BBC News, Washington
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When most American corporations announce the launch of a new business plan, it is done in a statement on Wall Street or at a meeting with a handful of high-powered analysts.
When the corporation in question is Oprah, Inc, the news is delivered in a slightly tearful and clearly heartfelt statement to camera.
We are being given plenty of time to prepare ourselves for the change ahead.
The last edition of the show which is syndicated to 200 markets throughout the US and 140 countries around the world will be broadcast at the end of the 2011 season.
Oprah told her audience that after prayer and careful thought "25 years seems right in my bones and right in my spirit".
It didn't feel quite like Oprah-geddon, as it was described in the blogosphere, but as you watched it you sensed that you were present at a big moment in American television history... more
