Oprah Offered Bono His Own Show

Less than two weeks away from the launch of OWN, Oprah’s new cable network, there’s still plenty of question marks. The media mogul herself won’t start appearing regularly until her daytime talk show ends its historic run in September. Rosie O’Donnell too will be absent until at least that point, but still, there’s a sense of general optimism about what the network could eventually be. With Discovery giving up its health channel and almost two hundred million dollars in capital to get started, lofty dreams of turning a profit within five years are being quietly discussed. But how will they get there? The answer is star power.

According to The New York Times, Oprah recently offered U2 frontman Bono his own show, and while no plans are yet in place for that probably never going to happen proposal, it does gives us a glimpse into the rationale behind the network. Some channels attract viewers through premises, others do it through showcasing likeable, proven personalities. Almost nothing is known about Rosie O’Donnell’s new talk show, but all her former television endeavors indicate people will watch. Almost nothing is known about what exact role Oprah’s time will turn into, but she’s been the most popular entertainer on daytime television for decades. The same principal applies to Dr. Phil and Suze Orman who will both be around in some capacity.

With or without Bono (probably without), OWN has name recognition its side, and that’s a lot more than can be said for most cable networks.