Christina Norman (pictured above) knows when to hop off a sinking ship. Norman is a 17 year veteran of MTV networks and, since 2005 she had been president of MTV, in charge of all aspects of the network's creative and business affairs. Norman is leaving OWN and the departure is effective immediately! The OWN network has only been in operation for four months.
OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) is a joint venture of Winfrey and Silver Spring-based Discovery.
OWN launched last January with strong numbers, but has not continued that momentum. In a recent phone conference call to discuss Discovery Communications’ first-quarter financial results, CEO David Zaslav said OWN’s ratings have been “below” expectations.
The big 'O' announced that Peter Ligouri will take over Norman's responsibilities. Peter and Oprah will be working closely together to help save the OWN network from even more low ratings. “With the final taping of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ only a few weeks away, I will soon be able to devote my full energies to OWN. This is a natural point of transition,” Winfrey said in Friday’s announcement.
“Peter Ligouri, Discovery’s creative leader, and highly qualified to assume the leadership at OWN for the next phase of growth,” Zaslav said in Friday’s announcement.
“Christina did a great job launching OWN with long-term support from both advertising and affiliate partners. Peter will now ensure that OWN reaches its full creative potential with great programming that delivers on Oprah’s vision, mission and brand,” he added.
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