Oprah Ending Her Daytime Show

21 November 2009, 2:19 pm

own “This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and feels right in my spirit.” -Oprah

Oprah will end the daytime show in September 2011 and spend her time on her own cable channel, called OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Hey, if Oprah can make a man President of the United States with just an hour a day, what she be able to do with 24 hours a day? Oprah has been solid gold for books, magazines, and pretty much anyone she throws her arms around.

I like the Oprah’s favorite things episodes, but to be honest, I almost never watch Oprah anymore. I used to watch Oprah, about ten years ago, maybe more like 15 years. There was a time when Oprah was about the story, and not about Oprah. I remember when she was up against that giant of the talk show universe Phil Donahue. Hmm, whatever happened to him? Well, we still have Jerry Springer.

While Howard Stern liked to call himself the King of All Media, Oprah really is The Queen of All Media. Magazines, books, radio shows, movies, and now her own cable network. The one notable absence is going to be broadcast TV. It’s hard to image that the millions who watch Oprah now will turn off their sets and go our for a walk each day, but they no longer be in one convenient spot for advertisers to pitch their products.

I also liked the take of Mike Perski in a letter to the Editors of the Chicago Tribune-

Oprah Who?

I don’t get it. Oprah retiring? Front-page news? She’s been on television 25 years? … and I’ve never seen her. Have I lived under a rock? No, I just work for a living. I understand her show is re-run late at night. Again, I’m asleep – I have to work in the morning. So, what’s the big deal about Oprah? What has she done? I know she’s rich (why? I have no idea). I understand she’s a talk show host. I guess she gives advice to stay-at-home-Moms… but, why again is she such a celebrity? Does her advice impact people’s behavior? Certainly not mine.

Of course, Mike is possibly the only person who has never seen Oprah Winfrey or heard stories about her yo-yo dieting or her 2 billion dollar empire or about how a word from her makes a book a bestseller. I think even Mike must have seen that clip of Tom Cruise hopping on Oprah’s sofa.

I think Oprah’s real gift has always been the ability to cry on demand, laugh on demand, and make viewers feel what she wants us to feel. Oprah, more than any other talk show host, has been able to harness the power of emotion-and that will not change just because she moves to cable.