Oprah Winfrey is launching her own cable network, entitled OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. OWN is slated to debut in 2009 on the Discovery Health Channel.

According to a press release, OWN’s mission is to “create multiple platforms for women, men and their families with a purpose and a passion: to celebrate life, to inspire and entertain, empowering viewers around the world to live their best lives, and by doing so, lift the lives of those around them in ever-widening circles.”

Oprah will serve as chairman of the network.

“Fifteen years ago, I wrote in my journal that one day I would create a television network, as I always felt my show was just the beginning of what the future could hold,” Oprah said in a press release announcing the network. “For me, the launch of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Network’ is the evolution of the work I’ve been doing on television all these years and a natural extension of my show.”