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Monday, 15 August, 2011 5:49 PM
Building a Bridge: The Oprah
Winfrey Network’s Commitment to Country (CMA)
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Photo
courtesy of OWN
Shania
Twain in Las Vegas on "Why Not? with Shania Twain."
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| By
Joseph Hudak |
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2011 CMA Close Up News Service |
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When The Judds’
self-titled reality series wrapped its sixth episode in May on the
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), it was followed immediately by the
premiere of “Why Not? with Shania Twain,” the Country
superstar’s own revealing documentary series. Coincidental
scheduling? Hardly. The fledgling cable network is happily aware
of this genre’s pull.
“The truth is we
know that Country Music appeals to a massive audience,” said
Lisa Erspamer, CEO, OWN. “And we all love Country Music. It’s
a big part of our audience base, and we think that The Judds and
Shania Twain are compelling, dynamic women with real stories that
our viewers can relate to. It felt like the perfect pairing.”
Given the long history
of showcasing Country artists as guests on “The Oprah Winfrey
Show,” it was a natural fit, especially in the case of Naomi
and Wynonna. “We had The Judds on the ‘Oprah’
show many times over the years,” said Erspamer, who served
as a Co-Executive Producer on the iconic daily talk show, which
aired its final new episode in May. “What I loved about them
is that they’ve been through everything at least once. Maybe
you don’t relate to one piece of their story, but God knows
there will be a piece that you do relate to.”
Audiences apparently
did just that. Upon its April 10 debut, “The Judds”
drew more than 1.7 million total viewers over its two-hour premiere,
which followed Naomi and Wynonna as they prepared for and embarked
on their final tour, “The Last Encore.” But while their
reunion onstage may have been the framework of the series, its engine
was the mother’s and daughter’s famously complex relationship.
Coupled with a string of unexpected revelations, including Naomi’s
shocking memories of being abused as a child, “The Judds”
was not short on drama.
“It was a mix of
having them be together on a daily basis,” said Kerry Hansen,
The Judds’ Manager of 17 years and an Executive Producer of
the series.
“They hadn’t
performed with each other on a tour since 1999, so it brought up
a lot of family baggage. But it ended up changing their relationship
and we’re thankful for it.”
The idea to do such a
behind-the-scenes series had been floating around since 2004, according
to Hansen. But it was the reaction to the duo’s performance
at CMA Music Festival in 2009 that made them realize the timing
was right to both organize a farewell tour and document its preparation.
“We had no intention
of another reunion,” Hansen said. “But that night (onstage
at Nashville’s LP Field), Wy brought Naomi out and they sang
‘Love Can Build a Bridge’” (written by John Barlow
Jarvis, Naomi Judd and Paul Overstreet), and 50,000 people started
singing it back to them. They came offstage and looked at me like,
‘Holy cow! If there’s a time to do it, now is probably
it.’”
Erspamer echoes this
now-or-never sentiment. “Over the years, we’ve talked
with them about doing something like this. When the opportunity
for them to go on tour again arose, their team called and said they
were ready to do a docu-series. The timing worked out perfectly
because now there was a network,” she said, noting the series’
enthusiastic reception among OWN staffers, an encouraging sign that
“The Judds” might connect with audiences of all ages.
“Our internal team here, our younger group who may not have
grown up with The Judds, really locked into the series. To see a
younger generation get to know these great artists was a fun opportunity
for us — and sort of unexpected too. It appealed to a very
broad scope of people.”
According to Hansen,
that broad scope interested Team Judd from the beginning. “All
along, we were hoping that OWN would be the home for this because
of the relationship with Oprah and her audience and what that means,”
said Hansen. “I think there is a trust between The Judds and
Oprah.
Part of that is because
of the way Oprah exposes the truth. It was obvious when she met
with us she was going to care about their lives and what they are
doing.”
As does Erspamer, the
apparent glue in the relationship between Oprah and The Judds, and
Oprah and Twain. “Lisa and I have been doing business together
for 10 years,” Hansen said. “We all know each other
so well, and Lisa and Wynonna are friends. It’s a nice partnership.”
Twain’s Manager
Jason Owen, who heads Sandbox Entertainment, credits Erspamer with
not only helping to get “Why Not? with Shania Twain”
on the air, but also with the steady stream of Country artists that
have been guests on “Oprah.” One particularly dramatic
moment followed Twain’s appearance on May 3, after which Oprah
stunned her studio audience with two-day passes to CMA Music Festival,
free accommodations at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and a private
brunch hosted by Twain during the Festival. Twain will also be autographing
her new book, From This Moment On, on Friday during the Festival
at Bridgestone Arena.
“Lisa deserves
most of the credit,” Owen said, praising her and OWN’s
commitment to Country Music. “She’s an enormous music
fan and has great relationships with some of the biggest music superstars
in the world. I have had a longstanding relationship with the ‘Oprah’
show primarily because of Lisa and her team. I think she knows that
this is a market that is not really tapped. Yes, CMT and GAC are
obviously the specific Country home, but no other network has really
done anything like this and paid this close attention to what is
really the heart of America — Country Music.”
If the theme of “The
Judds” was the mother-daughter bond, Twain’s introspective
series, which finales June 12, is about conquering fear. “Why
Not? with Shania Twain” finds a vulnerable Twain struggling
to regain the confidence to sing in public in the aftermath of her
split from husband Robert “Mutt” Lange. That openness
and willingness to expose herself so fully, Owen acknowledges, also
came from Twain’s trust in Oprah and Erspamer. “Shania
fell in love with Lisa and loved her ideas and what she wanted to
do with the network,” he said, recalling the series pitch
meeting, in which Twain herself gave a presentation.
“It was really
unbelievable,” said Erspamer, with a chuckle. “I was
with Shania Twain in a hotel room watching her PowerPoint presentation.
She has been extremely involved in the creative of her series. In
the past, we’ve had her on ‘Oprah’ and she is
notoriously private. I think what’s so fascinating is to watch
her open up. She talks about her fear of singing. For an artist
like her to admit that is very big. I think it will help other people
break through their own fears.”
And possibly help Twain
reach a new fan base? Owen believes so. “I think that people
will see her in a much different way. When they see the realness
and the honesty that she puts on in the series, it’s really
going to connect,” he said, noting the nurturing sensibility
shared by the series and the network. “The message OWN sends,
from the marketing to the creative to obviously Oprah herself, is
right in line with the series. It feels natural, safe and solid,
all the way around.”
Hansen believes The Judds
can see a similar increase in fans, thanks to Oprah’s broad
appeal and reputation. “She’s going to reach people
that we don’t necessarily reach as The Judds when they’re
touring or out promoting products,” he said. “With the
Oprah Winfrey Network, when she puts her stamp on things, it gives
them legitimacy.”
Not to mention momentum,
as Twain will time the release of her first single in six years,
the self-penned “Today Is Your Day,” to the final episode
of her show airing June 12. Despite the occasional “OMG”
water cooler moment, neither “The Judds” nor “Why
Not? with Shania Twain” is stereotypically reality television.
“The way you expose and talk about something can easily make
for a train wreck,” Hansen acknowledged. “None of us
was interested in doing that. It’s all in the way you present
an idea. That is one of the things I respect about Oprah: She has
created a network that gives out real information in an honest way
and is not all about being negative. It’s about being truthful.”
Twain was concerned with
the truth as well; that played a key role in inspiring her to do
the project. “She was so closed off for so long and extremely
private, but she wanted to tell her story the way she wanted to,
instead of the way everyone else has been telling it,” said
Owen, surprised by the willingness of Twain, an Executive Producer
on the series, to be so transparent on camera. “I really felt
there were lots of things that she’d take out (during editing).
But she didn’t; she left it all in.”
That honesty, coupled
with the ability to tell a relatable, moving story, is a cornerstone
of Twain’s music specifically and Country Music in general.
In fact, it was the main attraction for OWN and a component of the
network’s long-term goals. “One thing that’s really
important to us is compelling storytelling, and Country Music is
well known for that,” said Erspamer, who is open to the possibility
of adding more Country-themed productions to OWN. “All of
the music is about love, redemption and healing. That’s the
type of storytelling we are doing on OWN and plan to do more of.
“We would consider
anybody who has a great story and is willing to let us go along
for the ride,” she concluded. “We have so many people
in Country Music with whom we’ve loved working with over the
years, and Country Music just gets bigger and bigger. It’s
the universal themes that run through Country that make people just
love it.”
The season finale of
“Why Not? with Shania Twain” airs Sunday, June 26 at
10 PM/ET on OWN.
On the Web:
www.Oprah.com/OWN
Photo
courtesy of OWN
Naomi
and Wynonna Judd of "The Judds"
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