day 2.2

the big o

it looks like the golden era of daytime tv may finally be coming to a close. nbc is reporting that oprah winfrey has decided to end her long-running daytime talker at the end of next season. oprah is set to make the announcement this friday as part of her "oprah friday's live in chicago" episode. the final new episode of the oprah winfrey show will air september 9, 2011. this news comes after much speculation of what oprah would do once her network partnership with discovery networks, the oprah winfrey network (own), launches early 2011. the network is taking over the channel slot currently home to discovery health and will feature programing that lady o is passionate about, with show regulars lisa ling and peter walsh getting their own shows. there is also talk that re-runs of oprah's talk show, which will have been on the air for 25 seasons when it ends its run, will be a regular part of the schedule. while not many details are known about oprah's decision to end her run, we can speculate. oprah's ratings have steadily declined as newcomers like ellen degeneres, tyra banks and even protege rachael ray have landed their own spots in daytime. in addition, the oprah show is one of the most expensive programs for networks to purchase. news recently broke that many channels were choosing to not renew their contract with the show for next year when it's price went up. i'm guessing that some of them will now reconsider. oprah has also diversified her harpo brand, having been responsible for the dr. phil and dr. oz shows in addition to rachael ray's. design expert nate berkus is also in pre-production for his own daytime talker.

a rumor currently circulating is that, while oprah is ending the show as we know it, she will still be a fixture on our tv's. oprah may be relaunching the show on own, taking it out of syndication. the show would also move to either los angeles or new york, where own will have headquarters. either way, she'll have enough money to last her - and then some - for forever.