Oprah Winfrey – The Story of an Entrepreneur

THE OPRAH/HARPO EMPIRE contd...

By the end of the 1990s, Oprah had reportedly become one of the very few people in the world, who were recognized immediately by their first name alone. She had become so popular that in 1998, she was voted the second most admired woman in the US, next only to President Clinton's wife, Hillary Rodham.

In November 1998, the Harpo Group launched Oxygen Media LLC in partnership with Geraldine Laybourne's GBL LLC, an entertainment company, and Carsey Werner Mandabach (CWM) LLC.^[6] Harpo had a 25% stake in Oxygen. Oxygen media, aimed at women, was an integrated media company, which combined the advantages of both cable television and the Internet. Geraldine Laybourne was the chairman and CEO of Oxygen Media. The company's cable network featured a range of programs that included talk shows, music, health, news, comedy, movies, cartoons and sports. ‘Oprah Goes Online,'the first program featured on Oxygen cable network, was a 12-episode course on using the Internet.

Oprah's popularity and ratings had surged ahead of other talk show hosts including veterans such as Phil Donahue (the pioneer of talk shows), Regis Philbin (‘Live with Regis'), Kelly Ripa (‘Kelly'), Raphael (‘The Sally Jessy Raphael Show'), Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Springer and David Letterman (Refer Exhibit II for details of popular TV personalities in the US from 1993 to 2000). The Harpo empire entered the magazine business in early 2000. By 2002, Oprah headed Harpo Inc., Harpo Production Inc., Harpo Video Inc., Harpo Films Inc., and Harpo Studios Inc. as the Harpo Group's Chairman.

In April 2000, Harpo Entertainment and Hearst Magazines (US) jointly launched ‘O,'The Oprah Magazine, in New York City. The magazine was positioned as a personal growth guide for women in the 21st century. ‘O'addressed various aspects of a woman's life such as her inner well-being, fashion, health and fitness, relationships, self-discovery, books, home design, and food among others. The magazine, targeted at women between 25 and 49 years of age, was circulated across the country. Speaking about ‘O,'Oprah, who was also its editorial director, said, “I believe you are here to become more of yourself, to live your best life. The magazine will present articles and stories of other people to help women look at their lives differently.”

Columns in ‘O'included ‘Live Your Best Life,'‘Make Your Dreams Come True'(a step-by-step planning guide), and ‘Tell it Like it is'(by Dr Phil), ‘Dream Big'(a profile of a person who took steps to live out his/her dream) and ‘My Journal'(profile of a celebrity's intimate thoughts).

^[6] CWM LLC. is one of the major independent production studios in America, distributing programming content in over 175 countries.

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