‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ signing off in 2011

Oprah Winfrey has put an end to one area of speculation concerning her future, and that of The Oprah Winfrey Show, by announcing to her Harpo Productions staff that the show will sign off on Sept. 9, 2011. Winfrey is due to announce the show's end on today's episode. Rumors had been running rampant concerning the show and Winfrey's role at OWN, the network partnership she's undertaken with Discovery Communications, but there is still no official indication that she intends to bring her own talk show to the cabler. With the senior exec roster at OWN firming up - Lisa Erspamer, a long-time Harpo producer, was recently named CCO - it's expected that Winfrey will take on more involvement with the new net. The launch date for OWN has not been officially announced, but insiders are pointing towards January, 2011.