After an impressive 24-year run on morning television, media empress Oprah Winfrey will call it quits in 2011.

In a letter addressed to partner stations carrying the Oprah Winfrey Show, Harpo Productions president Tim Bennett said the talk show queen will step down from the stage in September 9, 2011.

Bennett added that Winfrey is going to make the official announcement on Friday’s show. Following the talk show’s initial conception in 1986, it has catapulted Winfrey to global stardom, adding films, books, magazines and websites to her media empire.
It is still unclear what Winfrey is going to do after over 20 seasons of hosting the highly-successful talk show. She’s expected to give a hint on her future plans on Friday.

“Tomorrow, Oprah will announce live on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular, influential and enduring programs in television history,” Bennett said in the letter published by ABC News.

Bennett also took the time to thank the show’s partners saying, “Your invaluable support has helped us to create the phenomenon of the Oprah Show that we’ve all been so proud to be a part of for the last 24 years.”

Although most part of the letter delivered sad news for syndicated television, Bennett’s closing remarks hinted that something bigger is on the works. “And, if you think the last quarter century has been something, then ‘don’t touch that dial’ as together we plan to make history in the next 20 months … and beyond,” he concluded.

The historic Friday broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show will air live from its Chicago, Illinois, studio at 9 a.m. central time.

Meanwhile, the syndicated TV market, which Winfrey’s show dominates, is expected to feel the crunch after the 55-year-old celebrity host hangs her cape.

“In our market, she does extremely well and always has,” Barry Smith, director of programming and creative services for CBS affiliate KFMB-TV was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, adding that “it’s going to be a task” to find her replacement.

For his part, Bertelsmann AG’s Random House spokesperson Stuart Applebaum said: “If it is the end of her daily talk show, we probably won’t see something else to match its overall potential impact on book sales in the broadcast arena any time soon.”

Based on Nielsen Co. data cited by the Wall Street Journal, The Oprah Winfrey Show averaged 6.6 million viewers every week ending on Nov. 8 while numbers from Oprah.com estimated 42 million viewers in the US watch the show weekly. (Grace R)

Sources: Wall Street Journal and ABC News