Oprah Winfrey, who has had a recent patch of bad luck with her various side projects, now has reclaimed bragging rights on the daytime TV front, edging past a kinder, gentler season from talk show ringmaster Jerry Springer, reported ABC online.
According to Nielsen ratings, The Oprah Winfrey Show earned an average 6.2 national household rating for the just-finished season. That's 2% lower than 1998-1999, but 2 ratings points higher than the take for Jerry Springer, which fell 34% to 4.2 in its first season without fights.
The good news comes at a time when Winfrey could use a little boost. She recently settled a lawsuit brought against her by two photographers who accused the media queen of using their work in a fitness book without permission. Her magazine O lost one of its top executives just as it changes over from bimonthly to monthly publication.
And Oxygen, the 2-year-old women's cable network in which Winfrey is a partner, has not lived up to its early hype. Even the channel's Web site has under performed, trailing similar sites such as iVillage and Women.com.
And Winfrey has cited Springer's sleaze-slinging show, which began to overtake Oprah in the ratings in 1998, as one of the reasons she wants to get out of the talk-show racket. Her current contract expires in 2002, and there's been no word of Winfrey's plans beyond that.
The defeat of what Winfrey has termed Springer's "vulgarity circus" could soon be followed by Emmy gold. The ABC movie Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays With Morrie, which topped the primetime Nielsens last fall, is up for five trophies, including best made-for-television movie, at next week's award show-Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
