Cynics Beware: OWN Works As A Concept and Network

I’ll confess I was one of the dubious ones. At the media/banker cocktail party, I was the guy asked – by a hedge fund manager who had just read about OWN in the business section and knew little to nothing about it – whether I thought OWN could succeed. Can it make money? Will it get real ratings? I was the guy who would reflect on my own experience running a cable network and somewhat ruefully utter something like, “believe me I know she has an enormous group of devoted fans and if anyone could pull this off it is her, but an entire cable network is an entirely different ballgame. I don’t know that they’ll get that.”

Well, after watching hours of OWN over its inaugural weekend along with a casual Oprah fan, I am now convinced that I was wrong and they do get just that. Somehow, it delivers on an opaque and tough to define mission of “self-discovery, connecting you to your best self and to the world.” While I can’t say I know exactly what that means, somehow you feel it: that… umm, “connection”… in almost every moment of the programming.

Now I do not, and will not claim to be, the target audience for this network. Much of the programming doesn’t necessarily speak to me directly, but it does speak, and with a clear, crisp voice and identity that every cable network strives so desperately to achieve.

In 2006 when I was running MSNBC, we went from a variety of voices and genres of programs to a more direct focus on politics with “all politics days” to eventually landing where the network has thrived today as the liberal voice in prime time. It has led to amazing growth and financial success for the network. The lesson there is one that OWN recognizes: that a clearly defined identity, whatever that may be, is a prerequisite for a successful cable network. I wasn’t sure they would be able to create 24 hours a day of programming – or even 8 hours of daily programming – that would distinctly and consistently resonate with the same target audience.

No question this is programming primarily directed at women, but there are many other “women’s” networks out there that have nothing like the focus of OWN. Others sprinkle in fashion, film, and food along with a gluttonous diet of raunchy reality shows. In certain cases, those shows can work while at the same time detracting from the broader identity of the network – not entirely dissimilar from cable news networks that seek to do a little bit of everything rather than building much of the programming around a single theme or brand.

This is where the folks at OWN deserve much credit.

For starters, much of the talent is immediately familiar to the millions of Oprah devotees, from smart and poised hosts like Gayle King and Lisa Ling to the Oprah-spawned medical center led by doctors Phil and Oz. These aren’t just recognizable faces; these are Oprah-naries, celebrities who utilized the Oprah platform to create their own massive brands. I mean, who can ever get enough of Dr. Phil reassuring a 52 year old virgin that she still can have an active dating life if she would only make eye contact, or Dr. Oz ever so gingerly encouraging a young woman with stomach pain to pass gas at her place of business more freely?

Furthermore, they have the built-in advantage of having fans who aren’t just ordinary television fans. They are as fiercely committed as viewers of a television program can be. As one blogger/fan wrote about losing Oprah‘s daytime show, “it’s like trying to imagine a world without running water or color television or Starbucks or Tom Cruise.” Coming from someone who has been a guest on the Oprah show more than once, it is immediately evident that they don’t just watch her show, they live the Oprah life. And OWN appears to have succeeded at reflecting that life for much more than just an hour per day.

The network also benefits from impeccable timing. Weary Americans have grown fatigued with the national sports of bickering and finger pointing. Many are now seeking out a safe place on television far removed from the partisan hectoring, staged altercations, and alcohol-induced “hookups” that have come to dominate the airwaves. And advertisers are too.

When you hear the voice of Oprah Winfrey singling out Target, General Motors, Proctor and Gamble and others as sponsors, it’s not like every other ad. It almost makes them part of the Oprah family, immediately transformed into brands who embody the positivity that Oprah promotes. This is not to say that her generally middle-aged audience will necessarily represent the youth of America, but they probably represent the most significant block of American consumers out there.

Even OWN’s reality shows appear to be different. Rather than just bottom feeding and inducing shock, where the viewer squanders a (sometime incredibly entertaining) hour with Snooki et al, almost all of OWN’s reality fare seem to have that single connecting thread: self-improvement, somehow delivering on that “connecting to your best self” theme.

Who knew that curing hoarders, counseling middle-aged couples on the need to “touch genitalia,” tracking down lost relatives, and delving into the familial woes of a country music mother-and-daughter team could be part and parcel of a single defined brand? Then again, one need look no further than the past 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show to understand that those very components came to identify that wildly successful program. Whether -in- reality they are or aren’t, these reality programs feel like the antidote rather than the disease.

Of course, that does not mean that all of the programs on this embryonic network will endure past the first few months. I have not seen it yet, but I fear that it might be “miraculous” if the two miracle “investigators” assessing the validity of x-ray vision and re-incarnation were still treading those worn paths in season two. And the stars of Kidnapped By The Kids may soon be learning the hard knocks of becoming a former child star. Both of those programs also seem to veer slightly off the “connecting to your best self” course. But these are minor (and very possibly premature) critiques compared to the herculean hurdles they have overcome in creating a clearly identified cable network which caters to risk adverse, brand name advertisers .

Bottom line? OWN represents something different. It doesn’t celebrate, nor even focus much on the superficiality that can often drive cable ratings. No, this is a place for real people of all shapes, sizes and colors to watch others achieve realistic goals… and maybe even learn from those achievements or failures.

Oprah’s world is not a Utopian one; it’s often about hard knocks, but even more about how to get up after the punch. And most of the people on this network – in front of the camera, behind the scenes, and in the audience – appreciate that and seem ecstatic to be part of it. In fact, they make it feel like they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. If viewers feel that too, OWN could be a, well, Oprah-like success.