Lynda Hirsch on Soaps

Oprah has announced she will cease doing her syndicated talk show after next year. In her tearful statement on her show, it was obvious it was not an easy decision. Knowing Oprah, it is her final decision. When Oprah makes a decision, it is made. I know from personal experience.

When she was co-host of Baltimore's "People Are Talking" chat show, I was a monthly guest. One day, she pulled me aside. "Lynda, I am not certain I will be seeing you after today's show," she said. "I am moving to Chicago. I have been offered a half-hour talk show in Chicago. I am very nervous about this. A black woman taking over for a white guy who has done the show for years. He is really popular. I don't know. I know I have to try."

It was not the last time I worked with Oprah. In the beginning, she had me do her Chicago show on a semi-regular basis. Then her show took on a more serious tone. Through the years, we would run into each other. She was always gracious. Of course, she changed. Just as her audience changed with her. The changes were good. When I first worked with Oprah, she had a co-host who would nudge her in the knee if she asked two questions in a row. Maybe it was a signal that he wanted to ask the next question. Knowing this guy, it probably meant "that's enough." With her newfound fame, Oprah knew she could call the shots.

She did it in her career from acting to producing to good works.

Many of her viewers who never considered reading a delight learned to love it from watching Oprah.

In Baltimore, Oprah was never afraid to admit she was wrong.

In one segment, she called someone by the wrong name. Most talk-show hosts would never allude to that mistake. After the commercial she brought it up and apologized.

When Oprah learned her Oprah's Book Club author James Frey had made up his memoirs, she did not shrink from the tempest. She did not totally retreat. Oprah felt the book was beautifully written. She did not back down on that. She did talk openly about her dismay that he tried to pass a work of fiction off as his life story.

Of course, Oprah is not really going away after the 2011 season. She will likely move herself to her own cable network, tentatively called OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). This will be a boon to cable television. Those who do not have it will sign on. Those who get it and find that Oprah's channel is not in their lineup will demand it.

Remember, if Gayle King is Oprah's best friend, then she is a best friend to millions. No one lets a best friend's move stop then from keeping in touch.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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