Is Tyler Perry Really Ready to be Out On His OWN?

 There's buzz today saying that Tyler Perry is in talks with LionsGate to create a network solely of his own content. I think that's a real bad idea. Tyler Perry's successful, he has a very lucrative streak of films and television shows on the TBS network, but aside from that and his plays that still tour, he has nothing else in pop culture.
 Yes, he's friends with Oprah. So is Gayle. But the question is, can he even come close to having Oprah's influence on pop culture. Oprah had one show, a magazine, and a book club. Along with that, she's a force because people listen when she talks and it's been that way for the past twenty five years. Tyler Perry has only been on the radar for seven years.
 His movies are essentially similar in form. There's a bad circumstance with a broken person who needs transformation via family, love, or personal fulfillment in some way. The characters while somewhat realistic are one-dimensional.
 His television shows work the same way. The diversity is lacking. He hasn't really dealt with issues beyond faith, family, and relationships. He doesn't talk about education or health or even pop culture in the black community.
 Which brings me to something else, his network wouldn't focus beyond the African American community because that's who his target audience is. Unfortunately cable has enough demographic-centered networks that really aren't bringing anything new or dynamic to the table. A string of reruns and one decent show doesn't cut it. And even if he did follow Oprah's example, she's struggling for viewers too.
 OWN has already fired the head cheese and Oprah's replaced her. Her original programming is too reality focused, too celebrity-oriented, and too one-dimensional. There's no depth or breadth to the outreach and the ratings are showing as a result.
 Tyler Perry may be trying to be the next Oprah but it's not as easy as it looks.