You know, Oprah’s not leaving us for two years, folks. Let’s get a grip. We are still in November 2009. She’s not shutting down her show until June or September 2011.
Meanwhile, Oprah’s rep Don Halcombe and I have been in touch. He says rumors of Winfrey abandoning Chicago are completely wrong.
Halcombe says in response to Nikki Finke’s frantic cry that Winfrey is leaving Chi-town because it’s too cold: “We are ending the show, but not shutting our doors. In addition to the show, Harpo has other divisions headquartered here as well: Harpo Radio, Oprah.com, The Oprah Store, the charitable foundations like Oprah’s Angel Network, our development group which created and launched ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ amongst other projects. It’s our intention to have a full slate of programs in production at our studios in Chicago.”
Halcombe continues: “She loves Chicago and has been very proud to call Chicago her home these last 24 years. Certainly, she will reside here during the final season of her show.”
Yes, but wait: next year is just 2010. Oprah’s not leaving next June. She’s leaving a whole year later, unless Winfrey’s gang has miscalculated. She will be on the air with new shows for the next six to seven months, then take the summer off, return in September with nine more months of shows at least. That’s a lot! We can all adjust in that time. That is a long goodbye, kids! So let’s relax.
And frankly, this was a story that was known a year ago. I cannot figure out why it’s being treated now like a doomsday scenario. Are memories this short?
November 21st, 2009 at 4:05 am
Thanks Roger, I’m in Chicago and she (like Michael Jordan) is a huge deal in Chicago. However, like Michael Jordan leaving Chicago, we will survive whether she’s here or not. I prefer that she remain, but yeh, it’s cold here. and even MOI is thinking about leaving for warmer climates. It happens as you get older, the cold starts to bother you — and create breathing problems.
She has real estate interests, so it would seem logical that she would do a sell-off.
She’s 55, she has another opportunity, she’s accomplished all she can in her life span (wish I had her genes). So she can afford to take risks.
November 21st, 2009 at 9:26 am
I think her show is no different than all the great sitcoms that ran its course after 8-10 years,maybe it is time for her to move on and do other things.(It is so true,the older we get the more we can’t take the cold,wish we could move to a warmer climate!)She is a great lady,she has done many wonderful things for others over the years and she never forgot where she came from.I wish her the best of luck.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I wonder if Oprah will be called as a witness in the Sweat Lodge deaths trial. Oprah pimped The Secret, and other new age mumbo jumbo, giving dangerous teachers like James Ray a platform, and an audience that has made them all rich. I blame Oprah’s appalling lack of Judgement in this and so many other frauds Newsweek talked about in a cover story on her this summer.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Oprah might keep her base of operations in Chicago, but I doubt she’ll be living there outside of visits to check on the company. Even her rep says, “Certainly, she will reside here during the final season of her show.” Once the show is over, she’s outta there….
November 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Sheesh I don’t know how this website makes any money. Websites today make money from ad revenue driven by web traffic to their site. This blog owner rarely updates the site daily and almost never on the weekend.
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:03 am
FIRST AND FOREMOST OPRAH IS AN ACTRESS!! SHE IS NOT GOD’S GIFT TO MAN OR EXPERT IN ANYTHING. SHE HAS OPINIONS, LIKES, DISLIKES, AND THINGS BROUGHT TO HER ATTENTION AND IF SHE SUPPORTS IT SHE PUSHES IT AD NAUSEUM LIKE ANY OTHER MARKETING BROADCASTER. TOO BAD PEOPLE BELIEVE EVERYTHING SHE DOES AND WHEN IT SCREWS UP SHE GETS BLAMED FOR NOT HAVING HINDSIGHT 20/20. WELL, MAYBE SHE SHOULD PREFACE EVERY SHOW WITH A DISCLAIMER “I’M A FAT IDIOT ACTRESS. I’M RUNNING A VERY LONG TELECOMMERCIAL AND IF YOU BELIEVE EVERYTHING I SAY DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. KEEP IN MIND I RECEIVED AN OSCAR NOM. SO I’M PRETTY GOOD ACTING IN FRONT OF YOU ON TV. GOOD LUCK.. PS. KEEP HANDS ON THE HANDLEBARS, ENJOY THE RIDE!”
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The Truth: Lay off the caps!
Je: The owner needs to take a break on the weekends too. Roger is busy at the clubs and events all the time. I don’t expect him to be sitting at his computer 24/7. Give the man a break!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
What ‘frenzied kids’ are being addressed? Does anyone care except the media. Oprah’s core fans are long gone after she sold them out.