Oprah+Winfrey

=Oprah Winfrey= Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential women in the world. She started out with nothing and went on to be a radio host, news anchor, actress, show host, producer and an inspirer of people around the world. Overcoming her complicated past she looked on towards all the possibilities of her future. toc

Childhood
Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 to her unmarried parents Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. Her real name was actually Orpah Winfrey but due to misunderstandings it ended up becoming Oprah instead. She spent her early years living with her grandmother on an old farm in Mississippi. Her grandma taught her how to read the Bible, and she started reciting in church at a young age. This head start helped Oprah advance in school and skip grades when she got older. In 1960 she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother. This would be the first of several moves back and forth between her mother and her surrogate father, who lived in Tennessee. Unfortunately, neither Oprah nor any of her relatives knows who her real father was. While living in Milwaukee with her mother she had a tough time finding her place at home. Oprah was often ignored and didn’t get much attention. Then in 1963 she was raped by her cousin. The abuse continued as she was later sexually abused by other family members. It was only after her mother couldn’t take her behavior that she began permanently living with her father and step-mother. In Tennessee there was a different environment where the adults in her life actually cared about her future. Her father believed she was destined for greatness. This positive encouragement helped Oprah build herself back up and continue on a path she’s still follows today.

The Beginning
Oprah had first started talk to an audience at around age 3 at her church in Mississippi. She was experienced, at a very young age too, so her talent had not gone unnoticed. Oprah got her first job in the public while still going to high school working at a radio station called WVOL. This lead to her first big job working at WTVF-TV. She became the first and youngest African American anchor for the Tennessee news. She worked at the CBS station until she was offered a job at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. Taking a chance, she moved out to Baltimore. Unfortunately things didn’t go so well in Baltimore at first. Her bosses didn’t like her understanding, sensitive, tone she put into her broadcasts. Often she would get in trouble with her bosses about her broadcasting style and physical appearance. She was even sent to get her hair straightened at a salon and her hair fell out leaving her bald for a time. There at WJZ-TV she had also found a co-worker who became her life long friend, Gayle King. She found she had a lot in common with Gayle and they automatically clicked. Then Oprah got a job hosting the new talk show //People are talking// with Richard Sher. It was here that she finally found her place in broadcasting and really felt in her element. Her show’s popularity grew and became the most popular show in Baltimore. After hearing about a job opportunity at WLS-TV in Chicago and it wasn’t long until her popularity grew her too. //A.M Chicago// soon became //The Oprah Winfrey Show//. Not long afterwards //The Oprah Winfrey Show//’s popularity spread and became a nationally syndicated show.

Inspiring the world one show at a time
As the show grew, Oprah continued to inspire her fans and supporters. In August of 1986 she began her new production company, Harpo Productions (which is Oprah backwards). Then in the following September her show went national and expanded its audience by the millions. During this time it also received more than 40 Emmys. In many ways all her success is possible thanks to her ability to understand and empathize so well with her viewers. She once said, “What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only your own life, but in other people's lives.” It’s not only her open and kind personality that makes her so easy to open up to but also that she has been through many hardships herself. Oprah’s determination to help others who are in similar hardships is amazing. In 1993 National Child Protection Act was passed because of her initiative to pass the bill it’s also named Oprah’s Bill. Anyone who has appeared on her show has gained so much by it. Thanks to Oprah many celebrities like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Suzie Orman have gotten a good start on their own ﻿ conquest to help people solve their problems. An Oprah fan, moved by her work and inspiration commented, “This [determined], driven, spiritual, charming Lady inspires me and more than [that]. She is a daily reminder of what woman's mind, full-potential can achieve if you just make a first step towards a positive change... Just one step and others will follow.” Her main donations go to, The Angel Network, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation. Through these charities she is able to put her compassion into action to help those in need.

Oprah has had a large impact on our society. The many things that shape Oprah are her mentors, her experiences, and the many fans she has gained over the years. These influences have helped her become who she is today. Oprah’s approach to her guests and audience is sensitive and caring, but be warned: the Oprah virus is contagious. A few who caught it are Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. They both got their start on the Oprah show and now have shows of their own that are quite similar to hers. Their goals, quite like her own are to help the viewer. Her audience around the world is touched by what she brings to the show, often thanking her for what she does. Not only has she changed people, but she has changed our overall views about things we would usually keep to ourselves like weight loss. Not only that, she wasn’t afraid to be open about her own weight issues which helped many women feel even a little more courage to tell others about their problems. As a result, the Oprah’s show and her herself have become a symbol of understanding, compassion, and empathy nationally and internationally and she is named the Queen of Daytime TV for a reason. She began preaching at her church at a young age, and that was when she decided she wanted get paid to speak. Oprah as a child was more social than most people are as adults. Her enthusiasm to talk and learn more about people ultimately influenced her to continue on with her dreams during rough periods in her life. Maya Angelou, a well known author, was especially striking to Oprah as a teen growing up. Her writings helped her pick herself back up during hard times in her life like when Oprah lost her baby soon after it was born. In the autobiography //__I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings__// by Maya Angelou in many ways Oprah found herself able to relate to Angelou’s hardships with her own. Later on in 1984 she met Angelou, and they became good friends, and Oprah now regards her as a great mentor in her life. Another significant person in a more professional sense was Phil Donahue. Phil Donahue was a revolutionary show host for the style of his show. The way he would interact with the audience was adapted by Oprah into her own style. She even once said, “If there hadn’t been a Phil, there wouldn’t have been a me”. When Oprah got her first job in 1970 in the work force, her success was incredible considering she was both female and black. At the time it was the post Civil War era and conditions were getting better for African-Americans, but there was still uneasiness between whites and blacks in the South. She was still only a teenager during these times but didn’t support black power activists like many of her black peers at the time. Later in her life, Oprah is a symbol for women in general. Oprah is the first female self-made billionaire and showed the growing numbers of women in the work force. She strived and made it to the top and inspired others to do so as well. Her own struggles during childhood drove her to get the “Oprah Bill” passed. When she campaigned for a national child protection law, it was a point where she was a significant figure in American politics. The National Child Protection Act was eventually passed in 1993 and signed by President Bill Clinton. Oprah was also quite involved in the presidential campaign of current president Barack Obama. She supported him by making personal appearances at rallies.
 * Analysis **

Work cited

Krohn, Katherine E. //Oprah Winfrey: Global Media Leader//. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century, 2009. Print.

Cooper, Ilene. //Oprah Winfrey: a Twentieth-century Life//. New York: Puffin, 2008. Print.

Fry, Elizabeth. "Oprah Winfrey Quotes - Oprah Quotations on Success." //About Oprah - Television - Magazines - Book Club - Radio - Charity//. Web. 18 May 2011. .

"OPRAH INSPIRES ME!!! ... - Oprah.com." // Oprah Winfrey's Official Website - Live Your Best Life - Oprah.com //. 2 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 May 2011. .

"Oprah's Charity Work, Events and Causes." // Celebrity Charity News, Events, Organizations & Causes //. Web. 19 May 2011. .