| Winfrey signed with King World Productions to continue her top-rated "The Oprah Winfrey Show" through the 2010-11 television season, which would be its 25th year in syndication
Her new three-year contract, announced Thursday by Winfrey's Harpo Productions and King World, calls for more Winfrey each year: Starting with the 2004-05 season, the number of new episodes will increase from 130 to 140
In the last sweeps window of intense ratings measurement, the series posted its highest rating in seven years among households and women aged 18 to 54, King World said Previously, though, Winfrey, had talked about quitting after the 2005-2006 season
The program airs on more than 200 U
Just last year, Winfrey extended her contract by two more years, taking her through the 2007-2008 S Oprah Winfrey Adds 3 More Years to Show
Aug 5, 6:57 PM EST
Oprah Winfrey can start making big anniversary plans
The talk show has already been renewed through 2011 on major owned-and-operated ABC stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno, Calif
The expanded production will hold through the 2009-10 season, but drop back to 130 episodes for the last year of the contract
"The thought of taking the show to its 25th anniversary is both exhilarating and challenging," Winfrey said
The Chicago-based program, which showcases Winfrey and A-list celebrity guests, continues to be a ratings powerhouse and has ranked first among talk shows for 71 consecutive "sweeps" periods
stations and is distributed to more than 100 other countries
Winfrey, 50, routinely appears on lists of Hollywood's most powerful figures and, in 2003, became the first black women to be included on Forbes magazine's tally of billionaires |