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Oxygen (TV channel)
Encyclopedia
Oxygen is an American
cable television
specialty channel
with television program
ming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.
executive Geraldine Laybourne
, talk show host Oprah Winfrey
and producers Marcy Carsey
, Tom Werner
and Caryn Mandabach
(of Carsey-Werner fame). The company's cable network Oxygen launched on February 2, 2000.
TV studios were initially located at Battery Park City near the World Trade Center
. It was knocked off the air on September 11, 2001; the Time-Warner all-news cable television channel NY1
was broadcast to all Oxygen subscribers across the country until the studio reopened within a week after the attack.
The network's studios have subsequently consolidated in the Chelsea Market
, a former Nabisco
factory at 15th Street and Ninth Avenue
in New York.
The channel originally began as an interactive service focusing on original programming with some reruns (such as Kate & Allie
), and featured a black bar at the bottom of the screen (referred to as "the stripe" it occupied the bottom 12% of the screen) which would show various information (the interactive part involved the channel's website); the technique was cloned by Spike's precursor The New TNN. Today, the stripe has long been dropped, and the channel focuses chiefly on reality shows, reruns, and movies, and airs week-after repeats of The Tyra Banks Show
and is directed towards women. The yoga/meditation/exercise program "Inhale"
was the last inaugural Oxygen program on air into the channel's NBC Universal era, albeit in repeats. It was canceled in 2010.
Campus Ladies
, Bliss
, Oprah After the Show
, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
, Snapped
, Girls Behaving Badly
and The Bad Girls Club
, a reality series, are some of the signature shows on the channel. Geraldine Laybourne
was the service's founder, chairman, and CEO, staying with the channel until the NBCU sale. Competitors to the channel include Lifetime
and WE tv
. Oxygen has been available on DirecTV
for many years, and arrived on Dish Network
in early 2006 during that provider's carriage conflict with Lifetime
.
On October 9, 2007, NBCUniversal announced it would be purchasing Oxygen for $925 million. The sale was completed on November 20, 2007. NBC Universal's cable division announced at an industry upfront presentation on April 23, 2008 that the channel would see a rebranding and new logo on June 17, 2008, and in the months since the sale the Oh! heading was dropped from the channel's visual branding. The logo premiered a week early on June 8, 2008.
For the 2008 Summer Olympics
, Oxygen aired events and programming weeknights relating to gymnastics
, equestrian
, and synchronized swimming
. This was merely the second time Oxygen had carried sports, as before 2005, the channel carried a limited schedule of regular season WNBA games produced by NBA TV
.
As of late 2008, the channel is available in 74 million American households.
On June 29, 2009, Oxygen premiered Dance Your Ass Off
, which is a dancing show that lets people dance while they lose weight
.
On April 5, 2010, Oxygen launched its second night of original programming with the fifth season premiere of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
.
systems in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
with television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.
History
The privately held company Oxygen Media was founded in 1998 by former NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
executive Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media and served as its chairman and chief executive officer until it was sold in 2007 to NBC Universal. Oxygen was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape—creating a television network targeted to younger women...
, talk show host Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
and producers Marcy Carsey
Marcy Carsey
Marcy Carsey is American television producer. She is best known for her work with fellow producer Tom Werner forming the company Carsey-Werner Productions in 1981.-Life and career:...
, Tom Werner
Tom Werner
Thomas Charles "Tom" Werner is an American television producer and businessman who, via his investment in New England Sports Ventures, is chairman of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club....
and Caryn Mandabach
Caryn Mandabach
Caryn Mandabach is an American television producer.Caryn Mandabach produced ground-breaking US hits including The Cosby Show, Roseanne, A Different World , Grace Under Fire , Cybill , 3rd Rock from the Sun , That '80s Show , That '70s Show , and Grounded for Life .Most recently...
(of Carsey-Werner fame). The company's cable network Oxygen launched on February 2, 2000.
TV studios were initially located at Battery Park City near the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. It was knocked off the air on September 11, 2001; the Time-Warner all-news cable television channel NY1
NY1
NY1, New York One, is a 24-hour cable-news television channel focusing on the five boroughs of New York City. In addition to news and weather forecasts, the channel also features human-interest segments such as the "New Yorker of the Week" and the "Scholar Athlete of the Week", and specialty...
was broadcast to all Oxygen subscribers across the country until the studio reopened within a week after the attack.
The network's studios have subsequently consolidated in the Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market
thumb|267px|The Ninth Avenue entrance to Chelsea MarketChelsea Market is an enclosed urban food court, shopping mall, office building and television production facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City...
, a former Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
factory at 15th Street and Ninth Avenue
Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)
Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs downtown along its full length...
in New York.
The channel originally began as an interactive service focusing on original programming with some reruns (such as Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie
Kate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS...
), and featured a black bar at the bottom of the screen (referred to as "the stripe" it occupied the bottom 12% of the screen) which would show various information (the interactive part involved the channel's website); the technique was cloned by Spike's precursor The New TNN. Today, the stripe has long been dropped, and the channel focuses chiefly on reality shows, reruns, and movies, and airs week-after repeats of The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show
The Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
and is directed towards women. The yoga/meditation/exercise program "Inhale"
Inhale Yoga with Steve Ross
Inhale Yoga with Steve Ross was an Oxygen Network television show that was on air at 6am from Spring 2000 until Spring 2010. The show featured the yoga instructor Steve Ross who was named "guru of Los Angeles" by Vanity Fair. The show is no longer on the air...
was the last inaugural Oxygen program on air into the channel's NBC Universal era, albeit in repeats. It was canceled in 2010.
Campus Ladies
Campus Ladies
Campus Ladies is an American sitcom that premiered on Oxygen on January 8, 2006. It stars Christen Sussin and Carrie Aizley as two 40-something women who decide to go enroll at the fictional University of the Midwest...
, Bliss
Bliss (TV series)
Bliss is a Canadian produced, half hour dramatic television series, produced by Montreal-based Galafilm and Toronto-based Back Alley Films, an anthology of women's erotica...
, Oprah After the Show
Oprah After The Show
Oprah After the Show is a program on the Oxygen cable network from 2003 to 2006, and was an extra half-hour that allowed the audience to ask questions of the guests for that day's earlier episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show which aired in syndication, and for Oprah Winfrey to introduce extended...
, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency is a reality television series that debuted on Oxygen on June 6, 2006. The show has completed four seasons...
, Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
, Girls Behaving Badly
Girls Behaving Badly
Girls Behaving Badly is an American reality comedy television show on the Oxygen cable channel, and is also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television....
and The Bad Girls Club
The Bad Girls Club
Bad Girls Club is an American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray for Oxygen. The show centers on seven mischievous and rebellious women from different backgrounds and personalities who have a number of psychological and behavioral problems. They are introduced to the show to...
, a reality series, are some of the signature shows on the channel. Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne
Geraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media and served as its chairman and chief executive officer until it was sold in 2007 to NBC Universal. Oxygen was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape—creating a television network targeted to younger women...
was the service's founder, chairman, and CEO, staying with the channel until the NBCU sale. Competitors to the channel include Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
and WE tv
WE TV
We TV is the third TV channel from Malayalam Communications Ltd, in Kerala and based at Trivandrum. The other two channels of this company are Kairali TV and People TV. WE TV is mainly aimed at the youth and was officially launched on April 14, 2007. Mr...
. Oxygen has been available on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
for many years, and arrived on Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
in early 2006 during that provider's carriage conflict with Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
.
For the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Oxygen aired events and programming weeknights relating to gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, and synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
. This was merely the second time Oxygen had carried sports, as before 2005, the channel carried a limited schedule of regular season WNBA games produced by NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...
.
As of late 2008, the channel is available in 74 million American households.
On June 29, 2009, Oxygen premiered Dance Your Ass Off
Dance Your Ass Off
Dance Your Ass Off is a reality competition series on the Oxygen Network hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur in the first season, then Melanie Brown in season two...
, which is a dancing show that lets people dance while they lose weight
Weight
In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Its magnitude , often denoted by an italic letter W, is the product of the mass m of the object and the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration g; thus:...
.
On April 5, 2010, Oxygen launched its second night of original programming with the fifth season premiere of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
Tori & Dean: Inn Love
Tori & Dean is a reality show on the Oxygen Network starring actress Tori Spelling and her second husband, actor Dean McDermott. The first and second seasons of the show were titled Tori & Dean: Inn Love. The show was renamed Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood as of the third season...
.
Current Original programming
- The Bad Girls ClubThe Bad Girls ClubBad Girls Club is an American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray for Oxygen. The show centers on seven mischievous and rebellious women from different backgrounds and personalities who have a number of psychological and behavioral problems. They are introduced to the show to...
- Tori & Dean: Inn LoveTori & Dean: Inn LoveTori & Dean is a reality show on the Oxygen Network starring actress Tori Spelling and her second husband, actor Dean McDermott. The first and second seasons of the show were titled Tori & Dean: Inn Love. The show was renamed Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood as of the third season...
(now Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood) - Jersey CoutureJersey CoutureJersey Couture is a television series produced by Magilla Entertainment for Oxygen that premiered on June 1, 2010. The show follows the interactions of the Scali family as they work together running Diane & Co., a dress boutique in Freehold, New Jersey...
- Dance Your Ass OffDance Your Ass OffDance Your Ass Off is a reality competition series on the Oxygen Network hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur in the first season, then Melanie Brown in season two...
- SnappedSnappedSnapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
- Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love TooLove Games: Bad Girls Need Love TooLove Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too is an American reality television dating game show that premiered on the Oxygen Network on . It is the second spin-off of Oxygen's The Bad Girls Club, the first being Bad Girls Road Trip. Three "bad girls" from previous seasons of the The Bad Girls Club are...
- Running Russell SimmonsRunning Russell SimmonsRunning Russell Simmons is a television series from Oxygen that premiered on November 2, 2010. The reality show follows Russell Simmons and his staff.- Cast :*Russell Simmons*Simone Reyes*Christina Paljusaj*Adair Curtis...
- Hair Battle SpectacularHair Battle SpectacularHair Battle Spectacular is an American television series that premiered on the cable network Oxygen on August 10, 2010. The show follows 10 of America's hottest fantasy hair stylist as they battle it out in the ring for a $100,000 grand prize and to see who can create the most outrageous hair...
- Minute To Win ItMinute to Win ItMinute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
- America's Got TalentAmerica's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
- All About AubreyAll About AubreyAll About Aubrey is a reality television series from Oxygen that premiered on March 7, 2011. The show follows pop star Aubrey O'Day as she mounts a solo comeback after being fired from multi-platinum girl group Danity Kane by Sean Combs on MTV's Making the Band.- Cast :*Aubrey O'Day - a...
- The World According to ParisThe World According to ParisThe World According to Paris is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton. It premiered on the Oxygen Channel on June 1, 2011...
- sTORIbook Weddings
- The Glee ProjectThe Glee ProjectThe Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011...
Past Original programs
- Bad Girls Road TripBad Girls Road TripThe Bad Girls Road Trip is a reality-based series which airs on the American cable television channel, Oxygen.It is a spinoff from Oxygen's original show, The Bad Girls Club. It premiered June 12, 2007...
- BlissBliss (TV series)Bliss is a Canadian produced, half hour dramatic television series, produced by Montreal-based Galafilm and Toronto-based Back Alley Films, an anthology of women's erotica...
- Campus LadiesCampus LadiesCampus Ladies is an American sitcom that premiered on Oxygen on January 8, 2006. It stars Christen Sussin and Carrie Aizley as two 40-something women who decide to go enroll at the fictional University of the Midwest...
- Breaking Up with Shannen DohertyBreaking Up with Shannen DohertyIn Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty was a television series starring Shannen Doherty....
- Fight GirlsFight GirlsFight Girls is an Oxygen original reality television series that spun off from a 2006 special which documented seven female fighters' attempts at winning a championship. The initial special aired on August 7, 2006 and the series premiered June 12, 2007. Fight Girls is produced by Scott Messick...
- House of GlamHouse of GlamHouse of Glam is a television series from Oxygen that premieres on October 5, 2010 at 11/10c. The show follows the interactions of the B. Lynn Group, a group of stylists and image consultants. B...
- Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
- Mo'Nique's Fat ChanceMo'Nique's Fat ChanceMo'Nique's Fat Chance is a reality TV miniseries. It features 10 plus-sized women competing in a beauty pageant to become "Miss F.A.T.," which is explained as "Fabulous and Thick." It is hosted by actress Mo'Nique and has aired since 2005 on the Oxygen network.-2005 edition:The winner of the 2005...
- O2BeO2BeO2Be is an American comedy television series starring Lizz Winstead and Brian Unger. The series premiered September 22, 2002, on Oxygen. After October 27, 2002, they began showing reruns on Nickelodeon until December 31, 2002. The program is a parody of daytime television with Winstead and Unger as...
- Oprah After the ShowOprah After The ShowOprah After the Show is a program on the Oxygen cable network from 2003 to 2006, and was an extra half-hour that allowed the audience to ask questions of the guests for that day's earlier episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show which aired in syndication, and for Oprah Winfrey to introduce extended...
- Suburban ShootoutSuburban ShootoutSuburban Shootout is a British satirical black comedy television series produced for Five and Paramount Comedy by Feelgood Fiction in association with Oxygen. The first series aired in the UK on Five from 27 April 2006. It began airing in the United States on 22 March 2006 on Oxygen and in Germany...
- TeaseTease (TV Series)Actress Lisa Rinna is the host of Oxygen Network's Tease, airing since 2007. Known to television audiences from her starring roles on Dancing with the Stars, Soap Talk, Melrose Place and Days of our Lives, Emmy-nominated Rinna is also recognizable for her signature layered hairstyle...
- Deion & Pilar: Prime Time LoveDeion & Pilar: Prime Time LoveDeion & Pilar: Prime Time Love is a weekly reality television show that focuses on the home life of former professional athlete Deion Sanders and his wife Pilar Biggers. The program is on the Oxygen network and debuted in April 2008...
- Addicted to BeautyAddicted to BeautyAddicted to Beauty is an American reality television show on the Oxygen US television channel about a Plastic surgery and Day spa located in San Diego, California. The series lasted for one season and was not picked up for another year.-Synopsis:...
- Naughty kitchen
- CapturedCapturedCaptured may refer to:* Captured , a 1981 live album by the American rock band Journey* Captured, Rockwell's 1985 follow-up to his platinum album, Somebody's Watching Me...
- Inhale Yoga with Steve RossInhale Yoga with Steve RossInhale Yoga with Steve Ross was an Oxygen Network television show that was on air at 6am from Spring 2000 until Spring 2010. The show featured the yoga instructor Steve Ross who was named "guru of Los Angeles" by Vanity Fair. The show is no longer on the air...
Syndicated programming
- A Different World
- America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- EllenEllen (TV series)Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
- Grace Under Fire (2001-2006)
- Living SingleLiving SingleLiving Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living...
- Mad About YouMad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
- Ned & StaceyNed & StaceyNed & Stacey is a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. It starred Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. The major thread of the series was that the two were brought together in a marriage of convenience—Ned Dorsey needed to be married to get a promotion at...
- RoseanneRoseanne (TV series)Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
(2005-present) - Xena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
(199?-2006) - The Tyra Banks ShowThe Tyra Banks ShowThe Tyra Banks Show, also known as and shortened to Tyra or The Tyra Show, is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. The last new episode aired on Friday, May 28, 2010.-2005-2009: Syndication:...
Oxygen HD
Oxygen HD is a high definition simulcast of Oxygen that launched in March 2011. It is currently available on Time Warner CableTime Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
systems in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
External links
- http://www.futoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=12/12/08&id=20081212oxygen01