Oprah`s network struggling with ratings

Los Angeles: After a much hyped launch earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey`s network is now struggling to pull in viewers, with the TV mogul herself admitting that the going has become tough. The chat show queen says that the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is "not where I want it to be".

After its blockbuster launch in January which saw one million people tune in, ratings for OWN have tumbled and is now average about 300,000 in prime time and 150,000 in the day, reported Entertainment Weekly online. The billionaire has asked audiences to wait before making their minds up and asked for a grace period of three years. "It`s not where I want it to be. I am going to have to pay my dues and will be in the midst of a learning curve. And when I think I`ve learned as much as I need to know, I`ll be hit with something else. Don`t judge OWN until after three years. So that`s exactly what I have thought in my own mind," said the 57-year-old. Oprah said that she has not been able to devote much time to the network because of her other ventures, including her talk show and magazine. "I was on the phone yesterday with the head of OWN probably for 20 minutes, and then I was on another phone call for an hour, so I probably gave OWN an hour and 20 minutes yesterday. Not enough," she said. "And I hadn`t talked to anybody for two or three days there. Doing this right and ending Oprah this the way is a full-time job. And the magazine is a full-time job, but that`s its own machine now. I wouldn`t even say 10 percent of my time is on OWN right now. But it will be," she added. PTI