.Christina Norman Out at Oprah Winfrey's OWN,

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Peter Liguori has been named interim CEO.

Christina Norman has stepped down from the top job at Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network. She has been replaced by Peter Liguori, who has been named interim CEO of OWN.

"I want to thank Christina for her important accomplishments, incredible passion and many sacrifices in helping to launch the network," Winfrey said in a statement. "With the final taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show only a few weeks away I will soon be able to devote my full energies to OWN. This is a natural point of transition and I am confident that Peter, as an integral part of the launch of OWN, will be a terrific partner for me going forward."

Liguori steps into the role held by Norman since the launch of the joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications.

Norman said in a statement: "Joining OWN was a great opportunity, and launching it successfully and drawing more than 67 million viewers is one of my proudest achievements. My thanks to Oprah and David for entrusting me with this brand and giving me the opportunity to launch OWN. As I move on to my next challenge, I am confident the strong foundation we have built will position the network to achieve great things."

“Peter is Discovery’s creative leader, and highly qualified to assume the leadership at OWN for the next phase of growth,” said Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav. Liguori was most recently president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company prior to joining Discovery in 2009.

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