It's all over the news today that Oprah Winfrey will end her syndicated talk show in 2011, after 25 seasons.
No need for women--or the book publishing industry--to panic. The assumption is that Oprah will move some version of her gab fest to, or at least make frequent appearance on, her soon-to-be-launched, modestly named cable channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network (aka OWN).
But Oprah's impending move is grim news for both CBS, which owns the show's lip-smackingly lucrative syndication rights, and ABC, where the show is largely aired, in many cases in the 4:00 slot that serves as lead-in to the local news.
Hear that pounding? It's the sound of another giant nail being driven into the coffin of broadcast tv.