Oprah Talks Fear of Failure at OWN at Facebook Live

9:21 AM PDT 9/9/2011 by Lindsay Powers

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"If anybody asks if you want a network, think about that," she tells COO Sheryl Sandberg at the company's Palo Alto headquarters.

Discovery

Oprah Winfrey discussed her difficulties with launching OWN in an hourlong interview on her Facebook page Thursday, conducted by COO Sheryl Sandberg at the company's Palo Alto headquarters.

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The former talk-show host admitted she "never had fear until I started [OWN]."

She says it stems from her desire to find shows that "come from a space of truth and a space of light," but she's worried about "the fear of whether or not I’m ahead of my time" because of the success of reality shows about the "lowest common denominator."

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“I fundamentally believe that people are yearning for something more,” she said. “But if you look at what’s on television right now, it doesn’t look that way. The fear is, I hope I’m right.”

Speaking about launching her own network, she said, "I’m very familiar with myself and what I can do, it’s very different choosing other shows and trying to feel, ‘Will this work?’"

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She also admitted, "It’s a lot harder than I ever imagined. If anybody asks if you want a network, think about that."

Winfrey is still holding out hope that she'll land a confession from O.J. Simpson. Her follow-up show, Oprah's Next Chapter, launches early 2012. “I just want to hear him say he did it and I’ll be happy,” she said.

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As the New York Post points out, Winfrey is looking to drive up Web traffic on Oprah.com, which has fallen from 5.1 million unique visitors last January to 2.4 million in July (according to ComScore)-- two months after her show went off the air. Her site was part of her deal with Discovery Communications, with which she has a 50/50 partnership at OWN.

Winfrey also answered questions from the audience, said she meditates every day and revealed her preferences via a lightening round: tequila instead of wine, the journey over the destination, thin crust instead of deep dish pizza and tea instead of coffee.