Oprah Will Be Talkin' at Least Until 2011

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Aug 6, 2004 12:06PM

The queen of daytime talk TV signed a contract extension that'll keep her on the air through 2011. The extension of Oprah's contract will ensure that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will be on the air for a full 25 seasons. Take that, everyone who was speculating that she'd be quitting the show soon! Oprah will also be increasing the number of original shows per season from 130 to 140.

Oprah said, "The thought of taking the show to its 25th anniversary is both exhilarating and challenging. The years ahead will allow me to continue to grow along with my viewers and will give my production company the time and opportunity to use the show as a launching pad to create and develop additional projects and potential future shows."

One show that was already launched was "Dr. Phil". Chicagoist despises that show and smiled to ourselves when we heard that quack was getting sued, but lonely housewives love the show and it's a ratings leader in daytime TV.

The "The Oprah Winfrey Show" began in 1986 and has made Oprah one of the highest-paid women in the US. The show has won 38 Emmy awards, is seen in 107 countries, and has been a top-rated talk show in the US for the past 18 years. In May the show averaged 24 percent of the Chicago viewing audience - the largest average weekday audience share of any station that month.