11/7/2009

in

Oprah may soon pack her bags at ABC and shift base to her very own network  the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Pahull Bains

The rumor mill claims the "Queen of Daytime Television" may soon be leaving her throne, and moving her syndicated talk show to her own cable network, the Oprah Winfrey Network or conveniently, OWN.  
  
Oprah's contract with ABC Syndication expires in 2011, and everyone's buzzing that she doesn't plan to renew it. This is bad news for all the stations that currently carry *The Oprah Winfrey Show*, the highest rated daytime talk show in history.  
  
"Her loyal viewers are likely to move with her. It would have a negative impact, obviously, on the networks that currently air her show," said Matthew Beloni of The Hollywood Reporter.  
  
OWN, which is expected to debut in early 2010, was announced by Discovery Communications and Oprah in January 2008. The network will replace the struggling Discovery Health Channel, which is distributed to 70 million homes. It has not yet been formally announced whether Oprah plans to move her talk show to OWN.  
  
Winfrey's production company, Harpo, denies rumors that a decision has been made, saying, "She will be making an announcement before the end of the year."  
  
*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Oprah Winfrey's show airs on CBS. It airs on ABC.*