Farewell Oprah

No matter if you like or dislike Oprah, her departure from TV is a loss.  As a woman, I enjoyed watching Oprah off and on for the past ten plus years.  I was inspired.  I felt hope.  I was touched.  Not just once or twice but nearly every time I turned on her show I felt an emotion that moved me to think about something a little harder or to do something that I might not have had I not watched her show.  She asked the hard questions and she sought the truth.  I may not have agreed with her every time she spoke but she opened my eyes to a lot.

As a PR professional, it was one of my career goals to get one of my clients on Oprah.  I tried and I tried many times and the closest I got was talking to one of her producers but with no luck.  I know that I'm not the only PR professional who was frustrated with this great challenge.  Clients over and over again set getting on Oprah as the epitome of success.  Luckily, I was able to score other media wins to make my clients feel successful but the elusive Oprah win would never happen for me.  Deep breath.  Let it go.

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While I never watched Oprah daily, I'll miss knowing that I can turn my TV on at 4pm during the week and know exactly what to watch.  I can't think of any other media mogul who has impacted television, pop culture, life, as much as she did.  I don't know who else might have the same impact in the near future.  There will now be a huge hole in television programming - one that I'm not sure anyone else can fill.  Only time will tell.

Good luck to you, Oprah!  I enjoyed watching you ride the wave of the last 25 years and I look forward to seeing how your OWN journey unfolds for you.  Though you are saying goodbye to daytime television, I know we will be seeing you again soon!