SiriusXM Pulls Plug On Oprah Channel

Oprah

SiriusXM satellite radio axed the Oprah Channel on Jan. 1, ending an expensive eight-year media marriage in which satellite operators coughed up staggering sums of money simply to cash in on Oprah Winfrey’s name, according to the NY Daily News.

“Harpo Radio and SiriusXM have announced that the production of Oprah Radio content on SiriusXM ended effective Jan. 1,” SiriusXM said in a statement. “Since its launch, the channel has provided informative and uplifting daily programming for SiriusXM listeners who are striving to live their best lives.”

Winfrey’s original deal, signed in February 2006, stunned the radio world. It paid her a whoppping $55 million over three years to put her name on a channel for which she would personally provide only about an hour of programming a week.

The rest of the channel consisted original shows, by Oprah pals like Gayle King, that repeated many times to fill the 24-hour format.

Oprah’s value to XM was largely strategic. At the time of the deal, XM and Sirius were fierce competitors, and there was concern over whether both services could survive.