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Oprah Apologizes for Attempt to Goose Her OWN Ratings
7 Comments | Printer Friendly Tags: Discovery Communications, Grammy's, Nielsen box, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Ratings
Talk-show diva Oprah Winfrey, who launched OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) last year in the cable slot of what used to be the Discovery Health Channel, felt it necessary to apologize after issuing a tweet on Sunday encouraging her followers to tune into her network instead of the Grammys on CBS.
While there is nothing wrong with celebrities trying to get their followers on Twitter to take action or buy a product, Oprah crossed the line when she specifically targeted people who have a Nielsen box, which is used to measure television viewing habits.
Winfrey was trying to promote her new program, “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” on Sunday when she tweeted “Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Neilsen [sic] box” to her nine-million-plus followers. And for good measure she later tweeted, “Commercial Grammy people..u can turn to OWN.”
The latter tweet wasn’t as bad, since it didn’t specifically mention the Nielsen box, but it still smacks of desperation from the former queen of talk who has struggled with almost non-existent ratings and a slew of personnel problems at the network since its debut.
According to ABC News, Nielsen, which has been tracking television audiences since 1950, believes that Winfrey’s tweet may have been a violation of policy that prohibits openly lobbying owners of Nielsen boxes to watch a specific show or network.
Winfrey has since removed the offending tweet at Nielsen’s request, telling The New York Times that she intended “no harm” and apologized for the reference.
As a result of this overt lobbying for viewers, Nielsen will now place an asterisk next to the ratings for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” to reflect what it calls the “possible biasing effect” of her tweet.
Oprah was fighting a losing battle from the start, however, since there are only about 20,000 Nielsen boxes in households across America representing about 50,000 people out of a population of more than 300 million. Thus, the odds that Oprah was going to reach many, if anyone with a box, was pretty slim.
The other strike she had going against her was that she was competing against the Grammys just one day after the death of music legend Whitney Houston. There was just no chance music fans were going to tear themselves away from all the tributes to Houston, along with the regular awards, for some fluffy interview program even if Oprah was the host.
I bet her partners at Discovery Communications are beginning to wonder if they should have just stuck with the health channel.
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Don Irvine is Chairman of Accuracy in Media. He is active on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow him @donirvine to read his latest thoughts.
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7 Comments for Oprah Apologizes for Attempt to Goose Her OWN Ratings
She had an “Obama moment”, thinking she was god
I would NOT watch anything from Oprah any more. I hold her responsible for helping to “foist Obama onto the American public”. She used her popularity among those who ‘made her famous’ to LIE to them when she said she wasn’t having ANY politicos on her show…AFTER, she had Obama and his wife on. She lost ALL credibility with people that once loved her, (myself included) as she helped SELL out our Republic to this Marxist/Fraud that sits in our Whitehouse, who is trying to bring down America.
She went to the Marxist Rev.Wright’s church, but quit, as she knew what he was all about, so in all honesty, HOW could she back Obama knowing he stayed for over 20 yrs.as Wright spewed out his hatreds? She voted for “her own”, and that was very telling and racist, as she blocked All others from the same appearences on her show. She showed her bias for sure.
To ItsJo: Excellent post. Thats exactly right, I will never watch Oprah or her channel after what she did to this country.
garbage in garbage out !!!! what do you expect from satans tools!!!!!!!
I like Oprah. I’m no fan of Obama’s, but I can understand Oprah’s support for him. African-Americans have come a long way in my life time (73 years). Of course, she’s going to be proud of Blacks who have made something of themselves. I’ve read his books, and feel I understand where he’s coming from. He’s not all bad. Sometimes I think we whites are suffering the sins of our fathers because of the terrible way we’ve treated Blacks, starting with slavery. Oprah tries very hard to make the world a better place. I admire her for the school she started for girls in Africa. She tries to help people work out their problems. She was born at the bottom of the ladder, and through her own efforts, has become one of the richest, most influential women in the world. When you look at the other “stuff” on t.v. – the housewives shows, the Kardashians, sitcoms, Jerry Springer – her shows shine above them. She tries to educate, elevate, improve. I will really miss her channel if it fails. And I liked her interview with the governor of New Jersey. Go, Oprah!
Obama and his wife took corporate monies as shills for the corporations, even as they espoused leftist rhetoric. His “Mentor” an avowed communit had nothing but loathing for this company. Obama wrote how much his mentor has shaped his view of America. Connect those dots if you will and see the motivation behind Obama’s work as a leftist street organizer. His father was a muslim, he attended a “church” that preached “racist hatred”, anti-amaericanism (remember the God-damn America speech of the “rev” Wright?), actively allowed Muslims to participate…in a Christian? church….?
Michelle actually said during the campaign that she had been ashamed to be an american and was never “proud” of the country…remember they both came from more affluent families that they conveniently forget to mention…
As far as “we whites” who feel sorry for our treatment of blacks….keep your guilt trips to yourself. I am an Irish Catholic who remembers seeing KKK signs in Virginia in my yourth, a sign on a grocery store in Alexandria on US 1 that stated “help wanted, no coons or catholics need apply” I remember learning that the catholics were the slaves of the british for years in their own country. I remember years of “Affirmative action” preventing me from getting a job or education because I was white and minoritites were supposed to get a “hand up” how by putting me down? I also remember marching in civil rights demonstartions while in college, standing in a school auditorium the day King was shot, talkking with black students about the need to live up to his dream and refrain from violence…..
Oprah screwed America BIG TIME with he support of this man who sits in the white house. Trasparent presidency? Yes, just as transparent as the phony birth certificate. Show us the school records, the passport application, the passport for trips abroad to muslim countries…show up ans speak for America Oprah, Oh wait, you had your chance…you started a shool for girls in Africa….what about the US of A….better yet, don’t you hired a pedophile who preyed on your students…
I still love Oprah. The most positive and uplifting programs on tv. (and yes, I am a Republican).