's Eve with the reality show
"Dr. G: Medical Examiner."
At the stroke of midnight, OWN then began a 12-hour
heavy rotation of a 30-minute "Countdown to OWN" promo that led up to
Winfrey's special and her gleeful proclamation that she's "kicking off the
next chapter of my life with all of you: Yes, the Oprah Winfrey Network is
finally on the air!"
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
