Oprah Winfrey Network Will Replace Discovery Health Channel

12/28/2010 by

discovery health channel Oprah Winfrey Network Will Replace Discovery Health ChannelAs you can see from the countdown that has been appearing over there on the right, Oprah Winfrey’s new channel, the mysteriously named Oprah Winfrey Network, will debut in four days. From what I’ve gathered, OWN will mostly be a long Oprah show, with advice from Drs. Phil and Oz and Suze Orman, a reality show to find a host for a show on OWN, a series about the making of The Oprah Winfrey show (which will be worth watching just to see the evolution of Oprah’s hairdos), interviews with notable folks like Diane Sawyer on Oprah Presents Master Class (which sounds like her spin on James Lipton’s In the Actor’s Studio) and various other 30-to-60-minute bursts of information on how to live a better life.

I don’t feel particularly strongly about Ms. Winfrey one way or the other so the announcement of OWN’s existence didn’t ruffle me…until I found out that it’s replacing the Discovery Health Channel.

I recently got new and downgraded cable service and with that change out went the Discovery Health Channel plus a few others like History International and the DIY Network. I was pretty bummed to no longer have Discovery Health because that’s long been a favorite of mine. So now to find out that it’s never coming back is a little upsetting.

Back before odd characters like A&E started delving into the worlds of hoarding and interventions (seriously, how is that arts or entertainment?), Discovery Health was the hub for all weird medical programming. They might have had basic stuff like how to eat right and exercise, but the more sensational shows were really the crowning jewels of the basic cable crown and became the home of Rescue 911 after the networks had had enough of it. Once the network had found its footing, it beefed up its repertoire in the areas of birthin’ babies with reality shows like Birth Day and Maternity Ward. Conveniently, these programs came around right around the time that I became pregnant, so I got to spend nine months vicariously freaking out over every possible complication. I was almost shocked when my pregnancy was totally normal, since I spent so much time bracing myself for, like, my placenta to start growing out of my nose or something. However, when I had to get rushed back for an emergency C-section, my mom, who was also addicted to those shows, and I both confessed to thinking, “OH MY GOD THIS IS JUST LIKE MATERNITY WARD!”

Here’s a glimpse of what we’ll be missing (CAUTION: lots of birthing and screaming and bleeding here):

So long, Discovery Health Channel. You shall be missed.

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About kdiddy

kdiddy is a full-time working stiff and a part-time angsty writer in Pittsburgh, PA. Her attempts to be a good mom and wife have mixed results.


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Filed Under: Best Of Featured, Best Of MamaPop, Reality TV, Television, Things That Suck, TV Tagged With: birth day, Discovery channel., discovery health, discovery health channel, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, entertainment, maternity ward, Oprah Winfrey, oprah winfrey network, own, reality shows, suze orman, the Discovery Channel
  • Mona

    I KNOW.
    How else are we to find out about what might be nesting in us (both of the baby and “other” parasite variety)? Oprah, pls do be getting out of my expanded cable grill. I need DHC to get my internal freak on for my next pregnancy.

  • fyreflynight

    THANK YOU. I thought I was the only one freaking out at the loss of Discovery Health. I am legitmately pissed about this change.

  • Cyndi

    I am VERY angry that this change is happening. Does Oprah honestly have to take over everything. I am a student trying to learn a little more in depth about the medical field and I cant believe Oprah has enough money to take over the network thats just great another wasted channel on a wasted person and their wasted talking about this and that. It just plain out aggrivates me. If she has enough money to take over this channel couldnt she just make her own channel why DHC???? Thanks for letting me express my anger! ;) Good to know others feel the same.

    • Mona

      Word!
      This is a channel with some real value, I hate to lose that to yet another vanity project.

      • Cyndi

        Agreed. You would think they would have enough of those shows. Its like some kind of sick epidemic!

  • Kate

    Is nothing fucking sacred anymore? Why not just make your own damn channel, or take over lifetime. You know, girly stuff. Taking over discovery health is not only sacrilege but also a slap in the face, considering her dubious promotion of unscientific medicine.

  • Evelyn

    Why does Oprah have to take over another channel? I thought she was retiring? I enjoyed watching Discovery health channel’s mystery diagnosis. I also thought I was weird for being upset over the change. I am tired for paying for crap I don’t care to watch!

  • Suzy Q

    I want to punch Dr. Phil and Suze Orman in their respective junk. HATE.

  • http://weightfordeb.wordpress.com deb roby

    There is one problem you see to be ignoring in the demise of Discovery Health Network. I don’t know about your cable situation, but at the moment there are 100 slots for free/upgrade HD programming. (on my cable the 700s). All of those slots are already assigned. For Oprah to come on, one of those must go. While I would argue that the shopping channels can be eliminated, they make $$ for cable, so they aren’t going anywhere. The channels costing $$ and bringing the lowest viewership were the candidates.

    Oprah has partnered with Discovery so it was going to be one of their own channels.

    The shows you liked on DHN will likely get picked up somewhere else on the cable dial…

  • KimAZ

    Where the hell else will I learn about face-eating tumors?

  • Bill

    I am very dismayed to see the DHC lose out to someones individual wishes who should take over “the biggest losers” show instead. They talk about Oprah’s power, I guess this is one more way she shows it without regard to others. I will de-program that channel.

  • Mel

    So, how nice it must be to think so much of oneself that you take over a channel that many, many people watch just to pump your own ego. I don’t care about Oprah or her life or anything about her. How arrogant of her to assume that everyone gives a poop about her world… I am very sad to lose a useful channel to a person who in the end is really irrelevant to my life. I’ll never watch it. Goodbye Dr. G, I will miss you!

  • Penny

    This is pissing me off. I watch Discovery Health all the time. I will not have a thing to do with that channel once Oprah has it. I don’t much care for her to watch her show for one hour for a hour, little alone all day. I think who ever owns that channel did a big mistake.

  • http://yahoo Courtney

    I like the Discovery Health Channel and i dont know why she is taken over the whole Channel. I like watching the Shows “Life in the er and untold stories in the Er. I cant belive this that she is taken it over.We need to do something about this.I do not want to watch Oprah after Oprah.

  • jane

    Sure am glad I am not alone on this. I also thought…”whoopie, she’s bought a network channel” but when I saw the first ad from DHC, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t watch her one hour…why watch 24/7.
    Nothing but crap on tv as it is now…

  • Marla

    What the heck? I watched Discovery Health ALL THE TIME!!! I could care less about Oprah. DHC was educational as well as entertaining. Once again…someone with too much money anyway, has taken away educational and enlightening programming. Bring back these programs!!! Please!!!

  • john

    I am upset about losing Discovery Health also. I will not ever watch OWN, I cannot stand oprah. I would not mind if my cable company dropped OWN. Bring back Discovery Health.

  • Debbie Daniel

    I am very upset about losing the Discovery Health channel. My family and I very much enjoyed shows such as Life in the ER and Mistery Diagnosis. I am just waiting and praying that another channel picks up these shows. Why couldn’t Discovery Health tell its viewers where these shows would go???

  • LizG1

    I know. I am extremely ticked that Oprah has taken my favorite channel and destroyed it! I guess that is what you can do with a whole lotta money. But seriously, how much more full of herself can she get?

  • Janeen Heimiller

    Only 19 people other than myself care about this? I find that APPALLING!!
    I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!
    How can OPRAH take over Discovery Health?? The ONLY channel that was educational,inspiring,informative and we could actually learn

  • Janeen Heimiller

    I AM APPALLED!!! I WANT DISCOVERY HEALTH BACK OWN SUCKS!!
    ONLY 19 PEOPLE OTHER MYSELF CARE ABOUT THIS? YIKES! WE HAVE LOST THE ONLY CHANNEL THAT WAS EDUCATIONAL,INSPIRING,AS WELL AS INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING! SAD INDEED.

  • http://hubpages.com/hub/Karner_Krafts Ruby C

    Apparently all they want us to watch is crap. I am EXTREMELY displeased that my favorite channel has been overtaken by that Harpo Pig Monstrosity. The discovery health channel was the only channel that had a fighting chance of making people aware of disabilities especially rare ones. I loved the show about young Juliana and hearing about how great she was doing. I will miss Mystery Diagnosis, that was one of my favorite shows partly because I could relate from having a rare connective tissue disorder that had doctors not quite sure which diagnostic category I fit into. I now know I have Elhers-Danlos Syndrome which had been a major suspect since birth. I didn’t find out about my diagnosis from the show but who knows how many people this show has or could have helped. Rare disorders are always being discovered and people who have them as well as their loved ones take comfort in knowing that they are not the only ones. That channel was great at spreading awareness for people. I love reading about rare disorders and how people succeed in life despite challenges. I have learned so much from that channel. That channel challenged non disabled people and people with less severe disabilities to stop and think about how fortunate they are to not have to deal with such hardship and maybe even help out their fellow man. Unfortunately OWN did not feel that way it is all about the money and greed. Keep buying your fans Oprah. Your selfishness has not gone unnoticed. Think of how your greed driven network has let Juliana down.

    • yogamat

      It goes even further. The Discovery Health shows have replaced all the workout training shows throughout the day and evening on Fit TV to make room for OWN. Some of us depended on that daily workout lineup. I am a homeschool mom who depends on autotuning workout shows on Fit TV throughout the day as I have very little time at the beginning and end of my day and can’t afford a gym membership or personal trainer. I simply don’t know what I will do w/o them. Fit TV only has exercise programs between 6 and 9 am since OWN has taken over. I did send a comment to Discovery’s Viewer Relations and received a response. They say they do care about viewer’s needs when they scheduling so take all comments under consideration. If enough people protest, maybe we can make some changes that will make us all happy.

  • Carol

    I have e-mailed them at Discovery channel to find out where the programing was to go that was on the DHC. They did say that some was staying on own. I checked the line up on own and didn’t find anything worth watching! I have since found some of the programs on the Fit channel.{Dr. G., Life in the E.R}

  • Rabbit

    OK, I honestly like Oprah. she does wonderful things for people but at this point in her career, I’m not impressed and have barely taken a look at any of the shows..mostly those “feel good” shows that I want nother to do wot

  • Disect

    I’m so glad I’m not the only one who HATES the OWN network. Hopefully enough “haters” will boot this crappy station OUTTA here. I miss my DIscovery Health. It was pretty much the ONLY channel (other than Nick Jr. for my 4 year old) that I could stomach…you know, something informative and HELPFUL and not the CRAPPY self-serving, self-gratifying, crap like the Oprah network. Really?? You couldn’t take over ANY other channel? Come ON!!!! I’m so sick of this commercial empire of JUNK. GAG ME!!

  • Daphnie

    I have to agree with everyone here. I do not like Oprah. I find her self serving and boring. Women who watch her shows usually are one step up from mindless stepford wives, and there’s a lot of them out there. OWN is now just Dr. phil and other trashy talk shows hosted by her friends. Seriously, read the show discriptions. “Oprahs best friend hosts..” It’s pathetic. It’s VERY disapointing. I hope Discovery realizes their channel was much better and far more entertaining for the Thinking people out there in the world. If you won’t change Discovery heath back, make a new channel. Please.