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Oprah's Future In Question

This article is more than 10 years old.

Oprah Winfrey's beleaguered network may get just the jolt it needs: a daily dose of Winfrey herself.

The Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture between her Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications , found itself at the center of press reports this week after Web site deadlinehollywooddaily.com reported Winfrey would move her syndicated series to the not-yet-launched cable network when her CBS contract expires in 2011.

The news came nearly a year to the day after Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav suggested the same on a call with analysts. His comments were quickly shot down, and the future home of Winfrey's top-rated talk show has remained among the industry's favorite parlor games ever since. In this case, it was OWN's latest hire, The Oprah Winfrey Show's co-executive producer Lisa Erspamer, that gave many in the press reason to believe the leap was likely.

If it does happen, Winfrey's show would raise the profile and ratings for a network that's been mired by months of behind-the-scenes struggles. After a host of scheduling delays and executive departures, the lifestyle-themed network initially slated to launch in the second half of 2009 has yet to set a premiere date.

Adding Winfrey's chat-fest to OWN's schedule would likely improve the network's (and her own) bottom line as well. Despite its reach–the network counts 75.5 million in its subscriber base, the result of a re-branding of an already established cable service, Discovery Health Channel--it earns only 13 cents per subscriber in its current non-Winfrey form, according to industry consulting firm SNL Kagan.

At the same time, a move to cable would be a blow to CBS' syndication unit, which currently owns the rights to The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as Walt Disney -owned ABC Networks, which owns the collection of stations that air it now.

Looking to quell Internet rumors and investor fears, CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told analysts on a conference call on Thursday that no decision regarding Winfrey's future had been made. "She's a legend," and the company would like to remain in business with her, he said. "We will probably know in a couple of months. We're in dialogue."

It's worth noting that while Winfrey remains the talk-show medium's most watched and best paid–the self-made billionaire pulled down another $275 million in the last year--her daily chat-fest is not the ratings phenomenon it once was. In fact, as viewing options and platforms proliferate, the show has shed both audience members and buzz: according to The Nielsen Company, only 6.9 million viewers per episode turned in last season, down 17% from half a decade earlier.