Oprah's Popularity

Is Oprah Winfrey affecting her ratings with her endorsement of Democratic nominee Barack Obama?  Oprah, a media mogul and billionaire, has campaigned with Obama earlier in 2008 but is now distancing herself from the political arenas.  Some of her millions of viewers and fans felt betrayed with Oprah’s actions and endorsements.  This type of criticism is not a new development and has also been felt with her support of spirituality teachings.  Some fans disagree with the non traditional doctrines.  

Although the ratings of her show and magazine circulation have fallen in recent years, all aspects of her businesses remain strong.  Her show is the number one daytime talk show and her magazine has experienced consistent growth of advertisers since its release.  The stations that air her program have been supportive of her and have not felt any negative actions.  Her new venture with Discovery Communications will include her own network to showcase personal improvement programming.

Fans of Oprah state that they get the tools needed to create more fulfilling lives from watching her show and participating in her online classes.  Oprah is relatable across demographic profiles of age and income.  This mass appeal creates her target audience of millions.  Now that she is further expanding her accessibility to include satellite radio and her own cable network, that audience will be growing.  Whatever decisions she makes, she is bound to alienate some viewers, but with her ever growing media outlets, her overall popularity and access has not been negatively affected by recent actions.