Kiss This Goodbye
Jan 12, 2010
Just in case you’re not a woman and haven’t heard the news, Oprah has announced that the next season will be the last for The Oprah Winfrey Show. Like everything else Oprah does, the announcement has gotten lots of attention. Oprah issued a statement saying:
“I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say good-bye.”
I hate to interrupt the waterworks, but I have to say…BULLSHIT! Let’s be honest: Oprah is leaving because she wants more of our dollars. The millions she has made doing her show isn’t enough. Oprah is leaving to take control of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), a 24-hour network premiering in January of 2011. 24 hours a day of ‘All Oprah, All The Time.’ Just like she dumped King World, the first company that made her a success, to start Harpo Productions, she is now dumping ABC, the network that made her even more successful. It’s all about the money for Oprah – which is probably why she has topped Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list as the most powerful celebrity in the world, in addition to a long list of ‘firsts’ and other impressive accomplishments.
I’m not going to stand here and fault her for being a savvy businessperson. I am going to fault her for spinning it to make it sound like this decision is all about her fans. Spare me the teary goodbye. Come on, Oprah, call it like it is: You’re not saying ‘goodbye’ to TV any more than Tiger Woods is saying ‘goodbye’ to golf! Nearly everything Oprah has touched over the years has turned to gold. Whether she endorses (or doesn’t endorse) a political candidate, advocates for a cause, recommends a new author or tells her audience about the season’s must-have bag, the nation hangs onto her every word. I predict OWN will be no different.
LINK:
CNN: Winfrey announces end of ‘Oprah’
This is my first time on this blog site and i was reading through many of your posts Mr. Z– (because lets just say, I love Advertising and Marketingan and like to hear what your view and takes are on the industry and stuff) I have to say I may not be as “conservative” as yourself and most of your readers–(considering all the Fox News shot-outs). I was slightly open-minded to the “Obama Administration screwed up” posts on marketing health care, whether one is for/against the reform–but now your talking about Oprah!! Oprah in my opinion is probably the number one person whom people are jealous of. Two things here:
1. Oprah MADE lots of money for CBS, not ABC…She brought in the most ratings for the four o’clock time slot and they have been making money off Oprah for years! Hats off to Oprah for getting some balls to have her own Network…I mean come on…wouldn’t you do that if you had the opportunity to be global and take over the Ad world like no one’s business?? Like NEVER before?? I’m talking, like NUMBER ONE (not 14) as in no one has ever sold more records than Micheal or The Beatles number 1. I’d shed some tears too for all the hard work that was put in, and my heart would never forget the people who loved me for ME (the fans), not cause I made them money. Its genuine tears that cant be faked…cause everyone knows Oprah isn’t really a good actress…oops!
2. We all know she’s a great business woman, so don’t just say that cause your covering your you-know-what to not sound like your hating, when you are…All I’m saying is write something about giving the woman her true props without taking away from it, you know, just because she is brilliant.