If Rosie O'Donnell was a business pitch right now, she'd be a win-win. The opinionated diva who quit her job as co-host of "The View" last week is a TV maestro who could mean big bucks for the next studio that signs her up, TV industry experts say.
"She's the only talent I've ever worked with who thinks like a producer," said a former co-worker.
As early as last winter, O'Donnell began holding talks with at least one major studio about producing a new talk show, according to industry sources. On her personal Web site Rosie admitted this week that she has thought about hosting an issues-oriented show with audience participation, a la Phil Donahue.
Also, "Late night interests me," O'Donnell wrote.
On "The View," Rosie's unpredictable nature kicked the show's ratings up about 18 percent since last year and moved it to fifth place among daytime talk shows, from its longtime 10th place perch.
The jump translated into about a 15 percent ad-rate increase - a shift that contributed millions to the show's bottom line, says an ABC staffer.
"That's big," said Mediaweek's Marc Berman. "Especially when you consider that nine out of 10 daytime shows are down in the ratings."
All of that came because of, or despite, Rosie's various feuds, ranging from public spats with Donald Trump and Asian-American organizations to conspiracy-theory talk about 9/11.
"I would say that Rosie clearly helped electrify 'The View' and has positioned herself nicely to enter into discussions with several syndicators," said John Rash of media-buying firm Campbell Mithun.
Wherever she lands, and some industry experts believe a new show could debut as soon as 2009, O'Donnell has a proven Midas touch with TV.
"The Rosie O'Donnell Show," a feel-good, entertainment-oriented talker, generated hundreds of millions for producer Warner Bros. during its six seasons, which concluded in 2002.
O'Donnell walked away with a cool $40 million by the end of her Warner Bros. deal.
Mediaweek's Berman notes that talkers that deal in controversial or lowbrow subject matter, such as Jerry Springer and Maury Povich, have never had trouble attracting advertisers.
But following the Don Imus debacle earlier this month, O'Donnell may find herself policed by her new producers.
"I think the networks have become a little bit more careful about dealing with controversial issues," said Leo Kivijarv of consulting firm PQ Media. "She's proved that she can generate dollars. They might try to rein her in a bit, because Imus has kind of woken them up."
Off the air, O'Donnell's major efforts have bombed. "Taboo," an ill-fated Broadway show about Boy George, cost her millions out of her own pocket, and her attempt to run a magazine, Rosie's McCalls, ended in a bitter court battle with its publisher, Gruner+Jahr, that was ultimately dismissed.
But on TV, Rosie's a star, and without her, "The View" could be darkening.
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