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February 11, 2012
 
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Harpo Productions

Oprah Settles Defamation Suit

by Brad Trechak, posted Mar 25th 2010 9:02AM
Oprah WinfreyIt looks like Oprah Winfrey will not be going to trial. The queen of day-time talk shows settled a lawsuit out of court with Nomvuyo Mzamane, a former headmistress of her South African school. The lawsuit was based on statements Winfrey made after allegations of student abuse at the school occurred.

In 1998, Oprah was sued by some Texas cattle ranchers due to a segment on her show about mad cow disease. In that case, she did go to trial and was acquitted (even taping episodes of her show from Texas). However, it's difficult to know if the same results can be obtained from a South African court.

There are two sides to this settlement. The first is that if Oprah feels her statements were valid and her celebrity shouldn't be taken into account, she should have gone to South Africa to defend herself. The other is that her time is way too valuable to waste on what seems to be a frivolous lawsuit. What do you think? Should Oprah have defended her honor?

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Oprah Winfrey takes her reruns to satellite radio

by Jason Hughes, posted Sep 11th 2009 7:04PM
Oprah RadioHas television come full circle? Oprah Winfrey has her own radio station over on Sirius XM Radio (of course she does). But starting September 14, you'll be able to catch repeats of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Winfrey's Harpo Radio the day after they air on television. She also plans to air classic episodes from her 20 year run on the radio network.

We've seen radio talk shows, like Howard Stern, Bob & Tom and even Rush Limbaugh, come to television, but this may be the first time the reverse has happened. Certainly it's the first time for Oprah's show. It's an interesting experiment. Satellite radio, like cable television, offers the chance for radio to expand beyond the expectations of over-the-air radio.

That means, radio can explore the world it used to dominate before television took over. Back then, most of our favorite programs were radio programs. Oprah's talk show is a good fit for the audio environment, as you generally don't need to see what she's talking about to get it. But could you imagine our dramas or comedies on the radio?

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Jenny McCarthy getting the Oprah seal of approval, which may include a talk show

by Jason Hughes, posted May 4th 2009 3:35PM
Jenny McCarthyBeing Oprah's buddy is never bad for one's career. And like former frequent guest stars Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil, now actress, author and former Playboy playmate Jenny McCarthy is poised to be the next "Big O" thing. She has inked a multiplatform deal with Harpo Productions to develop projects of all different kinds, including a talk show of her very own.

While her career may have started in nudity and comedy, she's more recently become known for her books, and her activism in the fight against autism, which her son has.

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Oprah's new spin-off to be distributed by Sony

by Brad Trechak, posted Jun 16th 2008 8:23AM
Oprah WinfreyIt looks like Oprah is getting in bed with someone else, figuratively speaking. Sony Pictures TV will be distributing her new upcoming spin-off talk show hosted by heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.

This marks a change from her usual relationship with CBS Television Distribution which distributes her own show as well as the spin-offs involving Doctor Phil and Rachael Ray. Dr. Oz is being perceived by many as a competitor to Dr. Phil, whose host's ethics have recently been in free-fall. CBS is already planning to launch its own spin-off of Doctor Phil called The Doctors.

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Everybody's suing Oprah

by Bob Sassone, posted Mar 22nd 2008 11:09AM

OprahDid Oprah's production company steal the idea for her new hit show Oprah's Big Give?

That's the accusation made by a Boston woman, whose lawsuit against Winfrey has just been dismissed in a Massachusetts court. The woman is appealing the decision.

The woman says that she came up with the idea for a show very similar to Oprah's Big Give called The Philanthropist. She sent the proposal to Harpo Productions (Oprah's company) in 2005, and they wrote her back asking for more details. When she sent more details, they told her that they weren't interested in the idea. Then, in 2006, Oprah announced on her show that she was going to give viewers money to help out others, which eventually led to Oprah's Big Give.

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