<p>It is one of life’s realities that no one person can remain popular with the masses for a prolonged period of time. Yet one woman has defied this reality.<br /><br />Oprah Winfrey, the host of the recently concluded talk show on television, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years, won 39 Emmys and did 4,561 episodes in its lifetime, is that woman. And she has accomplished this feat with a combination of true talent, grit and astuteness. <br /><br />Born Orpah in 1954 to an impoverished single teenaged mother, she experienced extreme poverty during childhood. She was abused too, and became wayward for a time, lying, stealing and being sexually promiscuous. But later, when her father, Vernon Winfrey, made her education a priority, she became an honors student and joined the speech club in school. She then won an oratorical competition that gave her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. Her first job was at a grocery store. At 17, she <br />won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant, but television was still far away. <br /><br />Around that time, she also attracted the attention of a local radio station where she did the news, part-time. It was in a Nashville TV station that she became the youngest news anchor and the first black female newscaster. After a stint in Baltimore in 1976, she moved to Chicago to become the host of a low-rated TV show in 1983. Within months of Oprah’s first show in January 1984, the show went from being the lowest rated show to overtaking the ratings of the Donahue Show in Chicago, the most popular show of that time. She then signed a syndication deal with King World, and a one-hour Oprah Winfrey Show began to air on September 8, 1986. She displaced Phil Donahue as the number one talk show host. When she finally concluded her show on May 25 this year, she was still up there.<br /><br />She also started her own production company, Harpo Productions, and her own magazine, O, the Oprah Magazine, which has done amazingly well over the years. Her production company has produced several movies and Broadway shows. She herself starred in movies like The Color Purple (for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars) and Beloved, and has given voice-overs for characters in animated movies like The Bee Movie and The Princess and the Frog. <br /><br />Oprah became a millionaire at 32 when her show went national. At 41, with 340 million dollars in her kitty, she was the only African-American on the Forbes list. In 2006, she was the highest-paid TV entertainer. As of today, her net worth stands at around 2.7 billion dollars.<br /><br />So how did she make it into the world of white men? Oprah was extraordinarily talented at public speaking and good at interviewing people. Her style was not as journalistic as it was about being interested. She essentially asked her guests questions that her audience would want to ask, and she did that in an empathetic manner. And then, when their innermost selves were revealed, she was supportive of them and was never judgmental. Her self-confessed motto was ‘open mind, open heart’. She encouraged self-awareness and provided validation to anybody and everybody, realising that the personal story of every face in the crowd mattered. <br /><br />As a result, celebrities flocked to her show. She had Bill Clinton, George Bush, Tom Cruise, Sarah Ferguson, J K Rowling and the Obamas on her show, to name a few. She had episodes on alcoholism, heroin addiction and dysfunctional families. Oprah was chiefly instrumental in mainstream acceptance of the lesbian, gay, transsexual and transgender community. </p>.<p>When she dealt with weight issues on national television, people knew what she was going through, since it mirrored their own struggles. She was not afraid to ask questions, to laugh with her audience, or to cry with her guests. She was a genuine person who realised that, above all, everybody wants to be heard.</p>.<p>Oprah’s lasting impact on society will be the empowerment of individuals, especially women. Her handling of female issues connected women everywhere, and made them realise their own potential. Her very presence as the most influential woman in the world is an inspiration in itself to women everywhere. Oprah could resort to gimmicks as well. Her giveaways have become legendary on television, crowned by the time she gave cars away to every member of the audience. <br /><br />The end of her show notwithstanding, Oprah isn’t about to disappear from the public eye. She has launched a cable channel called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and plans to carry on her work through it. <br /><br />So, Oprah, in your own words, until we meet again!</p>
<p>It is one of life’s realities that no one person can remain popular with the masses for a prolonged period of time. Yet one woman has defied this reality.<br /><br />Oprah Winfrey, the host of the recently concluded talk show on television, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years, won 39 Emmys and did 4,561 episodes in its lifetime, is that woman. And she has accomplished this feat with a combination of true talent, grit and astuteness. <br /><br />Born Orpah in 1954 to an impoverished single teenaged mother, she experienced extreme poverty during childhood. She was abused too, and became wayward for a time, lying, stealing and being sexually promiscuous. But later, when her father, Vernon Winfrey, made her education a priority, she became an honors student and joined the speech club in school. She then won an oratorical competition that gave her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. Her first job was at a grocery store. At 17, she <br />won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant, but television was still far away. <br /><br />Around that time, she also attracted the attention of a local radio station where she did the news, part-time. It was in a Nashville TV station that she became the youngest news anchor and the first black female newscaster. After a stint in Baltimore in 1976, she moved to Chicago to become the host of a low-rated TV show in 1983. Within months of Oprah’s first show in January 1984, the show went from being the lowest rated show to overtaking the ratings of the Donahue Show in Chicago, the most popular show of that time. She then signed a syndication deal with King World, and a one-hour Oprah Winfrey Show began to air on September 8, 1986. She displaced Phil Donahue as the number one talk show host. When she finally concluded her show on May 25 this year, she was still up there.<br /><br />She also started her own production company, Harpo Productions, and her own magazine, O, the Oprah Magazine, which has done amazingly well over the years. Her production company has produced several movies and Broadway shows. She herself starred in movies like The Color Purple (for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars) and Beloved, and has given voice-overs for characters in animated movies like The Bee Movie and The Princess and the Frog. <br /><br />Oprah became a millionaire at 32 when her show went national. At 41, with 340 million dollars in her kitty, she was the only African-American on the Forbes list. In 2006, she was the highest-paid TV entertainer. As of today, her net worth stands at around 2.7 billion dollars.<br /><br />So how did she make it into the world of white men? Oprah was extraordinarily talented at public speaking and good at interviewing people. Her style was not as journalistic as it was about being interested. She essentially asked her guests questions that her audience would want to ask, and she did that in an empathetic manner. And then, when their innermost selves were revealed, she was supportive of them and was never judgmental. Her self-confessed motto was ‘open mind, open heart’. She encouraged self-awareness and provided validation to anybody and everybody, realising that the personal story of every face in the crowd mattered. <br /><br />As a result, celebrities flocked to her show. She had Bill Clinton, George Bush, Tom Cruise, Sarah Ferguson, J K Rowling and the Obamas on her show, to name a few. She had episodes on alcoholism, heroin addiction and dysfunctional families. Oprah was chiefly instrumental in mainstream acceptance of the lesbian, gay, transsexual and transgender community. </p>.<p>When she dealt with weight issues on national television, people knew what she was going through, since it mirrored their own struggles. She was not afraid to ask questions, to laugh with her audience, or to cry with her guests. She was a genuine person who realised that, above all, everybody wants to be heard.</p>.<p>Oprah’s lasting impact on society will be the empowerment of individuals, especially women. Her handling of female issues connected women everywhere, and made them realise their own potential. Her very presence as the most influential woman in the world is an inspiration in itself to women everywhere. Oprah could resort to gimmicks as well. Her giveaways have become legendary on television, crowned by the time she gave cars away to every member of the audience. <br /><br />The end of her show notwithstanding, Oprah isn’t about to disappear from the public eye. She has launched a cable channel called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and plans to carry on her work through it. <br /><br />So, Oprah, in your own words, until we meet again!</p>
