Oprah Says No Decision Yet to Move Show to Cable

Blogger Nikki Finke reported that "Oprah will tell the public that she's ending her syndicated Chicago-based daytime talk show when her current deal runs out," and that the announcement about a launch date for OWN would be coming soon. Finke also said Winfrey would uproot the show and move it to OWN headquarters in Los Angeles as soon as 2011. "We are not commenting on rumors or speculation," said Beth Gebhard, a spokesperson for OWN, in response to questions about a possible Los Angeles move. Gebhard also said, "(OWN) will announce our launch date by the end of the year." Winfrey's current deal ends in 2011, but the host has previously announced her retirement only to later renew her contract several times.

The fuel for this latest round of rumors has less to do with Winfrey's contract and more to do with one of her longtime producers. Discovery announced Wednesday that Lisa Erspamer, co-executive producer of Winfrey's talk show, will join OWN in January as chief creative executive. To those in the industry, that announcement suggested that perhaps Winfrey was planning to uproot the show as we know it and move it to L.A., and ultimately, to OWN.

Harpo and OWN insiders are being extraordinarily tight-lipped about a potential end date for the show on network television, but executives outside Harpo and OWN say the move makes sense. According to one, "network programming is going to become a place you go to for specials, big news, and sports. The prime time programming and talk shows -- expect it to go cable. That's where it makes the most sense."