Oprah Winfrey, the mother of such daytime blockbusters as Dr. Phil McGraw, Rachel Ray and Dr. Oz, is setting another of her talk show babes on a path to stardom.
Harpo Productions announced today that it is moving forward with “The Nate Berkus Show,” a talk show that showcases Oprah’s decorating and design expert, Berkus.
“Nate is a bona fide star,” Erik Logan, one of the two presidents of Harpo Productions told the New York Times. “We know our viewers love him.”
The Berkus announcement comes just weeks after Oprah said that she’s leaving her show in 2011 and moving ahead with plans for her OWN network.
Harpo and Sony Television are excited at the prospect of getting the style guru more TV time – his show could begin as early as September.
"When Nate appears with Oprah, the ratings spike," Sony president of distribution John Weiser told the Times. The spike can go as high as 13 percent.
The new show seems to reinforce the idea that Harpo Studios will continue to produce content from its Chicago location. It also restarts a debate over who will replace Oprah when she’s gone.
Is Berkus the guy?
