The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest-ranking talk show in the history of television broadcasts. The Nationally-syndicated show has, at the time of this writing, run for 22 seasons, after premiering in Chicago, on September 8, 1986. Harpo Productions, founded by Winfrey, produces the daytime blockbuster.
Although the show originally became a viewer favorite for the various hot bed topics that Winfrey introduced, it was also popular for various segments such as Oprah’s Book Club, Oprah’s Favorite Things and Tuesdays With Dr. Oz. Due to the popularity of many of these segments, a number of off-shoot talk shows came into their own, including The Dr. Phil Show, The Doctors and The Dr. Oz Show. There is currently some talk that designer favorite Nate Berkus will be getting his own spin-off daytime show as well.
Celebrity interviews are also a staple of the program, and in fact have been known to make or break some careers. Who will ever be able to forget Tom Cruise jumping up and down on the interview couch, to express his love for Katie Holmes? Another very famous segment took place on February 10, 1993, when Winfrey went to Neverland Ranch and scored the first interview in 14 years with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Then there are the fabulous moments when the audience is showered with gifts. One such episode revealed a stunned audience, when it was announced that each person, that found a key under their seat, would be leaving the show with a brand new car. All 276 fans were winners that day. The Favorite Things Segment is one of the most sought after by audience members, as each of them that lands a coveted ticket for the hour, goes home with all kinds of loot, namely all of Winfrey’s favorite items.
Let’s also talk about the power of the show. Economists from the University of Maryland estimate that Winfrey’s support of Barack Obama, as a presidential candidate, won him more than 1 million votes and helped catapult him into the Presidency.
In early November 2009, Winfrey announced that the syndicated talk show would be moving in 2011, to not only Los Angeles, but also to cable, on the host’s own Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Will that drastic move have a dramatic effect on the ratings of the show? What do you think?
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