(Newser)
–
The Oprah Winfrey Network is struggling—what to do? Why, bring in Oprah Winfrey as CEO, of course. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal Winfrey will also become chief creative officer of her own network; she already serves as chairman of the cable channel. The move, expected sometime this fall, comes as the fledgling network is suffering from mediocre ratings and signals Winfrey's intention to take full control from here on out.
Winfrey is attending industry events and raising her profile, showing that she will take a more hands-on approach and affiliate the channel more closely with her TV production company, Harpo Studios. The presidents of Harpo are expected to take over this month as presidents of OWN, and Harpo will begin directing OWN programming. Several new high-profile shows coming up in October and January, including two that feature Winfrey and a new talk show helmed by Rosie O'Donnell, are expected to help ratings.
