Despite the growing pains at the new Oprah Winfrey Network, Rosie O'Donnell is sold and says she wants no part of the major U.S. television networks. O'Donnell was in Los Angeles this week to promote her new talk show on Winfrey's fledgling OWN network and said it was Conan O'Brien's departure from NBC that convinced her to stay away from the established nets.
"So my desire to attach to a major corporation that had just taken 15 years of service and treated it as if it was nothing was a huge factor in me not signing," O'Donnell said.
"The Rosie Show" will occupy the 7 p.m. time slot on OWN, which O'Donnell said was not as unusual a move as it might appear. "It's a great time," she said. "You can sit down with your family before your viewing night begins."
The Los Angeles Times said Saturday "The Rosie Show" has some high stakes for both O'Donnell and Winfrey. OWN has been battling for a niche in the crowded cable market, and O'Donnell has been looking for some career traction since she left her high-profile gig on "The View" in 2006.
"Television is a lot different than it was when I did my old show," O'Donnell said.
