OprahWinfreyShow

The Oprah Winfrey Show (often simply referred to as Oprah or just O) is an American syndicated (broadcast syndication) talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. It is currently the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States, having run nationally since September 8, 1986, for over 24 seasons and nearly 5,000 episodes. The show is renewed through 2011, but in a 2008 interview with Larry King, Oprah tearfully announced that in 2011, she will not renew her contract, thus ending the show. She has plans on a new talk show to run later on her very own television network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The show, a production of Harpo Productions, was the last program on the air to be distributed by King World (King World Productions) (until the fall of 2009, only the name was mentioned in the Friday shows distribution credits)?the latter company has been absorbed by CBS Television Distribution.

The show has its roots in AM Chicago, a half-hour morning talk show airing on WLS-TV in Chicago. Winfrey took over as host in 1983, and within a year took it from last place to first place in the ratings. In 1986, it was relaunched under its current title and was picked up nationally.

Oprah has been included in Time (Time (magazine)) magazines shortlist of the best television series of the twentieth century in 1998, and it made the top 50 of TV Guides countdown of the greatest American shows of all timeDead linkdate=May 2009 in 2002.

The show is highly influential, especially with women,Citation neededdate=June 2009 and many of its topics penetrate into American pop-cultural consciousness. While early episodes of the show followed a Phil Donahue-style exploration of sensationalistic social issues, Oprah eventually transformed her series into one with an image of a more positive, spiritually uplifting experience by featuring book clubs (Book discussion club), celebrity interviews, self-improvement segments, and philanthropic forays into world events.

The show airs on most ABC (American Broadcasting Company)-owned stations in the United States (as well as various other stations through CBS Television Distribution, successor to King World), CTV (CTV television network) in most Canadian markets, Diva TV in the United Kingdom, TV3 Ireland in Ireland, GNT in Brazil, and Network Ten in Australia.

The show began broadcasting in high definition (high-definition television) beginning with its 2008-09 season premiere episode on September 8, 2008, becoming one of the first nationally-syndicated daytime talk shows to do so.

On November 19, 2009, Oprah Winfreys production company announced that the show will be ending on September 9, 2011, due to a contract clause between CBS Television Distribution.