Oprah to Leave Syndication in 2011
Announcement to come on Nov. 20 broadcast.
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/19/2009 6:34:03 PM
Oprah: Complete Coverage
Analysis: End of 'Oprah' Means Loss, Opportunity for Stations
Winfrey's decision to leave syndication spells end of lucrative era--and new chance for stations to own local content.Oprah Winfrey will end her long-running talk show after her 25th season draws to a close in 2011, the talk-show host will announce on her program Friday.
ABC-owned WABC New York reported the news on its Web site on Thursday afternoon; Winfrey's Harpo Productions confirmed the report. The ABC owned stations have always served as the key station group for The Oprah Winfrey Show, which is distributed by CBS Television Distribution.
"We have the greatest respect for Oprah and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors" said a CTD spokesperson in a statement. "We know that anything she turns her hand to will be a great success. We look forward to working with her for the next several years, and hopefully afterwards as well."
Winfrey is starting her own cable network called OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network in a joint venture with Discovery Communications. OWN will replace what is now Discovery Health Network on cable systems.
What remains unconfirmed is whether Winfrey will move her talk show to OWN, although that's what Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke reported earlier this month, reiterating comments that Discovery chief David Zaslav made one year earlier during a conference call.
OWN Programming Options Emerging
11/22/2009OWN To Launch In January 2011
02/10/2010'Oprah' Heading to D.C.
12/05/2008Dr. Oz to Follow Dr. Phil from Oprah
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