💡OWNing TV Programing

Brene Brown & Oprah on Super Soul Sunday

Super Soul Sunday, Lifeclass, Oprah's Next Chapter, Our America... this is some of the best programming on TV. Oprah's OWN network has created a place where people can nourish their mind and spirits and it is a great space for the conversation of living our best lives. Well, mostly great. I know it is still in its start-up-ish stages and it takes time to build on ideas and there is the pesky issue of turning a profit and all, but I'm concerned.

I pay extra for the cable package that brings me OWN and it is well worth the price just to see the above shows I listed. But that said, as soon as I saw Life With La Toya as a featured program in an ad in this month's O Magazine I was taken aback. Oxygen was suppose to be a women's empowering station and now veering towards trash-tv. What kind of programming is OWN after?

My own OWN idea: Consider broadcasting high quality, well produced, online-originated, best life programming. My perfect example is what Jonathan Fields is doing with Good Life Project videos. In each 40minutes or so offering he interviews a successful author, business leader, or creative about how they're living a successful life. The videos are beautiful quality and really good content. Same thing with Marie TV with Marie Forleo who is helping people create businesses and lives they love. And it is amazing what Chase Jarvis is doing with creativeLIVE which hosts free online educational programming.

How could this work? Well bear with me I'm not a TV producer (but open to offer Sheri Salata :) ) but how about testing, with a profit sharing arrangement, already produced segments edited by OWN for time. Instead of running continuous Dateline six hour blocks try a Tuesday daytime schedule and expand from there. The content providers submit content that is keeping with living our best lives tone and Harpo Studios edits it for commercials and time.

Huffington Post became a huge success because it curated articles from outside sources. Think if OWN could be the go-to place for curating quality lifestyle content. And think of all the amazing conversations and video that is being produced by everyone from TED and the 92nd Street Y to Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. I'd watch that!

I would be so bold as to suggest that nothing should be on OWN that Oprah herself would not watch. I recall her mentioning she wants to be held responsible for the energy she is bringing into the TV landscape (ala: Jill Bolte Taylor). And although I understand that OWN needs money coming in to keep itself healthy I would suggest that quality best life programming is ultimately the way to do that and keep OWN the place to nourish our minds, hearts, and spirits.