CHICAGO - Cable is a tough industry to crack. Even the inestimable Oprah Winfrey has learned that, she admitted during a final day keynote talk at The Cable Show in her hometown of Chicago.
 |
|
Oprah Winfrey with Investigation Discovery's Paula Zahn at the Thursday General Session. (Image courtesy The Cable Show 2011) |
Oprah launched the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in a joint venture with Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA) with great fanfare in January as she wound down her own daily talker. The network started hot, then fizzled. Now it's Oprah to the rescue.
"The vacation that I thought that I was going to have is over. I need to be there. I need to be engaged and involved," she told Investigation Discovery's Paula Zahn during a one-on-one early morning chat.
One way she might juice the ratings is to realize her goal.
"I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me," she said. "And I am going to make it happen, people."
For more:
- the Los Angeles Times has this story
Related articles:
Operators, programmers find a middle ground: the paying customer
Discovery's net income in Q1 gets booster shot from OWN windfall