"OPRAH & FRIENDS" EXCLUSIVE RADIO CHANNEL TO LAUNCH ON XM SATELLITE RADIO

[Kasakato]

Washington D.C., February 09, 2006 -- Harpo Radio, Inc. and XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio company with more than 6 million subscribers, today announced an exclusive, three-year agreement to launch "Oprah & Friends," a satellite radio channel on XM. "Oprah & Friends" will debut in September 2006 and will feature a broad range of original programming from Harpo Radio, Inc., including regular segments hosted by popular personalities from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and O, The Oprah Magazine and an exclusive original weekly reality radio show with Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King. The channel will be broadcast from a new state-of-the-art XM studio at Harpo Studios in Chicago.

The "Oprah & Friends" channel will feature original daily programming on a variety of topics including nutrition, fitness, health, self improvement, home, and current events from popular "Oprah" personalities, including Bob Greene, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Robin Smith, Marianne Williamson, Nate Berkus, and Gayle King.

"Together with my friends, we look forward to creating programming that will entertain, inform and inspire our listening audience on XM," said Oprah Winfrey.

"Oprah Winfrey is a prolific force in our culture whose unprecedented achievements in television, film, publishing and philanthropy will bring an amazing radio experience to the XM nation of subscribers. We are proud to welcome Oprah and her talented team to the XM family," said Hugh Panero, President and Chief Executive Officer, XM Satellite Radio. "'Oprah & Friends' is a testament to XM's unwavering commitment to provide our diverse subscriber base with the kind of smart, high-quality programming that makes a difference in their lives."

"Today's announcement with XM marks an exciting new chapter in the evolution of Harpo's media portfolio," said Tim Bennett, President, Harpo Productions, Inc. "'Oprah & Friends' will not only complement our existing television, print, film, cable and online properties but will provide new opportunities to extend our brand to XM's millions of listeners."
About Harpo

Harpo Productions, Inc. produces the number one rated, award-winning "The Oprah Winfrey Show," creates and develops original TV programming, and operates Oprah.com, a premier women's lifestyle website. Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine and quarterly O at Home publications. Harpo Films, Inc. produces feature films as well as top-rated telefilms under the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner. Harpo, Inc. produces the original cable series "Oprah After the Show," which airs on the Oxygen Network. Harpo Radio, Inc. will produce the content for "Oprah & Friends" on XM Satellite Radio, which will debut in September 2006.

-http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/pr_2006_02_09.html

[satellite-radio-source]

I guess XM is hoping that all the house wives that watch oprah on TV either get a job outside the house or prefer listening to watching.
I hightly doubt this will draw many new Satellite Radio listeners......but who knows. I guess this is XM's reaction to Howard Stern on SIRIUS.

Thanks for posting the article.

sales@satellite-radio-source.com
www.satellite-radio-source.com

[Yaowsers]

Oprah won't make a dent in XM's subscriptions. The difference between her and Howard is that you can't get Howard anywhere except on Sirius. You can watch Oprah on tv 5 days a week.

[itsmypostoffice]

let me stick a needle in my eye.

oprah's heart is in the right place but can her gang take a vacations? take that dr. phil along too. listening to "world poker tour" on the radio is more appealing :lol:

[emz]

The majority of RFD members are male so generally guys don't understand how much of an impact talk shows and personalities, like Oprah and Dr. Phil, make to women across the country. I think if Oprah goes through with her XM show, she'll have a lot of middle aged women in the States and Canada caught up in this booming generation of technology.

Just like Sirius is appealing to mainly a male audience with Stern, I believe that XM will draw a lot of females in subscribing to their satellite radio with shows like Oprah's...and of course that will definitely lead to more opportunities like Ellen having one, etc. (and a lot of people love the Ellen show...) Not to mention late night talk show hosts and such.

I think if Oprah is a success and get more subscribers, everyone else will follow from Regis and Kelly to Conan O'Brien.

[itsmypostoffice]

i completely understand howard's appeal. in a politically correct society when farting in public will land you the same sentence as a bank robber, we all take a bit of joy knowing there's a personality who raises a big finger to "da man" (i have no idea who the MAN is).

on the other hand, oprah & dr. phil are parasites. they feed on our societies insecurities & vanity telling us we shouldn't be happy, that there's something missing or we deserve better. better spouses, better jobs, better pay, better kids... but they never say the truth: that we should appreciate what we already have and share with those around us.

we are partly to blame for hoisting these celebrities as modern day messiahs for their ability to ease our pain & suffering. "oh my husband thinks i'm fat. oh my wife doesn't want kinky sex. oh my kids don't love me. oh my parents won't let me pierce my tongue..." turn off the tv and get off your butt -- stop buying those dr. phil books, those oprah serviettes, those martha cheese graters because they will not improve your life. they're not role models.

[lain]

Not for me, but it should be good for XM.

Perhaps Oprah will have O&A and/or Ron and Fez on her television show sometime soon :lol:

[7jaii]

let me stick a needle in my eye
Zing!

[Audiogenic]

A almost 500K per half hour's work over 3 years is certainly a score, however, satellite radio is a niche market that is geared towards a much younger demographic than Oprah's supporters are.