
When Oprah Winfrey announced Friday that she would end her popular talk show September 2011, she asked the audience to stay with her.
“I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show,” she said.
With a solid base of 42 million viewers for the past several seasons, Oprah fans show no signs of abandoning their favorite television personality. But with the lineup she has scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 24 (9 a.m. CT), she may even see a spike in viewers.
Called “Oprah and People Magazine salute headline-making heroes of 2009," the program features the pilot, passengers and people who saved them in the incident known as the “miracle on the Hudson.” The show also captures a surprise troop welcome-home celebration arranged by Winfrey and People Magazine at Ft. Bragg. The event welcomed back the 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade Combat Team from Iraq with a performance by five-time Grammy winner Wynonna Judd.
On Wednesday, Nov. 25, Winfrey's interview with Vicky Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy airs.
Given Winfrey’s past record of interviewing high profile people such as Sarah Palin the day before the former candidate for the vice presidency’s tell-all book, Going Rogue, was released, and the 1993 memorable talk with Michael Jackson, the question is not will people still watch the show, but who and what issue will she take on during the next 18 months.
This was her promise to viewers on Friday: “So, the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now, and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.”
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