Oprah Winfrey announced that she has no plans as of now to move her nationally syndicated show to her cable station, the Oprah Winfrey Network. But, she could change her mind by the end of the year.

From MSNBC.com

“We are not commenting on rumors or speculation,” said Beth Gebhard, a spokesperson for OWN, in response to questions about a possible Los Angeles move. Gebhard also said, “(OWN) will announce our launch date by the end of the year.”

Winfrey’s current deal ends in 2011, but the host has previously announced her retirement only to later renew her contract several times.

The fuel for this latest round of rumors has less to do with Winfrey’s contract and more to do with one of her longtime producers. Discovery announced Wednesday that Lisa Erspamer, co-executive producer of Winfrey’s talk show, will join OWN in January as chief creative executive. To those in the industry, that announcement suggested that perhaps Winfrey was planning to uproot the show as we know it and move it to L.A., and ultimately, to OWN.

TAGS: Oprah Winfrey Network, rumors

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