Oprah Winfrey will end her talk show when he contract expires in 2011. Tim Bennett, the president of her production company Harpo, said the following in a message to affiliates:"Tomorrow, Oprah will announce live on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular, influential and enduring programs in television history. The sun will set on the Oprah show as its 25th season draws to a close on Sept. 9, 2011."Why would Oprah quit? Poor ratings are not the reason. While her daily ratings are not as big as they used to be, with all the distractions of the Internet and hundreds of cable channels, it's unlikely that any new daytime talk show will be able to repeat the success of "Oprah" anytime soon.
No, it's because Oprah Winfrey wants to concentrate on her coming cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. OWN will premiere in January 2011, according to an anonymous source speaking with tne New York Times. OWN is a joint venture between her production company and the Discovery Networks.
The timing of the launch and the end of her contract is a positive for OWN. Though not said, Oprah Winfrey will obviously be able to promote OWN for the time before her contract ends.
Winfrey, 55, informed her talk show staff of her decision on Thursday afternoon. She had previously stated she would make a decision about whether she would extend her contract or sign a new one by the end of this year.
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