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Oprah Winfrey
The Billionaire
In 1976, Oprah Winfrey moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor, and in 1978 discovered her talent for hosting talk shows when she became co-host of WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking," while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter.
In January 1984, she came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," a faltering local talk show. In less than a year, she turned "AM Chicago" into the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to one hour, and in September 1985 it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Seen nationally since September 8, 1986, "The Oprah
Winfrey Show" became the number one talk show in national syndication in
less than a year. In June 1987, in its first year of eligibility, "The
Oprah Winfrey Show" received three Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories
of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding
Direction. In June 1988, "The Oprah Winfrey
Show" received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding
Talk/Service Program, and she herself received the International Radio and
Television Society's "Broadcaster of the Year" Award. She was the youngest
person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS's
25-year history.
In 1991, motivated in part by her own memories of childhood abuse, she initiated a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child abusers, and testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection Act. President Clinton signed the "Oprah Bill" into law in 1993, establishing the national database she had sought, which is now available to law enforcement agencies and concerned parties across the country.
Oprah Winfrey was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time Magazine, and in 1998 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Her influence extended to the publishing industry when she began an on-air book club. Oprah Book Club selections became instant bestsellers, and in 1999 she was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to books and authors.
She is one of the partners in Oxygen Media, Inc., a cable channel and interactive network presenting programming designed primarily for women. In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network began presenting a $100,000 "Use Your Life Award" to people who are using their lives to improve the lives of others. When Forbes magazine published its list of America's billionaires for the year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire.
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