If the buzzing rumors are true, life will soon be imitating art like straight out of the scene in Color Purple where Sofia gave her spiel about “sittin’ there rottin’ in that jail” and shortly thereafter proceeded to perk up and say: “Ole Sofia home now. Sofia home. Things ‘gon be changin’ ’round here too!”
Well of course anyone with a pulse knows that famous scene was uttered from the character played by than non other Oprah Winfrey and if the buzz is true, the Queen of daytime talk is coming home to roost.
That’s right.
Seems as though that despite notes to toll her absence, since then, there’s been a lot of shuffling, shuckin’, jivin’ (and even succeeding) in the talk show realm since the talk show queen packed her local station network bags and high tailed it over to cable, but our sources tell us that ABC is hard at work trying to take right back to the beginning: With Oprah joining its network-sitting comfortably right back where she belongs: doing The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Sources say a mega deal is on the table awaiting things to change ‘round here-and whispers have it that Oprah may consider the reported $500
million dollar offer.
“She could make half a billion bucks just by turning the lights on,” said the source.
“ABC wants her. Only first they’d have to buy out her network: OWN.
“Oprah misses being the queen of daytime talk,” the insider mentions.
“If she were back on the air, the fans would make her number one in a heartbeat.
The new deal could be announced in January…
What say you?
I say this:
With the addition of social media having picked up in ways that (when she retired from “The Oprah Winfrey Show”)—there’s been LOTS to talk about and quite frankly, with all the serious issues that are occurring every day and getting life on social media; despite who these key players interview with; the substantive cherry’s not actually broken until the Oprah sit-down has been had.
Despite Oprah’s re-ignited success with OWN, cable kind of drowns out her voice and truthfully, I don’t feel that Oprah true vision with how she wanted OWN to be run and seen was met.
If you follow and read me daily, you’ve heard mention this before-that if any tool of humility you (not being an “Oprah Winfrey”) need, it’s to pay close attention to how things happened and how the stark contrast and dichotomy of what people SAY they want versus what they REALLY tend to and want, is two totally different things.
And what I’m about to say humbled me, and made me know that if it can happen to ‘Oprah’ it can happen to anyone.
I felt really bad for Oprah in that, it was painfully obvious that she took a chance on retiring and running with what the people said the mainly wanted from her. And in doing so, she went and bought this entire network where, from the beginning-you could tell that 24/7/365 her vision was to have a completely family friendly lineup of shows that people claimed they wanted MORE OF from her.
But when she went and did it, people put their “funny” where there mouth is, and things got a little funny. The ratings for her network sunk such that everyone whispered that it was on the verge of flopping. Even I was shocked, because I was all aboard this new change, new network, and reprogramming idea.
But day by day, I watched Oprah’s sinking ship while at the same time-watched social media, television, and the change of times like a tennis match, and that was major epiphany for me in the realm of what your vision for business vs. the pleasure of the people is…
What I observed was a hardcore lesson that I dare not fall into the traps of, and am totally not fooled by: how people sing your praises and throw everlasting show of support for your new changes and vision but then when you go over there and cut the lights on, all you will see and hear are echoes—unless your new vision can compete with the masses and especially: what people aren’t talking about, is what people are whispering about, and especially—what people dare not cop to enjoying (and truly loving, supporting and tending to)…
What I observed in the media tennis match was how people like to filter their words and outpouring of support like every girl on the Internet filters her pics: They like to say the “politically correct” things that make them seem look best.
But in this case (in words), seem substantive, deep, spiritual, redeemable and all other prim, proper and pretty things under the guise of show of support. That’s not to say they didn’t fully support Oprah’s vision, but what they didn’t do was tell her the whole truth (just like a filtered pic doesn’t tell the whole truth):
The WHOLE truth was this: “Well we do like family programming but not 24/7/365. Occasionally, ok let me be truthful: For the most part—we like all things ratchet and lots of dashes of negativity and drama. But that’s the part I can’t admit to you while I’m out here singing your praises and show of support Oprah because, well…because people are watching me and watching what I’m saying and well…I gotta filter what I say and TRULY feel, like, and want–well, because.”
Unfortunately (as per my observation) like a babe in the woods being lead by the big bad wolf, Oprah was lead like Goldilocks—paying ZERO attention to the filtering and what was NOT said, tended to, and copped to…(and even without their filtered truths) GOING ON AROUND HER (more importantly).
It was through her very same experience that I learned that you can’t fully listen to praises and support of the people—when it’s in front of the world and other people because, that’s only half the filtered truth.
You see, online, and in front of other people-everybody is doing a dance with filtered words like the before and after of a filtered pic because everybody else is watching (or gonna see it).
Unfortunately, I wasn’t on Oprah’s payroll or in her boardroom to tell her this:
But there is a psychology behind the workings of the Internet that unfortunately, even the brightest in business is blinded by a major fact. The systems put in place on the Internet have the even the smartest and most successful in business blinded by this thing: A follower count and other man-made systems of new age life that can’t even hold a candle to the fact that people do NOT have to be held accountable to what they say, do, or even the praise and support they lend.
Why?
Because after the filtered words are spoken and the number is plastered, no one’s in that room and on the computer but you…And you don’t necessarily have to be stuck tending to, or lending your full attention, time, and energy to where your OUTWARD praise and support went—that the masses witnessed.
The masses cannot witness what you do after you’re counted, or after you show outward support or sing praises. I don’t give a damn HOW many followers, friends, support and praise and Oprahs you got, THAT trumps all-you canNOT see it, so you may as well “King” it and/or supplement it with rule of thumb: What you resist-persists.
These are new age man-made systems of life were living. Everybody can be and say, and sing and support who they want to be while the masses look on, but they DO NOT have to held accountable and/or stuck to it.
Period.
Dot.
If you do NOT want to be Goldilocks eventually asking: “My what big eyes, hands, and…teeth you have?” You HAVE to know that-that is the unfiltered real truth and psychology behind this Internet and our filtered lives and words.
You HAVE to know that the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.
The answer is blowing in the wind. We can’t even “see” it-literally. What you can’t see, you do NOT have to held accountable for.
At any rate.
All that said, Oprah had to get with the program and literally change her programming and thwart her vision in ways she probably never imagined and certainly didn’t dream of doing, I’m sure.
Whereas OWN started out with 100% family-friendly programming, but eventually (in order to stay afloat), OWN went through an entire revamping and gumbo of programming that satisfied all that Oprah was not told they really tend to, and enjoy. That was like 75% of what was NOT told to Oprah.
In words, in front of the masses, everybody put 100% show of support that matched her full OWN vision and she ran with that.
And she (and I-observing) quickly saw the light…
Now, her OWN true vision is seen about 25% whereas and the gumbo is the 75% and holding OWN together.
In considering the Oprah “brand” I feel safe in saying Oprah probably never thought she’d see herself submitting to such gumbo being umbrella’d under her brand and name. Not to say she doesn’t have good shows-because she does…they just weren’t apart of the original plan and “Oprah” brand.
In my opinion, the irony about OWN happens to be way over the acronym matching the owner (Oprah Winfrey Network).
But strange irony to all that is: (in considering my aforementioned 75-25%), I don’t now, and I never did really feel Oprah Winfrey even owned “OWN” (at the heart of it all-just the business of it all)
That said:
Regardless if Oprah lets OWN stay own and does its own thing or no-hello ABC in January (or Wheneveruary).
I got my money on Oprah coming home to roost.
How ‘bout yous?
