Oprah leaving Chicago?

[Chicagophotoshop]

I never really the details of her plans, but it sounds like this is no surprise. she is not moving her show, she's retiring it. and moving on to other things. good for her.

not much good news for Chicago lately

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by Chicagophotoshop

I never really the details of her plans, but it sounds like this is no surprise. she is not moving her show, she's retiring it. and moving on to other things. good for her.

not much good news for Chicago lately

^ Yeah, Chicago hasn't had a good year. Lets go through it:

Losing 2 big conventions.
Huge budget deficit.
Likely service cuts in mass transit.
Highest unemployment rate (in the State) since 1983.
Losing the much hyped Olympic bid--in the first round.
Block 37 is about to open...oh wait, now the bank's trying to foreclose!
End of the highrise boom that kept everyone's cerebral dopamine flowing.
None of the sports teams got anywhere, as usual...
Oprah's about to bail.

Oh well, the city still kicks ass and I have a great time every time I visit. Things will sort themselves out..

[Chicagophotoshop]

ugh. did you have to spell it out like that

we'll bounce back.

[Chicagophotoshop]

just think, we could have been sitting here talking about cool the Spire looks going up and been celebrating hosting the games for next 8 years. we went for it all, gotta give Chicago that

[Aaron W]

Really disappointing. Obviously it had to come some day, but Chicago is left with nothing else in terms of big media. I guess the closest the city now has is the Big Ten Network. And obviously that's quite minimal compared to the international star power Chicago had as the home of Oprah.

Oh how I wish Ted Turner had built CNN in Chicago.

Looks like the show will end just in time for the opening of the CTA's new Morgan Station on the green line. Bah.

[simulcra]

Again, anyone know what will happen to all the staff that are in Chicago? Do they just now have to wait for new shows for employment? Are they all moving to LA?

[Chicagophotoshop]

Originally Posted by simulcra

Again, anyone know what will happen to all the staff that are in Chicago? Do they just now have to wait for new shows for employment? Are they all moving to LA?

seems to me as anyone who worked for the show will be canned. she is ending the show. I'm sure they will be given opportunities in LA. or she may keep a skeleton staff in chi.

[rgolch]

I don't think this has much bearing on the general perceptions of the city.

Truth be told, having Oprah never really made Chicago into one of the media and glamor hubs like NY and LA. And losing her really wont change that. She did bring some attention to the city, but it wasn't earth shattering. And she's leaving commercial TV at the right time. With online entertainment, podcasts, zillions of cable channels, satellite radio, electronic gaming, and countless other things to distract people, tastes are so fragmented and specific now. It's really hard anymore to find huge groups of people who all love the same thing. That's why ratings for TV are in the toilet, and Movies don't make the kind of money they used to. Half the shows that won emmy's this year I never even heard of.

Would I like Chicago to make more of a contribution to pop culture and media? Of course. But this isn't something any of us should come to expect, or get down about. Time to move on.

[nomarandlee]

Is the end of the show really a forgone conclusion? Could she be planning to bring some installment of it to her own channel? She will have the OWN channel in 2011 though I am not sure how hands on she will be or where it will primarily be produced from. I hope she would consider Chicago to be in the running but given that her primary home is in Montecito, California who knows likely that would be.

[The Urban Politician]

Originally Posted by rgolch

I don't think this has much bearing on the general perceptions of the city.

Truth be told, having Oprah never really made Chicago into one of the media and glamor hubs like NY and LA. And losing her really wont change that. She did bring some attention to the city, but it wasn't earth shattering. And she's leaving commercial TV at the right time. With online entertainment, podcasts, zillions of cable channels, satellite radio, electronic gaming, and countless other things to distract people, tastes are so fragmented and specific now. It's really hard anymore to find huge groups of people who all love the same thing. That's why ratings for TV are in the toilet, and Movies don't make the kind of money they used to. Half the shows that won emmy's this year I never even heard of.

Would I like Chicago to make more of a contribution to pop culture and media? Of course. But this isn't something any of us should come to expect, or get down about. Time to move on.

^ Yup

[spyguy]

^Really, your posts are on the verge of trolling. Quit while you're ahead.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/189...ocal22.article

Harpo Studio just a part of vibrant Near W. Side
BY FRAN SPIELMAN, MIKE THOMAS AND DAVID ROEDER

...Mayor Daley said he talked to Oprah on Friday. The talk show diva told him she's "going on to a new business venture," but that she's "keeping quite a bit of her operation here -- the studio and other things,'' Daley said. ". . . I don't know the details."

Local Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) said Harpo executives have told him they intend to move Oprah's "show but not her operations" out of Chicago and that the plan is to keep the studio open for production of syndicated programs.
---

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-b...rticleId=32693

O-ver and out
By: Shia Kapos and Ann Saphir

...Ms. Winfrey's production company generates an estimated $340 million in annual revenue and employs about 450. In addition to the talk show, Harpo produces the popular "Dr. Oz Show" in New York and announced last week that it would produce another nationally syndicated program, this one featuring interior designer Nate Berkus. A decision is pending about whether it will be produced in Chicago.

...Harpo isn't closing its doors and intends "to have a full slate of programs in production at our studios in Chicago," a spokeswoman says. Still, it's too early to say whether intention will translate to reality or how the end of the talk show will affect Harpo's Chicago staff.

[Chicagophotoshop]

Originally Posted by dnobsemajdnob

She owns an apartment in NY. Also, NY is significantly warmer than Chicago in the winter and has a fraction of the snow.

its not significantly warmer. they still have a winter. like I said, NY should have never been in the conversation. she has never showed interest in moving there.

[rgolch]

Did you not read the sign? It explicitly states no feeding the trolls.

[Chicagophotoshop]

Originally Posted by dnobsemajdnob

The typical winter day is about 20 degrees warmer than Chicago. Also, autumn comes later and spring comes earlier in NY than in Chicago. I lived in Chicago for almost ten years.

PS: Even cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas still have a winter.

you really are a douchebag huh?

[simulcra]

Originally Posted by spyguy

O-ver and out
By: Shia Kapos and Ann Saphir

...Ms. Winfrey's production company generates an estimated $340 million in annual revenue and employs about 450. In addition to the talk show, Harpo produces the popular "Dr. Oz Show" in New York and announced last week that it would produce another nationally syndicated program, this one featuring interior designer Nate Berkus. A decision is pending about whether it will be produced in Chicago.

...Harpo isn't closing its doors and intends "to have a full slate of programs in production at our studios in Chicago," a spokeswoman says. Still, it's too early to say whether intention will translate to reality or how the end of the talk show will affect Harpo's Chicago staff.

That sounds promising. If this is really the case, then I don't mind Oprah leaving too much - the economic engine provided by her studios will remain, even if there will be less of an obviously public face behind it.

[diskojoe]

shes leaving cause she is starting her own cable network and this is a good way to start getting advertisers to buy into it. its all about money.

[wrabbit]

Originally Posted by dnobsemajdnob

The typical winter day is about 20 degrees warmer than Chicago. Also, autumn comes later and spring comes earlier in NY than in Chicago. I lived in Chicago for almost ten years.

PS: Even cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas still have a winter.

The Chicago/NYC differential peaks in Janaury, when Chicago averages 12 degrees cooler than NYC.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...7772619.column

Oprah marches forward, but Harpo will stay put
Phil Rosenthal

For all the changes that Oprah Winfrey set in motion with her announcement last month that she will be ending her syndicated daytime talk show in 21 months, at least one thing looks to remain the same: Her Harpo Productions is going to remain right here in Chicago.

"We're not going anywhere," Sheri Salata said Monday as she and Erik Logan were publicly promoted to the presidency of Harpo Productions alongside longtime Winfrey consigliere Tim Bennett, 60, whose plan to retire as president of Harpo Inc. at the end of May was also announced.

...Whatever business interests grow out West with OWN, Winfrey herself made a point to note in Monday's announcement that Harpo "is a world-class production company in Chicago and will continue on after 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' " ends. A spokeswoman said Harpo Inc. will remain based in Chicago, as well.

[Urbanight]

^ That's great news. 400 jobs that will stay put, maybe even grow. I imagine Oprah will also maintain a residence here considering the company she owns will be HQ'ed here.

[Chicagophotoshop]

um what does harpo produce besides the oprah show?