Oprah Winfrey – The Story of an Entrepreneur
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OPRAH'S ‘RAGS TO RICHES'JOURNEY contd...For
over a decade, Oprah's talk show, like other talk shows focused on
dysfunctional families and their problems. However, in 1994, Oprah announced
a change in her program format. She decided to stop the ‘dysfunctional
group'based shows, and began focusing on ‘positive'shows that inspired
people to rise above their limitations and achieve their dreams. The aim of
this new format was to ‘entertain, enlighten and empower'the millions of
viewers that watched the show across the world.
The new format thus offered direction, advice and help to people through
‘entertainment mixed with therapy.'Oprah introduced Dr. Phil McGraw (Dr.
Phil, a renowned psychologist) as a weekly guest on the show, to help guests
and the audience gain insights into their problems. Thus, while other talk
shows continued to focus on entertainment and shock value, Oprah's shows
(and her various ventures) helped change lives for the better.
THE OPRAH/HARPO EMPIRE
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During the 1990s, Oprah expanded her business into
many areas besides the television. She entered various fields such as
publishing, music, film, heath and fitness and education. In 1994,
Oprah's initiatives for the protection of children against abuse were
rewarded when the then US President, Bill Clinton signed the ‘Oprah
Bill,'a new law designed to protect children against abuse. |
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In 1996, Oprah headed the list of Forbes'highest-paid
entertainers with earnings of $171 million, beating even celebrities such as
Steven Spielberg, Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Carrey. In
September 1996, Oprah launched ‘Oprah's Book Club'on TV, which was aimed at
inculcating and encouraging ‘reading'among people. ‘Oprah's Book Club'was
a great success; most of her fans chose to read the books that were selected
by Oprah for the Book Club. Reportedly, sales of all the books selected for
the club increased substantially (on an average, by 10 times) and found a
place in the bestsellers lists.
Harpo Films Inc., Oprah's film production division, signed a long term
agreement with ABC Television Network in the mid-1990s to produce the ‘Oprah
Winfrey Presents'series of telefilms. Some of the major projects under the
‘Oprah Winfrey Presents'banner were ‘Amy and Isabelle,'‘Tuesdays with
Morrie,'‘David and Lisa,'‘The Wedding,'and ‘Before Women Had Wings.'Oprah even acted in some of these telefilms (such as ‘The Women of Brewster
Place,'‘Before Women Had Wings'and ‘There Are No Children Here') and
recorded critical acclaim for her performance. The telefilms venture met
with reasonable success and generated $4 million in revenues in 2001.
Oprah also signed an exclusive agreement with the Walt Disney Motion Picture
Group in the mid-1990s to produce feature films for Disney. The first film
produced by the Harpo group for Disney was Touchstone Pictures'‘Beloved,'in which Oprah played the lead role.
More...
OPRAH – THE ENTREPRENUER
OPRAH – SERVING THE PEOPLE
THE OTHER SIDE OF OPRAH?
THE SHOW GOES ON
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
EXHIBIT I AWARDS WON BY OPRAH
EXHIBIT II FAVORITE TV PERSONALITIES – RANKS
ADDITIONAL READINGS & REFERENCES
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