TVSquad

There's a lot of speculation in the biz about what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.

There are pros and cons on either side. The companies that syndicated her talk show stand to lose a significant asset if she wraps up the current incarnation and abandons the market. Think of all those afternoon hours around that country that count on Oprah at three or four o'clock, or the morning slots where Oprah leads in to noon newscasts. Companies like CBS Distribution and the Tribune Company have feasted on the robust ratings Oprah has consistently delivered.

But if you were Oprah, what's the challenge in continuing to do what you've done and done successfully without an end in sight? What's the goal? It's not even a financial question, because syndication dollars are going down. That means if she decided to stick with what she's been doing since 1986, she may never do it for the millions she's seen in the past.

That why the OWN opportunity may be what's on the horizons for Oprah. Even though there would be more risk involved, including the possibility of failure, there's also the chance to experiment and grow.

Oprah's already shown that her inclination is to branch out. Her company, Harpo, has been behind The Rachael Ray Show, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. She's got her magazine, too. Now with OWN, she can build an entire channel with shows that she wants to produce or star in. The possibilities are vast.

And yet, as one expert pointed out, if Oprah gives up her syndicated show, is there any going back? Once she ends it, it's over. What do you think? Take our poll.