Yuku free message boards

Why are Oprah's rating falling?

Oprah's Politics May Have Viewers Voting With Their Feet

The Associated Press reported yesterday that the ratings for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" were down 7 percent last year, understandable against a backdrop of atomizing audiences, but not something you tend to hear about the invincible Ms. Winfrey. The A.P. points out that other daytimers like Jerry Springer and Martha Stewart are down double digits, which is a little hard to figure given that so many Americans are stuck at home on their couch without a job. But Ms. Winfrey has always managed to defy larger trends, so she is opening her 24th season with a Whitney Houston exclusive and a return of Dr. Phil after seven years. Still, she may be up against some self-created turbulence, according to the A.P.

"Yet Winfrey has also alienated some of her audience, particularly in more conservative parts of the country," said Janice Peck, author of the book "Age of Oprah" and a University of Colorado professor.

By endorsing Barack Obama and campaigning for him, she shucked her apolitical image. Winfrey's book club selection of Eckhart Tolle's New Age religion book "A New Earth" angered some conservative Christians - even though Winfrey's producer said Winfrey was careful not to push Tolle's views on viewers through the television show."

Back when Ms. Winfrey got a front pew in the church of Obama, some of us at Decoder wondered whether her forthright support for what she viewed as a historic candidacy might cost her viewers at a time when the country seems deeply divided on political issues. Back during the campaign, the Media Equation column, a close cousin of Media Decoder, noted that her decision to step across the line into political matters was not universally endorsed.

She is, without a doubt, the most powerful endorsement in pop culture. Her book club can turn obscure novels into immediate hits, and anything she endorses on her annual "Favorite Things" show becomes impossible to find. But that's because in her contract with her audience, she never has a piece of what she is pushing. Her interest is your interest because she is not for sale.

After her endorsement of Mr. Obama, however, the message boards on Oprah.com are alive with allegations of "betrayal" and "sellout." Mr. Obama's base may have been engaged, but part of Ms. Winfrey's base is livid.

Ms. Winfrey is fighting back the only way she knows how, which is bringing both some dignity and some exclusives to the new season and has even reached out to fans on Twitter, where she has almost 2.2 million followers, and Facebook where she reached out to her 850,000 fans and invited them to a show in New York City this Friday where Mariah Carey will perform live. (As you might imagine, demand has outstripped supply and her pals are asked to enter a lottery at Oprah.com.)

So, after 24 years, Ms. Winfrey's show may be reflecting a bit of age, but she's still playing for keeps. And who knows, if one of her juicy exclusive interviews this year turns out to live on Pennsylvania Avenue, maybe her decision to break her tradition of political non-involvement won't seem so dumb after all.