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Oprah faces steep financial struggles if she plans on turning her fledgling network around. 
Of her failings, Oprah herself has said, ”If I were writing a book about it, I might call the book ’101 Mistakes.”
Bloomberg Businessweek reported last week that the network may have lost a whopping $330 million since it began in 2008.
Winfrey’s network has suffered disappointing ratings since its inception. Last year, Winfrey fired OWN CEO Christina Norman. Then, OWN laid off approximately 20 percent of its staff in a move to restructure the fledgling network. In addition, shows that were supposed to be anchor shows, like the Rosie O’Donnell Show, flopped.
However, the light at the end of the tunnel may still be Oprah Winfrey. Viewership has ticked up since the launch of “Oprah’s Next Chapter’, leading one to believe that although many don’t care for OWN, they still love Oprah. The more she makes the show about her, the better she’s bound to do.
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AmazingGrace
May 9, 2012 at 9:10 pm
The OWN cable channel needs a daily injection of News from around the Nation and the World. Oprah should consider infusing this for it would be a “full circle moment” for her. She once did nightly news in Balti.,MD. I remember her at 4:30pm each day after my classes in college. She would be able to provide well needed jobs to recent graduates in journalism. This was Oprah’ beginning. Now train some young folks as interns, put them on your cable station to report the NEWS, and watch your cable station Grow.
wil-lie
May 9, 2012 at 7:17 am
Perhaps she should try some Black shows on OWN. some good black comedy, Tyler Perry real acting, a positive news hour from the Black community…REAL NEWS ALL THE NEWS NOT SOME MADE UP B.S. WHILE PEOPLE ARE GETTING MURDER…WE NEED TO KNOW AND HOW TO STOP IT…ORGANIZE AND SHINE A BLACK LIGHT ON B.S. TO HELP STOP THESE NIG’S…PUT PEOPLE ON TV TO TELL EVERY THING WITH THE LIGHT OUT SO NO ONE CAN SEE THE PEOPLE…BUT TELL THE TRUTH IN THESE COMMUNITIES…AND TEACH US
wil-lie
May 9, 2012 at 6:58 am
Time to close up shop Oprah someone said…are you crazy this is a communication system a TV station…the top communication you can have…but oprah got this thought that the white people will like you as a Niger owning one of the most powerful system in the world she is sadly mistaking….when it come to real power it is black and white…it ok if the white men is control you’ gain a little money these cracker say cool we got control…but owning the hold thing by yourself o god….do you know what oprah got a TV station…and she need to get black on that station….sell a few share to other blacks to gain her money back…and understand what she got because she seem not to know what she got…your communication system is the second power behind the military it self
robmusicman
May 9, 2012 at 12:20 am
Rome was not build over night, so will it be with OWN. Instant success of a new network as FOX was not over night, so will it be with OWN. Oprah has the money and industry power to endure this slow negative start up, which will eventually be a roving success, which is Oprah’s trademark.
Alynch
May 8, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Very interesting comments. Many are very insightful. I feel that Oprah didn’t do her homework here. She needs to cater to a variety of people. I like her and I hope her network survives, but I don’t want to watch lifeclass type shows the majority of the day. Whether she likes it or not, she’s going to have to integrate some other type shows in her line-up. I for one am enjoying the show “Sweetie Pie’s”.
Peter D.Slaughter
May 8, 2012 at 3:38 pm
She need’s go Pro-Black Programming for the real black women and black community.All that watered down,safe commercial stuff has caught up with her.
It’s the only solution
nana63
May 8, 2012 at 3:25 pm
let O be O. it appears that her viewing audience has changed for several reasons: those that can’t afford cable or the extra for her channel, those that don’t like cable period: those that miss her give aways: the decrease in advertisers because of limited targets. O has made mad money for others’ pockets as well. she didn’t fail, things just didn’t work out.
Udosed
May 8, 2012 at 1:23 pm
There comes a time in everyones life when they should retire and go away.
C Niambi Steele
May 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Quick everybody– do the math!! EIGHTY FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY UNEMPLOYED, SICK, UNDER SERVED, SINGLE PARENTS, MEN, WOMEN OR CHILDREN COULD HAVE HAD $3,906.25 for the same $330 MILLION– 84,480 x 3,906.25= 330,000,000. She’s making rich folk richer…
KAREN DENISE
May 8, 2012 at 10:34 am
Lorraine, I have been writing Oprah and suggesting she allow public access producers to bring Black community news to OWN… I never receive a positive response…. It seems so sensible to me!! Has she no faith in her own???
goodgiant
May 9, 2012 at 10:01 pm
I feel u sister Karen. There’s something wrong with our people and it should be studied to find out why we have not evolved into fully knowing that this system, we’re dealing with, was built around “skin color” and continues to thrive accordingly. It’s very unfortunate that we’ve been deceived into believing that we’re in the best place on the planet when we’re not because we’re still a dependent people & until we become independent we’ll remain under the control of the most uncivilized human species on planet earth. Most if not all of our millionaire entertainers and athletes have been bamboozled to acknowledge intimate s****l relationships between two men or two women as normal, when the TRUTH of the matter is it’s “inhumane & b******l!!!” That said, we have to pose questions to why is it that Oprah quickly summoned Rosie O’Donnell (a female that loves females in a s****l way) & gave her her own show on her network, shortly after she created it. One has to question why is it the Barrack & Michelle Obama have made several appearances on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, dancing and sharing themselves complacently to a woman that is married, sexually involved with “another woman!”
I have a couple of blood relatives whom are well off financially and so does my dtr, but yet our blood relatives have been conditioned to reject their own “blood” while it’s OK for caucasions to reach back help their bloodline. So our situation is very strange and in a very positive sense we can view our circumstances as being the victims of a “government sponsored holocaust.”
Again, your comment was on point! I know it was because I’ve made attempts to reach my relatives, and to no avail, so I know something is wrong with us…
Scrooge
May 8, 2012 at 7:35 am
Oprah’s life is a lie, she is not who or what she seems to be,
you can start with her family, the story she tells about her
past is a lie. She is a narcissistic pathetic human being.
Her relationship with stedman & Gayle, that is a joke.
“You reap what you sow” the chicken has come home to
roost. I truly do believe she has demons & is not a very good
person. Guess what? I loathe her !!
Henry davis
May 8, 2012 at 4:09 am
f**k oprah fat a*s
yvette waters
May 8, 2012 at 10:36 am
Henry u r an a*s hole do not hate the player
hate the game. Get in line with all the other haters if u do not like her or what she stand for just make it simple do not support her. change the d**n channel calling her names is so adolscent. Grow up, get a life. U wish u had her $. U wish u her power. U wish u were in her position. get over it. U will never…………be that sucessful never…………………
Thomas
May 8, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Man, just put a padlock on that closet door and go pink.
bubble's
May 8, 2012 at 2:19 am
they can’t keep an good woman down!i love oprah!
Pamela Moorehead
May 8, 2012 at 2:15 am
I like the Oprah Life classes
Jermaine
May 8, 2012 at 2:13 am
Oprah should have bet on ‘Black’ instead of catering to white folks all the time.That ‘Lifeclass’ stuff was doomed to failure. She thinks of herself as some type of all wise Dalai Lama who can heal the world with her wisdom. She seems very biased against her ‘OWN’ (There is a pun in there somewhere) Yeah ,Yeah I know about the school in Africa. With all that money, that was just a ‘token’ act. Oprah Winfrey is at ‘home’ when she is running her hands through some caucasions hair or hugged up close to them. I am not Hate’n, I’m just stating what I see. I hope that she has learned a ‘LifeClass’ Lesson from this catastrophy.Remember where you came from Oprah, Remember your hue, and remember that your money will not change either of them.
goodgiant
May 8, 2012 at 7:28 am
Good point! It’s very unfortunate that we’ve been suppressed by a greedy diabolical system controlled by deception, that always prioritizes itself, over others. Oprah is really between a hard place and a rock… The hard place is those that own & control the media airwaves/airtime and the rock is those that control the corporations that pay money for products to be advertised on the networks… If they decide they don’t want to advertise on OWN then that’s the way it will be. Oprah is in a position of dependency on Anglo/white corporate America, therefore she’s damned if she do, and damned if she don’t. The bottom line is this economic/capitalistic system is “really” a monopoly game! The dark side, of this monopoly game is that satan chooses who he wants to have the most money to play with.
Our situation is like a stranded group of people on an “island” who’ve been systemically indoctrinated away from knowing & understanding that the only people we can lean on and trust for our survival, is ourselves. Until we kick the monkey off of our backs, we’ll always be held back by some kind of road block..
Robbia
May 8, 2012 at 2:04 am
I enjoy the OWN programming. I hope it continues and expands. Many of the shows are refreshing and different.
toppergem
May 9, 2012 at 2:46 am
I love OWN. The shows are really quite good.
Cathy
May 8, 2012 at 12:52 am
Basically people were so happy when you give give give, and Oprah gives. They are also lazy when you have to turn the channel to another station. I truly respect Oprah and will always be a fan. Her true fans need to step up to the plate and show support, not sit back and criticize. All it takes is a moment to change to the cable station and tune in to OWN. Real Oprah fans WILL YOU PLEASE STAND UP!
Lorraine
May 8, 2012 at 12:26 am
Perhaps she should try some Black shows on OWN. some good black comedy, Tyler Perry real acting, a positive news hour from the Black community, not the who killed whom. The Neely’s cooking show and perhaps Garvin the cook. a good variety show of dancing and singing, a little bit of Kirk Franklin,
this would help tremendously in the rating.
o
May 8, 2012 at 12:53 am
with crappy shows like that she will definitely bomb! Tyler perry, the Neelly’s, gospel shows; how gross! Talk about stereotypes!
Sullyharth
May 8, 2012 at 12:03 am
The spiraling downfall of the network is actually serving Oprah just right for the fact of the matter that in the beginning, when she first announced that she’ll be getting her own network, if anybody could remember because I remembered distinctly and vividly plain as day, she said that she was only going to target a specific range of viewers, “viewers that are subscribed to premium channels.” In other word, in the beginning, she only wanted a very, VERY select few of “rich people,” if you will, to subscribe to her network and not viewers of basic cable channels. Yeah, that was announced on HLN News, that’s if anyone can remember. I surely remembered Susan Hendricks reporting that on her segment because I remembered that day she was the anchor on duty on HLN. So I don’t feel a bit sorry for Oprah’s network going down the drain, as it should. She shouldn’t have been so judgmental and picky in the beginning, and not to mention, money-hungry and only wanted to target a particular viewing audience instead of targeting any and everybody that was once a fan of hers and had watched her faithfully, and that included her “basic cable subscribing audience” as well as her “premium cable subscribing audience.”
Layfifi
May 8, 2012 at 1:35 am
Bravo…….I could not have said it better. Now she wants us “regular folk” to support her. Good luck with that Opeah but you can count me OUT!
Ruby from NJ
May 8, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Oprah didn’t take into consideration that her base, white Middle America, doesn’t have cable and can’t get her show. At least, that’s what a TV critic wrote recently.
BDK
November 2, 2012 at 6:31 pm
I challenge you to name one person who doesnt get cable. The poorest people I know, that get food stamps and 1st and 3rd checks etc have more channels than I do.
comeonnow
May 8, 2012 at 9:23 pm
If that’s true it was a stupid move. Rich people aren’t the core viewership that made her who she is, it was regular, middle class people.
Debbie
May 8, 2012 at 12:01 am
Hello Everyone in the previous post,
Your EGOs gave you the answers. Lets try being open to receive the information
without judgement and elevate ourselves while she IS there exposing us to the best of the best in Spiritual teachers.
~Peace~
DNAgenes
May 7, 2012 at 10:39 pm
She thought that she could cater to white people and be successful forever but, she underestimated black and white people because she didn’t realize that the reason she was so successful was because she was on a white station on network TV (not cable).
Now she OWNs the network but it’s on cable TV she is beginning to see that the old strategy isn’t working anymore. She hire overwhelmingly white people that produces whites shows and the white people she catered to on ABC aren’t interested and aren’t watching hence the low ratings.
Oprah will rebound because she is really wealthy for one and she is a likable person (she’s the star, not the shows). I do like the one Black show “Sweetie Pie’s”.
Mikia
May 8, 2012 at 4:57 am
Oprah will make this one of the best TV stations around. She has connected to a challenge and she is getting better with what OWN is producing in terms of shows offered. We should send her $1. to help her losses smile. But her newness to this arena shows her potential to be herself and to learn how to do her thing. Whether regular channels or cable she is still Oprah a source that has the genius to become the best! Everybody knows that and her spiritual shows are the bomb. Why? because it is helping people all over the world to better themselves..on purpose and she has presented some of the best teaching advisers!
Free we pay cable anyway, just add OWn to your line up and support the change. I like the difference! When you get tired of one show change the channel as you always do to the TV shows, don’t blame Oprah for the show’s content. Know what you need and like and know when to support Oprah and yourself. You know you are going to…Just do it.
vic
May 8, 2012 at 12:32 pm
I’m sure you like ATL house wives, basketball wives, etc. too. Oprah has created the best station for blacks and any other race that wants to improve their lives. We as black folks need to stop supporting shows that only entertain us. We should watch shows that educate us as well as entertain. We are in trouble as a people, OWN network can only help us. If we learn from Oprah and not be jealous, we will be better off. It’s a d**n shame you can walk into most barber shops and black hair salons and the conversation will soon be about the house wives of some sort. Oprah has created a station for us all to learn from, RECOGNIZE FOOLS. Support her station by watching and learning all you can. You all supported BET when it was destroying our youth with nothing but videos with that d**n b*****d Bob Johnson running it. Now that Deborah Lee is running it and has made it a little better we’re not supporting it at the same rate as before. WAKE UP FOOLS, DON’T DIE A FOOL . I LOVE MY BLACK FOLKS!
BDK
November 2, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Let me ask you a question. Why does it always have to be about race. Cant you just look at things for what they are? either they are good and we watch them or not and we dont. I just happen to be white, but it is not about color to me. Just something for you to think about.
Septimber Jones
May 7, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Time to close up shop Oprah.