XM Radio Bags Oprah

The daytime talk show host strikes a $55 million dollar deal for a 3-year agreement.

Itching for more James Frey-esque moments while you drive? You’re in luck, because Oprah and XM Radio have partnered to give Oprah her own talk show. The show called “Oprah and Friends” is part ofthe 3-year, $55 million dollar deal with the queen of daytime talk shows. XM said the Oprah deal will not affect its target to break even on a cash flow basis by the end of this year.

So what can you expect from Oprah and her friends on this new talk show? Expect lots of HARPO-based content. You’ll get clips and segments from “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, readings and discussions fromher “O” magazine, and her own weekly realty radio show. Says the Washington Business Journal:

“The programming will be produced in a new XM facility at Harpo Studios in Chicago. The personalities include Bob Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, Marianne Williamson, Nate Berkus and Gayle King.”

 The Oprah-XM deal is looked at as a way to combat rival Sirius Radio. Sirius recently negotiated a $500 million deal with Howard Stern, which drew lots of attention to the still fledglingsatellite radio. XM has feared that the Stern deal would draw from their subscriber base and drain profits. XM currently is available in more car stereo receivers than Sirius.