Oprah Winfrey plans nighttime show on her network

Oprah Winfrey has reigned in daytime for a quarter-century, but she'll be moving to nights to host a show on her brand-new cable channel.

The program makeup of the much-anticipated Oprah Winfrey Network became clearer Thursday with the announcement of five new series. These include "Oprah's Next Chapter," which should reassure viewers that Winfrey will appear on the 24-hour network she'll largely be guiding from behind the scenes.

"My vision for OWN is to create a network that inspires our viewers and makes them want to be who they are on their best day," said Winfrey, 56, in a statement.

But her millions of fans will want to see her, not just feel her, and on a regular basis. "Oprah's New Chapter" seems a promising start.

Each edition will release her from the studio and her longtime talk-show format for conversations and travel around the world.

"From the Taj Mahal to her beloved oak tree, the Great Wall to her own teahouse, it's a whole new kind of Oprah show," according to the network. "If she can dream it, she'll do it!"

"Oprah's Next Chapter" is scheduled to premiere in late 2011. That will be shortly after Winfrey lays to rest her weekday syndicated talk show at the close of its 25th season, a milestone she said "feels right in my bones" when she voiced her plans on the air last November.

A joint venture of Winfrey's Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communications Inc., OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is now set to sign on Jan. 1 after missing two earlier deadlines. It will be available in approximately 80 million homes, replacing the Discovery Health Channel.

Other shows announced Thursday for OWN include:

_"Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind," on which big-name talents take viewers inside their creative process, offering an opportunity to see how they bring their art to life. Included on the roster are Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, Grammy Award-winning musician Lady Gaga and photographer Annie Leibovitz.