My year as an exchange student in the United States luckily coincides with one of the greatest farewell tours of all time and allows me (at last chance) to witness one of the most pervasive, enduring, culturally significant phenomenons of American popular culture first hand: Oprah Winfrey. After 25 years, her hugely successful talkshow is coming to an end and as the one-person conglomerate of wealth and power that she is, Winfrey makes sure that her exit is nothing short of spectacular. She took her audience to Australia for a week, meet her secret half-sister live on television and even by Oprah standards (which are naturally synonomous with the superlative) the density of celebrities sharing their most personal stories exclusively with the big O, is quite mind-blowing.
The American institution of Oprah is fascinating and quite exceptional. Has anyone ever had some much power and influence on the American mind without holding a political office? Oprah does politics for sure – while claiming she got Obama the presidency is by far overstating it, having her on his side was sure helpful.
What is truly striking about her is the fact that the line between show Oprah and real Oprah seems non-existent. The celebrities coming on her show sit down to chat with a friend (who doesn’t want to be friends with Oprah?), all matters discussed and sold on her show are close to her heart, like Oprah’s favorite things and the books she loves make it from her nightstand to the top of New York Times Bestseller-List via Oprah’s own bookclub. Her personal life (coming from poverty, sexual abuse, stillborn child at 14) is an integral part of the narrative that lays the foundation for her aura of integrity and knowledgeablity. She can relate to anything and remains relatable. Well, almost.
There are 2 billion Dollars that set her apart from ordinary people, but that’s the part that people like the most. A black woman epitomizing the attainability of the American Dream – how comforting. Despite racial discrimination, sexism and being born to anything but privileged circumstances, Oprah made it to the top. Really, she went further and in the process redefined how high up the top can be. No wonder everyone wants a piece of her. And she comes in all forms these days. There is O Magazine (guess who always makes the cover of it), a radio channel and now even a TV network. It is nothing short of astonishing that people aren’t tired at all of Oprah’s name and face appearing in all mediums. 25 years and no notable backlash.
Her show might be ending this year but of course this is not the end of Oprah. The stain she left on American culture will long outlive her inaugural talkshow and will continue through her presence in various media. And as for the show – Oprah wanted to go out on top. She sure does.
This made me think about Oprah’s strategies in spreading television through various medias. She proves that Millennials aren’t the only audiences who interact with television through alternate sources. The majority of her fanbase is older and yet she keeps them engaged with her show through alternate media just like shows such as Kyle XY do with teens. However, I would say that her connection with fans is bigger than that between teens and their shows, possibly because she offers fans a relationship through media that extends beyond the internet and includes print. But, if teens were offered printed media as a means of connecting with shows do you think it would be successful? I’m thinking probably not…
I like this entry because, to me, Oprah is sort of a staple in American media – she is here, there, everywhere. For instance, I got a on a plane over winter break and, lo and behold, I am somehow on a Oprah Farewell Tour aircraft…. like, whattt? At the time, I didn’t think much of it. But that is sort of bizarre. I am curious to know if you, as a exchange student, see this same phenomenon arise in the country you are from or if this Oprah celebrity infiltrating multiplatform media (and aircraft carriers..) is a distinctly American trend.