Don’t Be Desperate, Oprah: 5 Television Programs That Could Save OWN

June 13th, 2012 - By Charing Ball

Source: necolebitchie.com

So I just read that Oprah Winfrey is doing another Oprah Presents The Next Chapter special in which she will sit down with the Kardashian-Jenner family, including Lamar Odom and Scott Disick, for an interview about…well…why are the Kardashians famous again?

Oh I forgot, sex tape, then reality shows and then Kanye West. Got it.

Anyway, this interview is on the heels of another sit down she did last week with 50 Cent, who once was in a very public, and pretty much one-sided, beef with the former queen of daytime talk. Yeah, that 50 Cent, who maliciously dogged Vivica A. Fox publicly and once paid another rapper’s baby mother to make a sex tape as revenge. The same rapper that regularly calls women b*****s and ho*s and named his female dog Oprah. Yet and still he got to sit on a plush sofa and pontificate about his “next chapter” with his former nemesis. I smell desperation. And it sure is funky.

Some of y’all may think I’m being too harsh on Oprah.  After all, it is not easy building a brand and a network from the ground up. But truth be told, Oprah has always been a shero of mine since way back when she was rocking the Patti LaBelle-hair and the dresses with the extra prominent shoulder pads. I can honestly say that I consider Oprah one of my close girlfriends – in my head of course. Therefore as a good girlfriend, I’m going to tell you and her the truth: Stop interviewing people and get some damn TV shows.  I know that your claim to fame has always been your ability to get exclusive interviews and get the famous and infamous to open up about their lives, but no one is trying to watch that for 24 hours straight.  It’s like you took that one trick pony and beat it until it was a dead horse. Time to diversifying the lineup and actually put forward some scripted or non-scripted programming. Programming that doesn’t have the words “Oprah Presents…” or “Master Class…” or “Life Lessons…” in the titles – because if I wanted to be educated and inspired, I’d turn off the television and go read a book.

SO in an effort to keep you from scraping the bottom of the celebrity barrel again for interviews in the future, I have five programming suggestions, which I feel could go a long way not only in raising the ratings on your fledgling network but in an effort to keep people tuned in:

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  • ElleBee

    I thought that Oprah said she would never have “gangster rappers” on her show. When the cast of Crash was on her show, she kind of attacked Ludacris.

  • Ms_Sunshine9898

    Yes! She makes some valid points. and oprah? I’m gonna need you to stop trying to make every single show single around you some how. . .

  • http://twitter.com/MAIOUI CORA ANN

    How about a reality show about homeless female and male Veterans, Veterans dealing with PTSD, Veterans facing foreclosure of their homes after fighting a war thousands of miles from home. These are real issues about real people dealing with situations many Americans cannot imagine.

  • iReezy

    In addition to some of the shows mentioned (there are some pretty good ideas here), OWN should start showing episodes of Snapped…old and new.

  • callmececee

    I went to a OWN meeting a few months ago. They’re really trying to stay true to what Oprah stands for; good healthy hearty living. When someone asked about scripted TV, the reps responded that Oprah doesn’t stand for that. It’s all be “reality” based. So they are on the search to find good reality tv, that’s entertaining, without you knowing it’s wholesome. Lots of people in the room were scratching their heads about the “scripted” thing. Which I can see where and why she doesn’t want to do that, just yet. Anyways, I tried to get a pitch meeting for some positive reality based programing. Haven’t heard anything back yet. But, I trust Oprah will figure out what to do. Hopefully! There’s so much that could be done with that network for women, people of color, and youth. Ok my PSA is over LOL!

  • Pingback: Don’t Be Desperate, Oprah: 5 Television Programs That Could Save OWN | 93.1 WZAK

  • CJ

    Agree, Agree and Agree!!! What person wants to watch a program about Shania Twain or the Judds??? Who even remembers them…white people didn’t even watch those shows. Love me some Oprah, but time to regroup, rethink and work that network for all it worth. OWN it Oprah!!! And she should syndicate her own programming of the show that made her wealthy, Oprah, would love to see some of the Oprah talk-shows again. Just can’t get into Ellen, Nate or even Anderson Cooper.

  • Pam

    Another thing is that with these interviews it seems as though Oprah is going the way of being the Black Barbara Walters, capturing interesting celebrity interviews, but she can’t rely on this to power a WHOLE television station. She needs to add variety and not just what the author of this article has mentioned, Life Class, Oprah Presents….etc, etc.

  • joyce

    this is really interested

  • Tisha

    ok since she’s gonna interview them plz ask Kim and Kris (mom) to seek professional help, ask only hard nose questions like so you think it’s appropriate to jump into relationship after relationship, did you love Kris H., I tell u what just let me do the interview I have so many questions.

  • jema_elaine

    OMG i agree with this article to the maxxxx. I LOVED this channel when it first premired last year, but now, even Stevie Wonder can see tht they’re struggling to come up with some new ideas smh. Despite this, I still love the channel because it has soooo much potential! I love the “feel-good/spiritual” aura thats shes trying to bring to television b/c Its pretty hard to find. But damn.. im TIRED of watching the sameeee olddd thing over and over. That CSI/Murder investigation stuff they play on repeat alll day everyday is a bit much.

    Im known for being a HUGE oprah fan, but I do feel like she can give the black community alil more attention and TLC. Out of all the shows on OWN, how many Blacks shows are there…….? Sweetie Pies and……. hmmm

  • vintagebrat

    someone pls send this to Oprah ASAP. Hell i might even try to send it. I’d even consider getting cable.

  • #FreelanceJournalist

    Great insight. I hope she reads it. It’s not my life, but I personally wish she’d kept the door open for doing at least specials with ABC like “After The Oscars” and some type of Special Features/Interviewing here and there. As regards to OWN, please bring in the sitcoms, reruns and TV dramas that were good and exciting. Or new creations….mmmmm….just thinking.

  • Lrocka

    Man, listen the author of this piece is truly BRILLIANT let Oprah bring in a modern day very well written show like girlfriends that is preceded by a throwback episode of Ricki Lake with that Doorbell and Fox’s Thurs night line up and Oprah would run this world I would be on that channel EVERYDAY no matter where it is on the dial she will change the game! I couldn’t agree with I more

  • queenlaven

    once again, debt will do that to ya if you let it. once she went from interesting issues to Easter decor ideas, Oprah lost us. now, she realizes she needs us because white folk ain’t gone REALLY support her like WE do. smh you’re right she should be the beginning of the end of the bullshit we are forced to be exposed to. PUT SOME REAL ACTORS TO WORK WITH AM ACTUAL TALENT!

  • lalatarea

    can someone please email, fax, text, tweet, facebook msg this article over to king O immediately! thanks, sincerely 90% of ur fan base.

  • Rayven

    “Are you Normal” is on OWN and is entertaining and interesting…

  • Just saying!!

    The other day I saw this show on tv where the celebrities were kind of doing this “who wants to be a millionaire” type thing where they answer all these questions and if they win money it gets to go to their charity or something. I could see Oprah doing something like that for her network….

    • Just saying!!

      (its really old too cuz I saw Left Eye on it…but I wouldn’t mind if it happened again!)

  • niki

    She should have saved the soaps when she could have. All My Children and One life to Live. Just picking up those two shows she would have been in the money.

    • Kim

      I agree. Instead she declared the soaps to be a dead genre that no one should try to step in and help. She didn’t care about millions of soap fans, so I could care less about what happens to OWN now.

      • BeckyT

        High five to both of you, I totally agree. That would have been an easy target audience for her, instant revenue, and a fan base! I wonder if she would consider since we have One Life To General Hospital, which has seen a ratings boost! There are still a crap load of OLTL and AMC fans out there!

  • Rayven

    Oprah as always interview people who are fascinating and intriguing weather we agree or not. Im not Kardashian fan but these folks are popular and have a huge fan base of course Oprah will interview them it will create ratings and like this article everyone is talking about it.
    Now regarding programming, Lisa Lings show “Our America” is one of the best shows on TV yes its only one show but its a start!

    • Evilena

      How so? Please explain how continuing to interview these people would help her ratings? Has there been some new revelation about them?? No…so what’s new??? They have multiple shows, are in mags every 3 seconds and do interviews with any and everyone. Where is the story??? People often talk about things they would not actually watch or partake in-doesn’t really mean a whole. It’s social networking…doesn’t translate over into television ratings.

      • Love Spell

        I agree Evilena, what do they really contribute? I think we know just about everything there is to know, Kim is famous for a sex tex, Kris Jenner is another Joe Jackson, really Kim is just like her mom. The only one with some sense is Khloe and Kourtney!

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