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History of Oprah Winfrey Show |
 Oprah Winfrey has already left an indelible
mark on the face of television. From her humble beginnings
in rural Mississippi, Oprah's legacy has established her as
one of the most important figures in popular culture. Her
contributions can be felt beyond the world of television and
into areas such as publishing, music, film, philanthropy,
education, health and fitness, and social awareness. As
producer and host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Oprah
enlightens, entertains and empowers millions of viewers
around the world.
Oprah has been honored with the most prestigious awards in
broadcasting, including the George Foster Peabody Individual
Achievement Award (1996), the IRTS Gold Medal Award (1996)
and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences'
Lifetime Achievement Award (1998). In January 2001 Oprah was
dubbed Newsweek's "Woman of the Century." In November 1999,
Oprah received one of the publishing industry's top honors,
the National Book Foundation's 50th Anniversary Gold Medal,
for her influential contribution to reading and books. In
June 1998, she was named one of the 100 most influential
people of the 20th Century by Time Magazine. In 1997, Oprah
was named Newsweek's most important person in books and
media and TV Guide's "Television Performer of the Year." She
has also received seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk
Show Host and nine Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show.
Oprah is the chairman of Harpo, Inc., Harpo Productions, Inc.,
Harpo Films, Inc., Harpo Video, Inc. and Harpo Studios, Inc.
Oprah began her broadcasting career at WVOL radio in
Nashville while still in high school. At the age of 19, she
became the youngest person and the first African-American
woman to anchor the news at Nashville's WTVF-TV. She then
moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV to co-anchor the six o'clock
news and moved on to become co-host of their local talk show,
People Are Talking.
In 1984, Oprah moved to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning
talk show, AM Chicago, which became the number one talk show
just one month after she began. In less than a year, the
show expanded to one hour and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey
Show. In 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show entered national
syndication and has remained the number one talk show for
fifteen consecutive seasons**, receiving 34 Emmy Awards.
Oprah produces and hosts The Oprah Winfrey Show through
Harpo Productions. It is seen by 26 million viewers a week
in the United States*, broadcast in 106 countries and is the
highest-rated talk show in television history.
In September 1996, Oprah began Oprah's Book Club, an on-air
reading club designed to get the country excited about
reading. Each of the books selected for Oprah's Book Club to
date has become an instant bestseller. In September 1997,
Oprah launched Oprah's Angel Network, a campaign encouraging
people to open their hearts a little wider and help those in
need. Since its launch, Oprah's Angel Network has collected
over $3.5 million in spare change to create college
scholarships for students in need and has funded nearly 200
Habitat for Humanity homes. In April 2000, Oprah's Angel
Network began the Use Your Life Award, and now gives
$100,000 every Monday on The Oprah Winfrey Show to people
who are using their lives to improve the lives of others.
Oprah made her acting debut in 1985 as "Sofia" in Steven
Spielberg's The Color Purple, and received both an Academy
Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her
efforts. In 1998, Oprah starred as "Sethe" in the critically
acclaimed Beloved based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
by Toni Morrison. Oprah has been lauded for her performances
in the ABC made-for-television movies The Women of Brewster
Place, There Are No Children Here and Before Women Had Wings
with Ellen Barkin.
Through Harpo Films, Oprah has a long-term deal with the ABC
Television Network to produce Oprah Winfrey Presents
telefilms. Projects under the Oprah Winfrey Presents banner
include: Amy and Isabelle, based on the best-selling novel
by Elizabeth Strout and starring Academy Award-nominee
Elisabeth Shue; the award-winning Tuesdays With Morrie,
based on the best-selling novel by Mitch Albom and starring
Academy Award-winner Jack Lemmon and Emmy Award-winner Hank
Azaria; David and Lisa, starring Academy Award-winner Sidney
Poitier; the mini-series The Wedding, based on Dorothy
West's novel; and Before Women Had Wings, adapted from a
novel by Connie May Fowler. In September 2000, Tuesdays With
Morrie received four Emmy Awards — Outstanding Made for
Television Movie, Lead Actor (Jack Lemmon), Supporting actor
(Hank Azaria), and Single-Camera Picture Editing (Carol
Littleton). The movie has also received awards from the
Screen Actors Guild (Jack Lemmon), Producers Guild of
America (Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte), and Directors Guild
of America (Mick Jackson). Both Before Women Had Wings and
The Wedding were among the highest-rated, critically
acclaimed television movie broadcasts of the 1997-1998
season.
In addition, Oprah also has an exclusive agreement to
produce feature films for the Walt Disney Motion Pictures
Group. The first of these films was Touchstone Pictures'
Beloved in which she also starred.
In April 2000, Oprah, along with Hearst Magazines,
introduced O, The Oprah Magazine, a monthly magazine that is
the personal-growth guide for the new century. Oprah's
magazine is credited as being the most successful magazine
launch in recent history. O, The Oprah Magazine gives
confident, smart women the tools they need to explore and
reach for their dreams, to express their individual style,
and to make choices that will lead to happier and more
fulfilled lives. O, The Oprah Magazine is another medium
through which Oprah can connect with her viewers and provide
possibilities for transforming their lives.
In November 1998, Oprah announced the formation of a
company, Oxygen Media LLC, which includes Harpo Group LLC,
GBL LLC — controlled by Geraldine Laybourne and CWM LLC —
Carsey-Werner-Mandabach. Oxygen Media includes a women's
cable network which launched on February 2, 2000, and is
integrated with Oxygen's online properties for women.
Oprah's first production for Oxygen was Oprah Goes Online, a
12-part "course" giving a step-by-step look at all things
online. Oprah was joined by her friend Gayle King, and
millions of women viewing across the country, to experience
first hand the way the Web will change women's lives.
In September 1999, Oprah joined Stedman Graham as an adjunct
professor at The J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management
at Northwestern University to co-teach "Dynamics of
Leadership." The course curriculum, developed by professors
Winfrey and Graham, shares insights into how students can
cultivate their own leadership skills and develop an
approach to management, leadership and organizational issues
suited to their individual circumstances. "Dynamics of
Leadership" was offered at Kellogg again in the fall of
2000.
Oprah's commitments extend to her initiation of the National
Child Protection Act in 1991; she testified before the U.S.
Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database
of convicted child abusers and on December 20, 1993,
President Clinton signed the national "Oprah Bill" into law.
She has established scholarships for hundreds of students,
and has donated millions of dollars to higher education
institutions, such as Morehouse College, Spelman College and
Tennessee State University. Oprah also serves as the
National Spokesperson for A Better Chance, an organization
that provides students, predominantly from inner city school
districts, the chance to attend many of the nation's finest
schools. |
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