Oprah expands empire: media maven inks $55 million deal with XM radio.Oprah Winfrey “Oprah” redirects here. For the show, see The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) is the American multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated talk show in television history. is already the queen of multimedia, with a syndicated television show and consumer magazines in her empire. Get ready for her reign to head into the stratosphere stratosphere (străt`əsfēr), second lowest layer of the earth's atmosphere. The level from which it extends outward varies with latitude; it begins c.5 1-2 mi (9 km) above the poles, c.6 or 7 mi (c. with her newly inked three year, $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio. The new channel, Oprah and Friends, will feature a show co-hosted by Winfrey pal Gayle King Gayle King (born in Chevy Chase, Maryland) is editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and is the best friend of Oprah Winfrey. She has previously worked as a television news anchor and talk show host. and other original content from Harpo Radio, a new division of Winfrey's Harpo Productions Inc. Topics will include self-improvement, fitness, and current events. Listeners can expect to hear many of Winfrey's more popular guest experts from the television show, including psychologist and author Dr. Robin Smith and super-designer Nate Berkus Nate Berkus (born September 17, 1971) is an American interior designer and decorator. He runs an interior design firm in Chicago, Nate Berkus Associates, and has been a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, on which he offers design advice to viewers. . The deal could not have come at a better time for XM. Rival satellite radio operator, Sirius Satellite Radio
n. Informal A host of a shock radio program. [shock (radio) + (disc) jock(ey).] Howard Stern. Sirius says its subscriber base jumped from 700,000 before the Stern deal was announced to 3.3 million. XM is the industry leader with more than 6 million subscribers. Partnering with Winfrey gives XM a counterweight coun·ter·weight n. 1. A weight used as a counterbalance. 2. A force or influence equally counteracting another. coun to Stem's popularity without the controversy that surrounds Stern's show. "One of the reasons I agreed to do this is because I believe that they are the brand leader in satellite radio and that the folks at XM share the same kind of commitment to providing quality and diverse content to the audience as I do," said Winfrey in a media call. Moving into satellite radio is a logical step for Winfrey's empire. However, she insists it was more than just a business decision. "This is a full circle moment for me and for Harpo's history, because not many people know I started out in radio--local radio--when I was still a sophomore in high school and that led to my career in television," said Winfrey, "Oprah is a cultural force," says David Butler, director of corporate affairs for XM. "Everyone here is thrilled to have her working with us." Oprah and Friends will hit the airwaves in September. |
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