Programmer Profile: OWN’s Lisa Erspamer

August 9, 2011 World Screen
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PREMIUM: Lisa Erspamer, the executive VP of production and development at OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, tells World Screen Newsflash that the cable channel’s fall schedule is "looking very bright and shiny."

 

Erspamer, a 15-year veteran of Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, says a highlight of OWN’s fall lineup is the anticipated new talk show from Rosie O’Donnell, The Rosie Show. "We’re really excited about Rosie," she says. "For us, what a blast it is to work with somebody like her."
 
The show kicks off October 10, set to air weekdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Immediately following The Rosie Show will be OWN Your Life (The Oprah Class), airing Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
 
Also just announced for fall is a new prime-time special featuring music icon Celine Dion, Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show. "It’s crazy!" says Erspamer. "I love Celine, I love [her husband] Rene; I’ve known them forever. Celine was on The Oprah Winfrey Show [which Erspamer co-executive produced since 2006] something like 28 times. Celine of course, because they’re great people and great friends, really gave us full access. We’re all over their house, running around with the little babies. If you’re a Celine fan, you will love it."
 
Since joining OWN in January 2010, Erspamer has been working with the senior team to create, shape and drive programming, all while ensuring Oprah’s unique editorial voice is carried across all platforms. OWN made its official debut in January of this year, and has been building momentum ever since.
 
"We’re on our way," says Erspamer of the network’s progress. "These things take time to build. [We’ve been on the air eight months] and obviously we learn a lot every single day about what our audience wants and what they’re liking and what they don’t like; we try to make decisions based on that as we move forward."
 
Erspamer says it’s the "greatest opportunity on the planet to create programming that we really think means something and that we hope gives the audience some great take-away." She adds, "We want you to have a feeling when you come to our network, we want you to feel something. That’s what we’re trying to do every single day. It is a daunting task, but how lucky we are to get to do it."