Obama Honors Fallen Troops
'Tough Love: New Orleans' Swamp Date
Oprah's new cable network - which has not been able to get much traction since its blockbuster opening week - is getting the "reboot."
Network officials have quietly been telling worried advertisers that OWN, Oprah's new channel, will begin reshuffling its lineup in the next weeks and investing millions in advertising to win back faithful viewers.
The network's only bona fide hit - 'Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes' - is about to become the "anchor show" for the fledgling network, according to media execs who have heard the new pitch.
"We're doing a lot of changes to the schedule," a spokesman for OWN confirmed yesterday.
The "reboot" - the term OWN is using with potential advertisers - will start later this month when 'Behind the Scenes' is shifted to Sunday night.
The Oprah channel spent more than $10 million in advertising to get OWN started. The new ad push - most of it spent on other cable networks like TNT and TBS - will be about half that, according to reports.
"Ever since the launch, they've been kind of dark," said one media exec close to OWN. "The intention is to get back out there and let people know." Moving 'Behind the Scenes,' which chronicles the final season of Winfrey's daytime talk show, from Friday to Sunday night is the first step.
Sunday is the biggest TV-watching night of the week. Bigger numbers for Oprah's show - the only one on OWN she appears on right now - will raise the network's weak weekly ratings average - and perhaps end the flood of bad publicity about its rating woes.
"You have to fish where the fish are," as a spokesman for the network put it.
Celebrity reality shows - beginning with a six-week series starring the battling mother-daughter singing duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd and followed this summer by shows starring singer Shania Twain and the Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson - are getting the next hard push in the ad campaigns.
Financially, the network was born with a silver spoon in its mouth and, at least for the short run, does not have to worry about money.
Source: NY Post
Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and illustrator from New Jersey. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more. Follow him on Facebook.
Comments: (22)
Add a comment
By: ooozzzzz on 3/08/2011 2:52PM
This network is going to fail if they are now making changes and money advertisers are worried less than 6 months after the OWN network was started.
Oprah's OWN Network Tries Reality TV to Boost Slumping Ratings.
And that "boost" is a reshuffling of "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes" is not going to boost ratings because its nothing new: the same show given more visibility and just being placed in a different time slot and it will not bring in any additional viewers outside of Oprah's fan base demographic: the same fan base that watches her talk show and her network.
It doesn't change anything and Oprah is now realizing that after 25 years of daytime television domination and the money she made, Running an entire network and attracting viewers away from other networks is totally different, it's not easy, the competition is huge and time has seemed to pass her by and her vision of "appropriate and responsible programming" all with a "G" rating, does not register with the vast TV audience out there (with all types of shows) who have regular network and TV programming that they watch religiously 24/7 that appeals to them and Oprah is offering none of that.
Action, violence, drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, sports, reality TV etc..that's what viewers want and not 24 hours of "fluff" TV
I seems that 25 years of talk show TV has stunted Oprah's growth and she's dead set in her ways. Oprah lives in her own little world and sees no other. She aggorant, probably tunnel visioned, stubbon and out of touch with what's happening on TV and her handlers are probably too afraid to tell her what she needs to really focus on...She needs variety....That is, if she will listen.
And this idea: "Celebrity reality shows -- beginning with a six-week series starring the battling mother-daughter singing duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd and followed this summer by shows starring singer Shania Twain and the Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson -- are getting the next hard push in the ad campaigns."
Naomi Judd, Shania Twain and the Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson?.....These are people who were frequent guests on her talk show and it changes nothing. All she gets by having these reality shows are the same fans who already watches her talk show and outside of that, no one younger or older (outside of Oprah's 25-54 demographic that she focuses on) is interrested in them or knows much about them.
Oprah needs to understand (and stop being in denial) that even her talk show viewers who watch her for one hour everyday in daytime already have their favorite TV shows weekly at night and on weekends that they watch (CSI, ESPN, NCIS, sitcoms, reality shows political talk shows etc) and that she has to aggresively compete against and if she does not get with the program that rivals those other networks, then OWN network will be pulled off the air because despite being who Oprah is, money still rules and advertisers will not allow themselves to lose millions based soley on her reputation.
I think that advertisers (and her employees) already realise that OWN Network is a wounded dog that does not stand a chance aginst the competition and unless she rethinks her stragety that vastly aligns more with other networks who already have a foothold with popular shows and weekly high ratings.
If she doenn't change and attracts a much wider and diverse audience (which includes men), those advertisers are going elsewhere and she's probably off the air by years end...they will let her down lightly simply because she's Oprah but just the same way that TV shows are cancelled, OWN network will be cancelled.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: brownarc on 3/09/2011 8:36PM
What happened to creative programming. Out the gate the programming sucked. It was ALL about OPRAH and more OPRAH. Throw-in some Women Sports College Basketball, Tennis, Track & Field, Concerts,Political Talk shows, Real Estate shows like("HGTV"), Chef shows like (G - Garland Cooking), Movie Classics like(Sidney Poiter), Cartoons for Kids, "Discover Channel" type programming, I didn't expect to just see OPRAH re-runs. Give me a break! A "Chicken Head" must have put that programming together.
Report This
By: mksales616 on 3/08/2011 4:26PM
OWN would gain a much broader viewing audience if it were not on a cable channel. I know of a number of consumers, me included,that have put the cable gig on hold as part of the household cutbacks. However, I do find myself from time-to-time clicking on her network only to be reminded that I no longer have cable. Perhaps Oprah should do a free cable network for 30 days to test her viewing audience. Just a thought....
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Marlene Palmer on 3/08/2011 6:23PM
OPRAH AS MUCH AS I RESPECT YOU IF YOU DON'T CHANGE YOUR LILLY WHITE LINE-UP........... YOUR POOR RATINGS ARE GONNA END UP BEING NO RATINGS BECAUSE BLACK FOLKS NEED TO SEE THINGS THAT THEY CAN RELATE TO.............. SO SINCE YOU GOT YOUR WHITE VIEWERS COVERED......... TIME FOR YOU TO DO THE SAME FOR YOUR BLACK AUDIENCE WHO SUPPORTED YOU FOR DAY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M JUST SAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: ooozzzzz on 3/08/2011 6:34PM
Marlene, that also another problem that Oprah has.
Her 25 years of covering and appealing her White viewers who have supported her and spent their money for those 25 years buying everything that Oprah promotes are so spoiled and privledged by Oprah that they would have a real problem with Oprah trying to include anything Black into her OWN network programming since during her talk show years, she did not add anything Black simply because her formula for success was to appease that lilly White audience which made her a billionaire.
And you know how fickle White folks can be.
Remember when she supported Obama for President?
Despite all her efforts for her White audience and their entertainment for those 25 years, they had a hissy fit over her choice of Obama and many of her long time fans protested her and stopped watching her talk show.
As long as she was specifically catering to them, they did not see her Blackness but the very moment that she displayed her Blackness, they became very negative.
So as far as Black programming being a part of the equation to better her ratings, that suggestion may have been on the table for serious discussion but I just don't think that it will fly because she has never embraced it or found it necessary in order to have a more diversed viewing/supporting audience in her 25 years of her TV talk show.
Report This
By: Shabazz_Asiatic on 3/13/2011 10:48AM
Pardon me Ms. Palmer, but it was that Lily White audience that has gotten Oprah where she is today. She abandoned the black audience YEARS ago and now her white audience is abandoning her. This was TERRIBLE timing. Not because of the economy, but I just think her "core" audience have grown weary of this brand of TV. If you look at the shows that are off the charts ratings wise, you will see they are these "talent" shows that allow the audience to interact and sports. About 10 years too late with this network Mrs. Winfrey!
Report This
By: Marlene Palmer on 3/08/2011 4:23PM
@ooozzzzz I couldn't agree with you more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lam on 3/08/2011 6:01PM
OPRAH!!! GET SOME BLACK SHOWS ON!!! MIX IT UP!!! RIGHT NOW -- ITS BORING! LOVE YA!
lam
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Marlene Palmer on 3/13/2011 2:09PM
ooozzzzz again agree with you 100% however what she has been able to get away with in her TV show she will find much more difficult to do with an entire network and let there be no doubt that if she continues with that same format and does not make a conservative effort to diversify her lily white line-up OWN WILL FAIL!!!!!!!!!!If she wasn't surrounded by 85% white staff and upper management she would know that. STAY TUNED...........
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Greg on 3/08/2011 8:25PM
Oprah has and maintains that as you say her "Lilly White Staff", because that's what got her to where she's at in the first place! She, has always catered to her white viewers and surrounded herself with white people....or shall I say white women! And, will continue to do the same! She has never relied on black viewers, and will never ever allow herself to be put in that situation! That's why I can't understand why black women are so supportive of her, because Oprah couldn't care less about BW period! Why, are BW the only ones that don't seem to understand that reality? Or, are BW just that insecure, and desparate? It is just because she's black? Oprah has, and will continue to literally "bend over backwards" to support her white viewers! Her white viewers doesn't care for, noer want to see any black programing, so don't hold your breath..because it isn't coming! Lastly, if black programing is anything like what's on BET, then I'm not at all interested in that same stupid nonsense either!
Report This