OWN has cancelled its low-rated daily talk show hosted by Rosie O'Donnell.
The Rosie Show will tape its final
show next Tuesday, with the episode airing on Friday, March 30.
"I thank Rosie from the bottom of my heart for joining me on
this journey. She has been an incredible partner, working to deliver the
best possible show every single day," said OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey, in a
statement late Friday. "As I have learned in the last 15 months, a new network
launch is always a challenge and ratings grow over time as you continue to
gather an audience. I'm grateful to Rosie and the dedicated Rosie Show team for giving it their all."
The Rosie Show
premiered on the year-old cable network last October, making it a short
five-month run from debut to cancellation. The 7 p.m. show drew 1.5 millionviewers in its first episode,
which was shown across five Discovery-owned networks, but its ratings steadily
declined.
In January, OWN attempted to revamp the struggling talker,
bringing in a new executive producer in Rachael
Ray's Shane Farley and debuting a new, smaller studio set.
At the time, it was averaging 200,000 viewers in its timeslot.
