Oprah in Space
Well, in space, and then in your car (not to mention everywhere else. No, the queen of all media isn’t donning a spacesuit, but thanks to a 3 year/$55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio she will soon be bouncing off the satellites and landing in your car (or at your desk, or wherever you listen to your satellite radio) with a new "Oprah & Friends" channel slated to debut in September.
Actually, it sounds like she’ll be there just often enough to keep the franchise.
"Oprah & Friends," which will debut in September, will rely more on the friends than on Oprah herself. Winfrey said yesterday in a teleconference from Chicago that she will have a half-hour "reality" show each week for 39 weeks — a recorded conversation with her confidante Gayle King.
The rest of the channel’s round-the-clock programming will be hosted by personalities who have become popular through appearances on Winfrey’s talk show, including fitness expert Bob Greene, self-help writer Marianne Williamson and designer Nate Berkus. The shows — which will focus on health, nutrition, self-improvement and current events — will originate from a new studio in Chicago.
So, if you’re a subscriber, you can share your commute with Oprah; occasionally, at least.
