The Oprah Winfrey Network has a lot of problems.

High-profile talk show "Rosie" is bombing. Executive turnover is high and ratings are low. Owner Discovery Communications is clearly frustrated with the slow start.

But OWN's biggest problem is that it lacks an identity.

The irony, of course, is that Winfrey has one of the strongest identities on television, and in fact in all media, built over two decades on daytime TV.

But that identity has not transferred over to the network that bears her name.

Early shows have focused on everything from celebrities to lifestyle to self improvement to Winfrey herself, without much continuity.

"I think there's been instability in terms of what their programming is about, what their brand is, and the people who work there – there's been a lot of people coming and going," says Shari Anne Brill, a New York-based media and programming consultant.

"I think what they really need to do is sit down and figure out what their programming mission is, build a brand. Is it OWN as in your own network, or is it the Oprah Winfrey channel? Everything stems from there."

In time media people believe OWN will succeed, but to do so the network first needs to create that identity.

The question is who will do it. Will it be Winfrey or will it be Discovery?

Will the network's parent, frustrated by losses and low ratings, push Winfrey aside and take on that task itself?

There are certainly signs that may well be in the cards.

Right now OWN is in the midst of another executive shuffle that made a lot of headlines this week.

Lisa Erspamer, who had worked nearly two decades with Winfrey first on her syndicated show and then following her to OWN, was let go as executive vice president of production and development after a disappointing launch of "Rosie."

Erspamer was replaced by longtime Discovery Communications executive Rita Mullin, in what some are seeing as a move by Discovery to gain a tighter grip on both the creative process and day-to-day operations.

That came just days after "Rosie's" executive producer, Page Hurwitz, got the boot in favor of Shane Farley, who worked with Rosie O'Donnell on her daytime show years ago.

These changes hardly comes as a surprise, and the ratings tell the story.

OWN averaged 105,000 adults 18-49 in primetime last year, according to Nielsen, down 2 percent from what Discovery Health, the network it replaced, drew in 2010. Among adults 25-54 it did better, up 4 percent over 2010 to 121,000.

Among women 25-54 OWN ranked No. 42 on cable last year with 89,000 viewers, drawing about a quarter of leading women's network Lifetime's audience in the demo.

Those aren't terrible numbers, but they're also not as strong as many expected when Winfrey announced she was starting her own network. Discovery Communications has admitted disappointment with the launch and is pouring more money into promotion over the coming year.

Media people say getting Winfrey more involved in the network will be one key to improving. Her involvement was limited until her syndicated show ended last year.

"The fact that she wasn't the face of the network I think really kind of slowed down the network's growth and rise to awareness," Brill says.

Up to this point the brand has often seemed to be friends of Oprah. OWN has run many shows showcasing Winfrey's celebrity pals like O'Donnell, Shania Twain and Suze Orman.

But that may not be the right course.

Oprah fans want to see Oprah like they did for 25 years on syndication, as evidenced by the recent strong premiere of "Oprah's Next Chapter," the first original show Winfrey has filmed for her network.

The show recently expanded from one to two nights.

Still, despite its growing pains, OWN is not atypical of a new network. It can still have a long and prosperous future if it solves the problem of finding an identity.

"Many networks get off to a rocky start, and they have a good company behind them," Brill says.