Posted by chicagomedia.org on May 30, 2008 at 07:52:51:
'O' no
From her talk show to her magazine, is Oprah paying a price for backing Obama?
May 30, 2008
BY ROBERT FEDER Sun-Times Columnist
It was the summer of 1996, and the Democratic National Convention was about to open just six blocks away from Harpo Studios on the Near West Side.
Though the center of the political universe had come to her own backyard, Oprah Winfrey wanted no part of it.
"I've been asked to do everything, but I'm trying to stay out of it," she told me at the time.
Except for taping an interview with John F. Kennedy Jr., Winfrey was determined to let the convention -- and the parade of presidential politics -- pass her by.
"I've tried to stay out of politics for my entire tenure on the air," she said. "Basically, it's a no-win situation."
Now fast-forward to 2008 and consider just how right Winfrey may have been.
Her enthusiastic endorsement of Barack Obama for president and her fund-raiser and campaign appearances on his behalf continue to be a topic of hot dispute on the Oprah.com message boards.
An article in the New York Times this week pointed to a 7 percent decline in national viewership of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" over the past year and linked it to backlash over her unprecedented political involvement.
Although Winfrey has avoided using her talk show as a forum for her political views, her backing of Obama "appears to have alienated some of the middle-aged white women who make up the bulk of her television audience, many of whom support Senator Hillary Clinton," the newspaper wrote.
The piece also suggested that a decline in circulation for Oprah's O Magazine and the decision to withdraw "Oprah's Big Give" from ABC's prime-time lineup were somehow tied to her public support for Obama.
It is, in all fairness, something of a stretch.
"There is absolutely no way you can look at ratings numbers and make the correlation that her endorsement of Barack Obama affected her ratings in any way," a Los Angeles-based analyst said. "Research just doesn't pan out. Her ratings this year are showing the same patterns as they have the last few years."
While all of broadcast television is down this year and every syndicated show is down (except, oddly enough, "Judge Judy"), "Oprah" remains the No. 1 talk show on the air. In fact, her show's ratings today are higher than they were five years ago.
In Chicago, where Winfrey has reigned supreme for the last 24 years, combined household ratings for both daily runs of her show on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 averaged a 9.9 during May -- exactly the same figure as last year. There's been no loss of adoration by her home town fans.
As for the report of a 10 percent drop in circulation for O Magazine over the last three years, newly released data shows a 6.5 percent year-to-year increase to 16.6 million.
And numerous sources say the decision not to bring back "Oprah's Big Give" was not tied to ratings. "Although ABC offered us the opportunity to move forward with a second season of 'Oprah's Big Give,' ultimately we have decided that the series fulfilled its mission in the first season, having sparked a movement and a national dialogue about giving back," a Harpo statement said.
Although Winfrey also came into criticism for her selection of the spiritualist A New Earth, it turned out to be the fastest-selling title in the history of her book club. It doubled membership in the club to 1.8 million.
It's easy to overlook other recent successes, including the growth of Oprah.com, which averaged more than 92 million page views a month (up from 71 million last year) and 6.5 million unique visitors a month (up from 4.9 million last year).
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which is replacing Discovery Health Channel, is on track for a launch sometime next year.
Harpo continues to add to its portfolio of syndicated talk shows, producing "Dr. Phil," "Rachael Ray," and starting in fall 2009, "Dr. Oz," hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiologist and frequent Oprah contributor.
Listenership to the "Oprah & Friends" channel has grown beyond XM Satellite Radio to other platforms, reaching millions more.
Even her new retail store is reported to be doing gangbuster business.
Whatever setbacks she's having, it's not the first time outsiders have jumped to predict Winfrey's decline -- or even her demise.
At the height of Jerry Springer's chair-throwing, hair-pulling antics in the late '90s, you may recall, there was one season when Winfrey's show finished second in the ratings. Some said her best days were over then too.
But after 22 years in national syndication, Oprah always manages to find new ways to reinvent herself and keep her show on top.
Anyone who bets against her this time is a fool.