CHICAGO — “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” an iconic broadcast that grew over two decades into a daytime television powerhouse and the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey’s production company said Thursday night.
Winfrey plans to announce the final date for her show during a live broadcast today, Harpo Productions Inc. said, bringing an end to what has been television’s top-rated talk show for more than two decades, airing in 145 countries worldwide and watched by about 42 million viewers a week in the U.S. alone.
Search our databases
The Chicago Tribune reported that the last show would air Sept. 9, 2011.
Winfrey is widely expected to start up a new talk show on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a much-delayed joint venture with Discovery Communications Inc. that is expected to debut in 2011. OWN is to replace the Discovery Health Channel.
A spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday on Winfrey’s plans except to say that “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will not be transferred to cable television.
CBS Television Distribution, which distributes “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to more than 200 markets blanketing the U.S., held out hope that it could continue doing business with Winfrey, perhaps producing a new show in Los Angeles.
“We have the greatest respect for Oprah and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors,” the unit of CBS Corp. said in a statement. “We know that anything she turns her hand to will be a great success.”
Winfrey’s 24th season opened earlier this year with a bang, as she drew more than 20,000 fans to the city’s Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue for a Chicago block party with the Black Eyed Peas.
She followed up with a series of blockbuster interviews — Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, exclusives with Whitney Houston and ESPN’s Erin Andrews, and, just this week, former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Born in Kosciusko, Miss., Winfrey started her broadcasting career as a teenager in Nashville, reading the news at WVOL. Two years later, she started co-anchoring news broadcasts on WTVF-TV in Nashville.
In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to anchor newscasts at WJZ-TV before becoming host of the local talk show “People Are Talking.”
In 1984, she relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TV’s morning talk show “A.M. Chicago” — the show became “The Oprah Winfrey Show” one year later.
She set up Harpo the following year and her talk show went into syndication, rising to become one of the most successful in the history of broadcasting.
Powered by the show’s staggering success, Winfrey built a wide-ranging media empire. Harpo Studios produces shows hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw and celebrity chef Rachael Ray, her “book club” selections produce instant best-sellers, and “O, The Oprah Magazine” was the nation’s 7th most popular magazine in the first half of 2009.
- |
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.