Introduction
One of the world’s most iconic TV shows, with a 25-year history, is The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show aired on U.S. TV stations and quickly earned viewers’ trust and gave Winfrey the status of a media icon. How did she earn this title, and what contribution did she make to developing the global media sphere?
Winfrey’s Short Biography
Oprah’s early life was not happy: unhappy family, drugs, rape, miscarriage, and suicide attempts. Winfrey did not give up and got on CBS at 19, and by the age of 22, she was hosting a morning show.
Eventually, she got her famous TV show.
Help of Chance
While she was working for a local TV station, her colleague showed one of the tapes of the show to the director of WLS-TV. It was an epiphany. The director immediately hired a dark-skinned woman as the host. Within six months, WLS- TV got record ratings!
Road to Success
Feeling success and fame, Oprah founds the Harpo Inc. agency and rapidly increases the show’s audience through advertising. Her straightforward on-screen demeanor and the episodes’ themes give the Oprah Winfrey Show ratings and public acclaim.
The Show’s Awards
- PCA for Favorite Talk Show — 1988
- DCA Emmy for Outstanding Makeup — 1995
- DCA Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction — 2006-2008
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News —1992-1994
- DCA Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host — 1994, 1995, 1998 PCA for Favorite Female TV Performer — 1997
- DCA Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction — 2005, 2010 BAT Award for Best Foreign Television Programme — 1994, etc.
Contribution to TV
- Raising the ratings of WLS-TV
- Reaching the scale of national significance
- The highest-rated show in the world
- Narrating socially relevant topics inspires millions of viewers
Oprah has Moved On
- Oprah starred in several cult films and won three Oscars.
- Oprah became a media mogul, launching her production of radio, magazines, and books.
- The show’s audience before it closed was 1/8th of the U.S. population.
- The show was broadcast in 134 countries.
- The Oprah Effect appeared.
References
Andaloro, A. (2021). The tragic story of Oprah’s childhood. The List.
Forbes. (2021). #1174 Oprah Winfrey. Forbes.
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television. (2019). WLS Channel [Video]. YouTube.
Oprah Winfrey. (2021). Biography. Web.