By Madhuri Dey
Nov. 20, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Oprah Winfrey is going to announce on her live show on Friday that she will be putting an end to the hugely popular talk show in the year 2011. A spokesperson for the her company, Harpo, that is based in Chicago, the decision has been finalized. Oprah is due to make the announcement at the end of the show today.

She has launched a new television network, the OWN or the Oprah Winfrey Network in collaboration with Discovery Network. So that might explain why she intends to quit the show, considering that she has quite a busy schedule planned ahead of her, what with the productions of the Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog.” She is also producing the upcoming film “Precious” that is based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire.

The “Oprah Winfrey Show” has achieved a somewhat cult status ever since it first came on air. Over the years, it had evolved from being a mere talk show to something that is responsible for the fortunes of many hopefuls. The most interesting aspect of the talk show is that it never dealt with only those from the glamor world. Oprah has had on her show eminent people from every field, her guest list ranging from Barrack Obama to Tom Cruise. Naturally, her decision comes as a big blow to the television market. She has been one of the top grossers and one of the few who have managed to hold her market steady even in the times of recession. The book publishing industry is about to receive a blow too, as many used her show as a launchpad.