Oprah at TCA: “Until now I never allowed TV in my house!”

Ed Martin Live from TCA quotSpecial from Jack Myers Media Business ReportquotIamp8217ve been covering TCA tours for twentytwo years now and I have never experienced anything quite like Oprah Winfreyamp8217s appearance yesterday on behalf of her brand new cable network OWNYou could feel the excitement building throughout the day here at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena site of the 2011 Winter Television Critics Association tour Winfrey arguably the biggest star and most influential person working in television hadnamp8217t hit a TCA since January 2005 when she appeared along with Halle Berry to promote the ABC television movie Oprah Winfrey Presents Their Eyes Were Watching God for which she served as executive producer Longtime TCA members couldnamp8217t recall any appearances she might have made before that oneThe 2011 TCA Oprah Experience proved to be a one of a kind event an unprecedented mix of arch formality all TCA members had to secure special badges to attend the party that followed Oprahamp8217s press conference and disarmingly informal communication For example there was a sense of great seriousness surrounding all things Oprah before the sessions for OWN actually began but that didnamp8217t stop her from casually moving about the lobby outside the hotel ballroom chatting with critics and reporters who werenamp8217t inside attending other Discovery Networks panels at the time Those panels included one for Taking on Tyson a sixpart Animal Planet documentary set to premiere in March about the entry of boxing legend Mike Tyson into the world of pigeon racing and one for the Science Channel travel special An Idiot Abroad featuring Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington set to debut January 22I had my own informal Oprah Moment as she was leaving the party that followed her press conference After being asked to step aside by the special security guards who were on hand so that she might have a clear path for her departure I managed to say amp8220Goodbye Oprahamp8221 as she passed by meShe stopped turned to me and responded amp8220Donamp8217t party too muchamp8221amp8220I canamp8217tamp8221 I replied amp8220I have to go back to my room and write a column about youamp8221Oprah turned and continued to walk away then stopped took a few steps back in my direction smiled and said amp8220Maybe you should have a couple of drinks before you write about meamp8221And then she was gone Iamp8217ve talked to dozens of network chiefs during the last two decades but this exchange was something altogether different It was a moment with Mother Oprah a name Winfrey had affectionately been given a couple hours earlier by one of the finalists on her networkamp8217s first competition reality series Your Own Show Oprahamp8217s Search for the Next TV StarThere had in fact been a little bit of tension in the air earlier when Oprah first took the stage which prompted her to joke amp8220This is like being thrown to the wolvesamp8221Then came the first question which set off waves of laughter amp8220I was just wonderingamp8221 one reporter asked amp8220Are we all going to get carsamp8221amp8220I should have brought you all somethingamp8221 Oprah lamentedAs it progressed the session became more intimate than any other with a major media executive that I can recall during my two decades covering TCA tours Oprah talked about growing up poor in a small town in Mississippi about the flood of memories of her late grandmother that washed over her as she watched the opening hours of OWN on January 1 about how she would watch television on sets at the local Sears Roebuck store and beg her grandmother for a TV only to be told TV amp8220was the devilamp8217s workamp8221Oprah talked about her grandmother at length amp8220The only dream my grandmother had for me was amp8216I hope you grow up and get some good white folksamp8217amp8221 she revealed amp8220Her dream was that I would be able to have a family like she had that would give her clothes and let her take food homeamp8221 As she watched herself introduce OWN when the network signed on Oprah thought that her grandmother amp8220wouldnamp8217t even know what this is Yet I feel the spirit of her and I feel the spirit of every single person who came before me and made it possible for me to sit here todayamp8221At one point Oprah who certainly likes to talk responded to a question with an answer that many critics estimated ran more than fifteen minutes Many of them took to Twitter to silently alert the outside world about the Oprah Filibuster as her lengthy response immediately became known In a particularly telling turn many critics applauded when Oprah finally stopped talking I think she thought they were expressing their appreciation for what she had said In reality many were snidely expressing gratitude that she had finally finishedOprah talked a lot about the energy people give off and how they should take responsibility for the energy they bring into a room negative positive or otherwise Then she spoke about the energy of television amp8220Iamp8217m very much aware of the energy that television is transmitting all the timeamp8221 she said amp8220Until now I never allowed it in my house unless there was something specific I wanted to see I want to control the energy coming into my space The intention of this channel is to bring good energyamp8221

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Oprah at TCA: “Until now I never allowed TV in my house!”

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Ed Martin

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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