After years in the planning and months of hype, the moment of launch on Saturday at noon Eastern time was rather quiet.
Buried in the middle of a holiday weekend (though boasting the numerically catchy date 1-1-11), The Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, arrived free of glitz with a one-hour preview special hosted by Winfrey, host of the syndicated "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
She offered an overview of the live-your-best-life fare she will curate across the network's schedule in the days ahead and further down the line.
The strategy seemed that of a soft opening, aimed at whetting viewers' appetites so they regularly come back and sample the network's expanding menu of new shows as they roll out.
"I wanted to take the ideals of great television that we've established on the 'Oprah' show and bring them to you through a variety of new shows 24/7," Winfrey said. "Every minute of this network has been hand-selected by me for you, the viewers."
This spring, Winfrey ends her weekday syndicated show after 25 years.
But premiering Saturday night on OWN, "Behind the Scenes: The Oprah Show Final Season" is a 25-episode reality series that will give viewers an intimate look at "Oprah" as it draws to a close.
