Oprah Winfrey has brought out the Midas touch once again.
The media queen has entered a sales agreement with Chicago real estate developer Sterling Bay, selling Harpo Studios for approximately $32 million. The four-acre campus is housed in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, a former industrial area that has experienced great revitalization since Oprah and Harpo Studios took up residence. Now, it is a bustling home base for families and several respected restaurants.
According to Yahoo TV, the agreement is expected to close in thirty days . One of the stipulations is that Sterling Bay will lease the property back to Harpo for two years, and that the company will continue producing programming for The Oprah Winfrey Network.
Oprah Winfrey came to Chicago in 1984, working on A.M. Chicago to such success that within a month the show was #1 in the regional market, and within a year was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show . She moved to Harpo Studios in 1990, recording the namesake show for twenty-one years. In 2011, she ended the show to start her own cable network.
A successful business woman and media magnate, Oprah has a widely varied resume and history , is a champion for the rights of the gay, lesbian and transgender community, and ranks as the most generous celebrity in the United States.
Things may change on Oprah Winfrey Way , but the lady herself remains a highly influential figure in televised media, and that fact is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Image from Sathiyam TV
