• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Oprah owns her power, takes the CEO job

By
Patricia Sellers
Patricia Sellers
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Patricia Sellers
Patricia Sellers
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 13, 2011, 9:05 PM ET

Last fall, in Oprah’s Next Act, Oprah Winfrey talked about how she has learned to embrace her power.

Well, she did that today, by naming herself CEO of OWN, her new cable network that’s been struggling to find its audience.

So much for the life of leisure Oprah once imagined she might have after her daytime talk show ended. (“La-di-da, I’ll do a show and then I’ll go have lunch with my lady friends in Santa Barbara,” she recalls envisioning.)

Here’s just a portion of Oprah’s lengthy, stream-of-consciousness letter about her executive decision, which she posted this afternoon on her Facebook page. Did her new friend Sheryl Sandberg, whom she met last week in Sun Valley, convince her to get the news out this way? I wonder…

Go With The Flow
Hello friends of Summer, I haven’t written lately because my technically challenged self could not access this email account. So many barriers were put in place to protect the account, I ended up barring myself from access. So here we go… Last week was at Allen Conference, with all the movers and shapers of our world. Met some fascinating people like Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Dynamo woman. So exciting to see women crack that glass ceiling and burst through it. Came home inspired to work harder and do better. Started out the week taking swimming lessons. Moving beyond my amateur doggy paddle. Learned the breast stroke today…

Today I learned to move with the flow. This I’ve known forever is the great metaphor of life….

I’ve brought the metaphor to life as I try to evolve OWN into it’s full potential. Erik Logan and Sheri Salata, presidents of Harpo today will bring their unique partnering leadership into alignment with the network…Harpo Team and OWN team become ONE…

We’re gearing up for October, The Oprah Show team of producers will be producing the Rosie show in Chicago at Harpo studios. I’ll be in L.A working on “Next Chapter.” I’m also taking The Oprah Show library of 4560 shows and redesigning them into the 100 best lessons I’ve learned about everything that can help you live a better life.  Those will start airing Oct. 10. Same day as Rosie. At my core I’m a teacher, masquerading as a talk show host. And now I’ll have a nightly class on OWN…The Best of Life to you, Oprah Winfrey

About the Author
By Patricia Sellers
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

CryptoBinance
Binance has been proudly nomadic for years. A new announcement suggests it’s finally chosen a headquarters
By Ben WeissDecember 7, 2025
2 hours ago
Big TechStreaming
Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal may pose antitrust ‘problem’
By Hadriana Lowenkron, Se Young Lee and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
6 hours ago
Big TechOpenAI
OpenAI goes from stock market savior to burden as AI risks mount
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
6 hours ago
InvestingStock
What bubble? Asset managers in risk-on mode stick with stocks
By Julien Ponthus, Natalia Kniazhevich, Abhishek Vishnoi and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
6 hours ago
EconomyTariffs and trade
Macron warns EU may hit China with tariffs over trade surplus
By James Regan and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
EconomyTariffs and trade
U.S. trade chief says China has complied with terms of trade deals
By Hadriana Lowenkron and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
11 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.