September 9, 2011 will mark the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show when it wraps up 25 seasons as the highest-rated talk show in American television history. The exceedingly popular Oprah Winfrey Show has drawn dedicated viewers not only to the main talk show, but to the popular segments such as Oprah's Book Club, Oprah's Favorite Things and Tuesdays with Dr. Oz.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Winfrey’s production company, Harpo, confirmed Thursday evening that Ms. Winfrey would make an announcement on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, November, 19.
“The sun will set on the Oprah show as its 25th season draws to a close on Sept. 9, 2011,” Tim Bennett, the president of Harpo, said in a message to affiliates.
The Longest Running Daytime Talk Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is currently the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States, having run nationally since September 8, 1986.
The show is highly influential and many of its topics penetrate into American pop-cultural consciousness. While early episodes of the show followed a Phil Donahue-style exploration of sensationalistic social issues, Oprah eventually transformed her series into one with an image of a more positive, spiritually uplifting experience by featuring book clubs, celebrity interviews, self-improvement segments, and philanthropic forays into world events.
What's Next for Oprah Winfrey?
After the Oprah Winfrey Show ends in 2011, Oprah Winfrey will focus er efforts on her coming cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. OWN will have its premiere in January 2011, according to an article in the New York Times.
Winfrey, 55, informed her talk show staff of her decision on Thursday afternoon. This was not an unexpected announcement as it had been rumored that she would not renew her contract for 2011.
Ms. Winfrey told her staffers that she will not transfer the show to cable. She is expected to produce new programs for OWN, and may appear on some of them.
For now, The Oprah Winfrey Show will carry on until September 2011. Viewers will now get ready to view the much anticipated "Favorite Things" show that is typically shown around Thanksgiving.
Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com
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