But using that logic, shouldn't Oprah still be hosting her talk show?
Yes and no. Oprah owned her show, and she decided to cancel. One difference: her show had her name in the title, so had she stepped down, the show would've simply changed titles and continue with a new host(ess) at the helm.
Actually, no and no. The exceptions and comparisons should be fairly obvious to anybody that watches television. Certain personality-driven talk shows (essentially all but one* of the syndicated efforts) are host-dependent, and when the host leaves, it's over. The syndicator might try to keep the same production people in place and try again with somebody new, but they can't convince you that it's the same show. Game shows are completely different, and just as
Price didn't roll over and die when Bob retired, there's no way that Sony will just shrug its corporate shoulders and close up shop if Alex or Pat decide to step down, as long as the shows have a chance to make money.
NBC, bless its little seventh-place heart, will always have
The Tonight Show, and they've kept the name
Late Night for their 12:30 show through three regimes now. I'm very interested in what will happen with CBS (and even ABC) when their late night hosts move on, since neither have the legacy of the two NBC series, and both, while still pretty traditional talk shows, were created around their stars.
[size="1"]*Note that
Live with Regis and Kelly is now just
Live with Kelly, just as it was simply
Live with Regis between the Gifford and Ripa eras.[/size]