By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: OWN
On Sep 8, 1986, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” debuted on television.
Winfrey was 32 years old. Winfrey began working in television at 19, but started in radio at 16.
Dennis Swanson, president of ABC Sports, took a chance on Winfrey. Swanson is Winfrey’s former boss. After living in Baltimore for seven years, she moved to Chicago. During the early 1980s, many people warned her about how racist the city was, but it didn’t stop Oprah from achieving her goals.
For her 1983 audition tape, Oprah had nothing prepared. She was told to say something about herself, and she was her natural self on the tape. In the video, she said, “Hi there! My name is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is spelled O-P-R-A-H, and if you noticed, it’s Harpo spelled backward.”
Oprah always credits Swanson for changing her life. Not many people know this, but Oprah and Richard Sher used to co-host a show together in Baltimore. This experience led her to gain more comfort and confidence for her own show.
Chicago means a lot to Oprah. It’s a city that opened doors for her and helped her build many relationships on and off camera.
“I was embraced by the city and the people in the city and most importantly embraced by my boss, Dennis Swanson,” Winfrey said.
Winfrey told Swanson that they would have to go up against Phil Donahue and his show. In the 80s, Donahue was the king of talk shows. Winfrey didn’t back down from competition. The risk paid off. She won the ratings battle.
The Oprah Winfrey Show aired in over 145 countries daily. One of her best interviews, and one of her favorites, was when she spoke with late journalist Barbara Walters.
“I can’t even tell you how nervous I was because Barbara Walters had been an idol of mine for years,” Winfrey said.
The show’s final episode aired in May 2011. Winfrey always writes about her feelings in her journal. She’s very thankful for all the experiences.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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