Oprah Winfrey - The Story of an Entrepreneur
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The Other Side of Oprah? Contd...
They even criticized Oprah for keeping the ticket price for her popular 'Live Your Best Life' series of shows as high as $ 185. Other controversies (such as the one surrounding the mad cow disease issue added to the Oprah's negative publicity. However, they failed to do any major damage to her popularity.
Such was her popularity that even the critics were shocked when she announced (in 2001) her decision to quit the show in the near future. Oprah explained, "I am sick of people sitting in chairs stating their problems. Then we roll the videotape, then we have our experts on the topic. I truly do not know what to replace it with. As soon as I do, I am pulling those people from their chairs." She added, "I am in the 'what's next?' phase of my career."
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The Show Goes On
Much to the delight of her fans, Oprah changed her mind, and in mid-2002, renewed her contract for the show till 2006. Media reports mentioned that this was 'typical' of Oprah as she generally changed her decisions rather easily.
Though Oprah renewed the contract, she said that she was exploring the options she had after exiting the show. However, she was quick to add that she would not leave TV.
Analysts remarked that if Oprah did leave the show in the future, her options were unlimited. A few analysts even said that with the kind of influence and power she had, she could even some day become the President of the US!
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However, Oprah's story was not about power and influence; rather, it was about ability and the determination to leverage entrepreneurial and personal skills to make it big.
According to analysts, the most remarkable aspect about Oprah was the way she dealt with the success, wealth and fame she acquired through the years. It was reported that with the passage of time, Oprah was evolving, becoming more adaptive, stronger, deeper and more spiritual.
Her admirers believed that Oprah's confidence and belief in herself was growing as well – something that was the key to her success, first as a talk show host, then as a businesswoman, and perhaps most importantly, as a compassionate human being.
