Oprah says goodbye

Oprah Winfrey, the queen of daytime talk who became a billionaire media mogul, will end her long-running TV show in 2011, she announced today.

Winfrey, 55, made the announcement on her live Friday show this morning.

"After much prayer and months of careful thought, I have decided that next season, Season 25, will be the last season of The Oprah Winfrey Show," she said in a statement on her web site.

Fighting back tears, Winfrey told her audience on Friday that she valued her experience and her connection with her audience. "These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure," she said, while a teardrop fell under her left eye.

Winfrey has been a mainstay on daytime television since the 1980s, becoming one of the most influential women in media and in many other aspects of American life. Actress, producer, businesswoman, book promoter, magazine publisher, philanthropist, marathoner, Winfrey has worn many hats in her 3 decades in the national spotlight. In her next role, she will be starting her own cable network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Winfrey generated a great deal of attention in the 2008 presidential campaign after endorsing fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama for president, her first public endorsement of a presidential candidate. She mentioned the endorsement in passing during a much-publicized interview with 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin last week.

Winfrey launched her 2009-10 season in September with a two-day interview with pop star Whitney Houston, who was beginning her comeback tour with her new album, I Look To You. For years, recording artists, film producers, book authors and anyone with a product to sell has sought out the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the best places to promote. Winfrey's book club selections routinely shoot to the top of the bestseller lists and her endorsements can propel an unknown into the spotlight.

[Story Updated 11/20/2009 @ 5:20 p.m. EST]