The Oprah Winfrey Show to End September
2011
On today's live
episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey announced that
she plans to end her show in September 2011 after 25
years on the air. The Oprah Show will end its run as its
25th season draws to a close on September 9, 2011.
Launched nationally in 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show is
viewed by an estimated 42 million viewers each week in
the United States.* Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show have
received 48 Daytime Emmy Awards®, including the Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1998. The Oprah Winfrey Show has
remained the number one talk show for 23 consecutive
seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.**
It is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and
syndicated to 215 domestic stations by CBS Television
Distribution and to 145 countries by CBS Studios
International.
Said Winfrey: "I love this show. This show has been
my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to
say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones,
and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the
exact right time. So I hope that you will take this
18-month ride with me right through to the final
show."
Winfrey continued, "So, the countdown to the end of
The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now, and until that day in
2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful,
joy-filled moment with you."
After production wraps on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey
plans to appear and participate in new programming for
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a 24-hour cable network
that reflects her vision, values and interests. The
launch date for OWN, a joint venture with Discovery
Communications, is now set for January 2011.
Oprah's Full Statement: The Real
Reason She's Ending Her Show
After much prayer
and months of careful thought, I have decided that next
season, Season 25, will be the last season of The Oprah
Winfrey Show.
Over the next couple of days, you may hear a lot of
speculation in the press about why I am making this
decision now...and that will mostly be conjecture.
So I wanted you to hear this directly from me.
Twenty-four years ago, on September 8, 1986, I went live
from Chicago to launch the first national Oprah Winfrey
Show. I was beyond excited...and as you all might expect,
a little nervous. I knew then what a miraculous
opportunity I had been given, but I certainly never could
have imagined the "yellow brick road" of
blessings that have led me to this moment with you.
These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life
beyond all measure. And you all have graciously invited
me into your living rooms, into your kitchens and into
your lives. And for some of you longtime Oprah viewers,
you have literally "grown up" with me—we've
grown together. You had your families, and you raised
your children and you left a spot for me in your morning
or your afternoon, depending on when The Oprah Show airs
in your town.
So I just wanted to say that whether you've been here
with me from the beginning or you came on board last
week, I want you all to know that my relationship with
you is one that I hold very dear. And your trust in me,
the sharing of your precious time every day with me has
brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.
So here we are, halfway through the season, 24, and it
still means as much to me to spend an hour every day with
you as it did back in 1986. So why walk away and make
next season the last?
Here is the real reason: I love this show. This show has
been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time
to say good-bye.
Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels
right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the
exact right time. So I hope that you will take this
18-month ride with me right through to the final show.
Over this holiday break, my team and I will be
brainstorming new ways that we can entertain you and
inform you and uplift you when we return here in January.
And then Season 25—we are going to knock your socks
off.
So, the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show
starts now and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I
intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment
with you.
About Harpo
Harpo Productions, Inc. produces the number one–rated,
award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show; creates and
develops original TV programming for primetime,
syndication and cable television; and operates Oprah.com
(www.oprah.com),
a premier lifestyle website. ZoCo Productions, LLC, an
affiliate of Harpo Productions, Inc., and Sony Pictures
Television co-produce The Dr. Oz Show. Harpo
Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine publication. Harpo Films produces
feature films and, through an exclusive deal with HBO,
scripted television programming. Harpo Radio, Inc.
produces Oprah
Radio (XM channel 156,
Sirius channel 195 as part of its "Best of XM"
package) on Sirius XM Radio. A joint venture between
Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN:
The Oprah Winfrey Network,
a multiplatform company, will debut in January 2011 in
more than 70 million homes on what is currently the
Discovery Health Channel.
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