From WMBFNews.com:

Oprah to pull the plug on syndicated show in 2011
Posted: Nov 19, 2009 6:25 PM EST
Updated: Nov 19, 2009 6:25 PM EST

CHICAGO, IL (WMBF) – The president of Harpo, Inc., has announced Oprah Winfrey will be calling it quits on her syndicated show in 2011.

Tim Bennett made Oprah’s decision public in a press release to television partners on Thursday evening. Bennett says Oprah will make the announcement live on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Friday.

“If you think the last quarter century has been something, then don’t touch that dial, as together ,we plan to make history in the next 20 months,” Bennett said.

Oprah’s show will close as its 25th season comes to an end on Sept. 9, 2011.

Looks like Nikki Finke was right afterall. According to Finke, Ms. Winfrey will be taking her show to her new cable network, The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in 2011 — the same time her syndicated show will end.

And just as we all suspected, Winfrey’s support of President Barack Obama has ticked off ABC executives and her fan base:

But there’s also no question that Oprah is a much more controversial figure now than she’s ever been before because of her wealth and fame and politics. “She’s lost her authenticity. Like when she said, ‘It’s good to have your own private jet.’ Or when she shut down the City of Chicago with this season’s ‘flash mob’ for the opening show. Where’s the relatability?” The word internally at ABC is that TV stations have been cringing at Oprah’s past and present and continuing support for Barack Obama, from her appearance at his inauguration to her visits to the White House, because it antagonizes half the viewing public who don’t share her politics. Now Oprah will no longer be in their faces: instead she’ll be isolated on cable. The biggest question now in the TV industry is whether it’s “Good Luck!” or “Good Riddance!”



Related Posts with Thumbnails