Silver Spring, Md. - Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey is teaming with Discovery Communications (NASD: DISCA) to create "OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network," a multi-platform venture scheduled to debut in 2009 in more than 70 million homes. The network will replace the Discovery Health channel in cable lineups, and include a Web component under the Oprah.com domain.

Celebrity support for presidential candidates is nothing new, nor is the negative impact such support can often garner. It has led some of the 2008 candidates to form looser ties with celebrities than in years past, but one celebrity and her choice for president – Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama – have formed a bond in the last several months that would lead observers to question whether the two are considering a Prez-VP run at the Oval Office.