LOS ANGELES — Oprah Winfrey will return to the airwaves in a weekly, primetime program called “Oprah’s Next Chapter” that will air on her cable network, the channel said Friday.

In the new series, the media mogul will step “outside of the studio for some riveting, enlightening in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders and real-life families,” according to a statement from OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

The program will premiere Jan. 1 at 9:00pm ET with an in-depth conversation with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler at his home in New Hampshire.

Subsequent episodes in the show’s first season will feature Oscar winner Sean Penn’s humanitarian work in Haiti, a tour of “Star Wars” creator George Lucas’ ranch and a look at chef Paula Deen’s Georgia estate.

“After 25 years I got myself out of the studio chairs. I moved into the next chapter, and I am having more fun than ever — moving around the country and the world talking to people I’m really interested in getting to know,” Winfrey, 57, said.

In May, the talk show host stepped away from her popular day time talk show to focus her energy on her cable project — a joint venture with Discovery Communications.

Despite Winfrey’s star power, the network has been plagued with slumping ratings that has left advertisers disappointed.

“I will say this; it’s 10 times harder than doing my daily show. Doing that show felt like breathing every day. Now I’m in so many meetings I sometimes have to step out and catch a breath,” Winfrey told her followers in an August Facebook posting.

Onlookers had expected the OWN talk show featuring Rosie O’Donnell, which launched in October, to provide a surge of enthusiasm but viewership has been lackluster so far.

Then in early November, Winfrey’s best friend and business partner Gayle King, announced she was leaving her OWN talk show “The Gayle King Show” to join CBS’ revamped morning program that will also feature veteran interviewer Charlie Rose.