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- @
- Winfrey dropped
- out of Tennessee
- State University
- in 1973 to work
- for a Nashville
- TV station as a
- reporter/anchor.
- She moved to
- Baltimore, and in
- 1978 she began
- co-hosting a talk
- show. She later
- recalled: "I said
- to myself, 'This
- is what I should
- be doing. It's
- like breathing'."
- #
- In 1984 Winfrey
- became host of
- "AM Chicago".
- Her chief rival
- was Phil Donahue,
- who had the
- highest ratings
- for a talk show.
- After 12 weeks,
- AM Chicago was
- beating "Donahue",
- and within the
- year it had been
- renamed. Now it
- was "The Oprah
- Winfrey Show"
- #
- In September
- 1986 The Oprah
- Winfrey Show
- went national. In
- the same year
- she formed Harpo
- Productions (the
- name is Oprah
- spelt backwards) .
- She owns and
- produces her TV
- show, which is
- syndicated all
- over the world,
- and has her own
- movie and TV
- production com-
- plex in Chicago
- #
- Winfrey has said:
- "I'm not out to
- preach but I do
- want to teach".
- Her willingness
- to address even
- the most contro-
- versial issues
- has made her a
- phenomenal
- ratings success
- @
- Winfrey has used
- her wealth to
- broaden her
- opportunities: "I
- intend to do it
- all and have it
- all. I want a
- movie career,
- a TV career and a
- talk show career."
- #
- In 1993 Winfrey
- became the first
- woman to top
- Forbes magazine's
- annual list of
- entertainment
- millionaires. Her
- two-year earnings
- of $120 million
- relegated film
- producer Steven
- Spielberg into
- second place
- #
- Interest in
- Winfrey's wealth
- and personal life
- have made her a
- regular fixture in
- the newspapers.
- Her childhood
- history of sexual
- abuse and drug-
- taking and her
- weight problems
- have contributed
- to a streetwise
- and sympathetic
- image
- #
- Winfrey has won
- many awards for
- her show including
- "Daytime Emmys"
- for Best Talk Show
- and Best Host. She
- was the youngest
- person (and the
- first black person)
- to receive the
- Broadcaster of
- the Year Award, in
- 1988. She was also
- nominated for an
- Oscar after her
- part in the film
- The Color Purple
- @
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