How to Send Show Ideas to Oprah Winfrey's Network

Oprah Winfrey has been an iconic television personality for over 25 years. She has been inspiring people to “live your best life” in many ways, from her one-hour talk show to spawning other TV greats, like Dr. Phil. Now, the media mogul is getting her own 24/7 network. In January 2011, OWN, or The Oprah Winfrey Network, replaces Discovery Health.

In the fall of 2010, the network held a “Your OWN Show” contest, where regular people submitted audition videos with concepts for their own show. The finalists will appear on a reality show, with one winner ultimately landing his or her own talk show. Now that the contest is over, however, many fans may be wondering how else their ideas can hit the screen.

Email your show idea to the producers. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" allows viewers to submit ideas, whether it is a topic or a suggestion for a guest. To submit an idea, simply fill out the “Email the Producers” web form, which asks for first and last name, age, email address, mailing address, phone number and message.

The form allows a maximum of 2,000 characters, so you may want to edit your suggestion in Word first.

Pitch your series idea for OWN to a production company. Unfortunately, OWN does not accept show proposals from individuals, only registered production companies. If you have a great talk or reality show idea, submit your proposal to production companies that are a good fit for your idea. The production company can then pitch your idea to the OWN network through the Producer’s Portal at Discovery Communications.

Check casting calls. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other shows on the OWN network are actively seeking guests. Perhaps there is a topic that aligns with the show idea that you already have. Check the casting calls page for a list of upcoming show topics and apply.