Imagine a time when Oprah had to spell out her name. Or even use her surname. It is 30 years since the debut of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and an engrossing new podcast from WBEZ Chicago tracks how she changed the face of daytime TV. Making Oprah (iTunes) has contributions from the woman herself, as well as people who worked with her. In one early audition tape, she spells out her name, and there are tales of pre-big-break times when her co-host would tap her on the leg when she was allowed to speak.
But when US TV network ABC was searching for a rival for The Phil Donahue Show, general manager Dennis Swanson hired her for what would eventually become The Oprah Winfrey Show. He had to break the then controversial news to his bosses that he had signed up a black woman. “She became a billionaire and I got promoted, so it worked out good for both of us,” he says.
The people who worked with Oprah tell a story of female-led, inspiring TV. When podcast host Jenn White gets her moment with Oprah, her excitement is palpable: she collapses in giggles, gets a pedicure and buys a new dress. Oprah is worth it, of course. When asked about her first show, she says: “I had no fear. I knew I was stepping into destiny.” She is less enthusiastic about the infamous 1988 “wagon of fat” episode when Oprah revealed she had lost 67lb by rolling out a toy wagon containing the same amount of lard. It’s a show she regrets. “Looking back it’s really hard for me to watch,” she says. “Because you can see my ego is on flamboyant display.”
That dip aside, the Oprah spirit is as infectious today as all those years ago when she told her audience to live their best life. “The secret to being good on TV is finding a way to find the truth of yourself, because what people are relating to is what they see in themselves,” she says. “I feel as comfortable being in front of that audience as I do in my own living room with my pyjamas and socks on. I felt empowered by the viewers.” With two more episodes about to drop, there’s more Oprah magic on its way.
If you like this, try … How I Built This (NPR).
