The Church of Oprah

There can be little doubt about the power, the influence and the inspiration of Oprah.

 

Her career began with a local radio station when she was just 19. Then, through hard work and talent, she worked her way up through television as newscaster and anchor, through Tennessee and Maryland, until finally, in 1984, she moved to WLS-TV in Chicago to host a local talk show, which became such a hit it eventually went national.

 

And the rest, as they say, is history.      

 

Now she is arguably the best-known woman in the world, with an influence that extends into television, magazines, movies, book publishing, and the internet. By her 20^th anniversary as host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, she had become a billionaire and assembled a U.S. television audience of more than 49 million viewers each week – which does not include her broadcasts in 122 other countries. This past year, Forbes magazine named her the most influential celebrity for 2007.

 

But Oprah is more than a celebrity. She is even more than a brand, or a business. 

 

She has become a cultural force. 

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