Saying goodbye to Oprah

November 23, 2009 by Samuel Powers 

Winfrey impacted TV industry and community

Last Friday, Oprah devastated audiences worldwide with the news that her juggernaut talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, will go off the air in 2011.

Speculation had been boiling all week about Oprah’s decision, until she finally lifted the lid and announced during the final minutes that the rumor was true.

A visibly emotional Oprah said that it seemed the right time to end her almost 25-year run, and she solemnly wept the world’s tears.

Many are amazed and deeply troubled about the announcement, wondering what daytime television will degenerate to after her departure.

People have become accustomed to Oprah’s show and hers has become a household name.

By 2011, routines will change and souls will be bruised. Oprah’s affable personality has found solace in all of our hearts and her presence has practically defined network television.

Her decision to step down has arrived like an ominous storm that had been forecasted and was slowly approaching, but everyone had wished it would just turn in the other direction.

But one cannot dwell on the past and should instead enjoy the memories of it.

During her tenure as the talk show queen, Oprah has had her share of notable moments and interviews.

No one can forget when Tom Cruise made his infamous appearance on Oprah, jumping on the couch at his overwhelming joy for joining Katie Holmes. He proved not only that he was crazy for Holmes, but also that he was simply crazy. Cruise’s movie following has steadily declined since.

In 2004, Oprah sent shockwaves around the world when she gave away a car to every member of the audience. The event was an unforgettable display of her affection for helping others and of her own brilliance as a philanthropist.

Some argue that she went overboard jumping and repeatedly shouting, “Everyone gets a car!” But in reality, she was just elated at making others happy.

Oprah’s voice was hardly even audible over the typical uproarious screams of her audience.

Remixes have been crafted and jokes made about that day, but it should only be remembered as a magnanimous gesture.

As people have begun trying to imagine their lives without The Oprah Winfrey Show, there has been uplifting news that makes her announcement bittersweet. While her normal talk show is concluding in two years, the new television network OWN, or Oprah Winfrey Network, will take footing.

Some predict that Oprah will continue sitting on her couch and talking, just under a different format. Other rumors have begun circulating around the possibility that she will run for political office.

The U.S. likes to indulge in people with executive experience in various forms, and who better than the brilliant billionaire businesswoman herself? Oprah is so recognizable that her last name and her party affiliation wouldn’t even have to appear on the election ballot.

Hopefully, for all of our sakes, her book club continues to make recommendations. The gentile reader can be assured that if Oprah’s Book Club fades away, authors around the country will lose face.

Nothing in this world is greater than telling misguided and lost individuals to turn to reading for direction. That holds true even if the club suggests a memoir that is erroneously fiction and its writer a fraud.

“Oprah’s Favorite Things” has also sprouted as a popular promotion not of materialism but of loving objects. Every year, typically around the holidays, Oprah declares what her favorite things are and the items historically skyrocket in sales.

She has turned small businesses into mega empires and helped entrepreneurs become successful.

Her influence has entered almost every arena, from initiating common conversation to encouraging and assisting other businesses. She has donated to charities and helped people from all around the world.

Friday, the reality sunk in.

The reports of Oprah’s resolve to end her show at the 25-year mark disseminated through the media like wind. As the world tries to recover from this shattering detail, anchors on all of the major news networks were delighted to have a story to fall back on for the next two years.

TV will not be the same without her show when the cameras finally turn off and the studio lights dim. Oprah has made a profound impact on this planet and on all of our lives. She has pushed the movement futher toward altruism and that will never be forgotten.