Oprah's influence is vast &mdash and enters a controversial realm

Oprah's influence is vast &mdash and enters a controversial realm

After more than a quarter-century as a television titan (she debuted as host of WLS-Ch. 7’s “AM Chicago” in 1984), Oprah Winfrey’s influence is undiminished. It may be stronger than ever.

One examination of her role as a cultural and consumer arbiter, “The Oprah Effect” (8 p.m. Thursday, CNBC; two and a half stars), won’t tell you anything you don’t already know: that getting an endorsement from Winfrey is like winning the lottery. 

This hourlong special from Chicago’s Kurtis Productions examines what happened to three businesses after they were mentioned on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Not surprisingly, sales went through the roof. The most interesting part of these case studies is how each firm responded to the wave of sales. Going from a small business to a bigger business isn't always an easy transition.

Of course, attempting to get a product featured on Oprah's show is an industry in itself these days. The owners of soap importers LAFCO talk of having had their PR representative pitch -- and send -- their products to Oprah's staff for years before it paid off with a mention on the show. Media coach Susan Harrow, who wrote a book about how to get booked on the show, talks about helping refine PR pitches for unnamed clients.

Oprah's endorsements, on her show and in her magazine, also raised the profile of Chicago yoga teacher and blogger Robyn Okrant, whose year of living life the Oprah way resulted in a higher profile for her site and a wave of media attention. Buying all those Oprah products and taking the talk-show queen's advice added some "stress" to her life, Okrant tells the producers of "The Oprah Effect," but it also resulted in a book deal, so she has no regrets.

Winfrey’s seal of approval hasn’t just transformed businesses whose products appear on her annual “Favorite Things” list, it’s also led to a wave of spinoff programs from the media titan’s Harpo Productions  (these ventures aren’t discussed in “The Oprah Effect,” by the way). Her proteges Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray have successful daytime franchises, and Winfrey recently bid farewell to health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz, who will launch his own program in the fall.

In May, Winfrey, whose contract for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” expires in 2011, struck a deal with actress, author and Chicago native Jenny McCarthy, who emerged as an autism activist after her son was diagnosed with the disorder. The deal with McCarthy, who has been a guest on Winfrey’s show several times, calls for McCarthy to develop a variety of projects with Harpo, one of which could be a syndicated talk show.

McCarthy’s position on childhood vaccines, however, has kicked up a controversy. McCarthy has said she is not “anti-vaccine” and that she is advocating for improved vaccines. But she said in an interview on Oprah.com that if she “had another child, I would not vaccinate.” She also told Time that “I do believe sadly it’s going to take some diseases coming back to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe.”

Asked if Oprah or her show endorses McCarthy’s views, a representative for Oprah’s program said, “We don’t take positions on the opinions of our guests. Rather, we offer a platform for guests to share their first-person stories in an effort to inform the audience and put a human face on topics relevant to them.” When McCarthy’s views have been discussed on the air, statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics saying that there’s no scientific evidence of a vaccine-autism link have been read.

But Oprah is, after all, one of the most influential people in America, and the mere fact that she has given McCarthy a bigger platform, including a blog on Oprah.com, has some observers concerned. An "open letter" posted May 11 by science graduate student Shirley Wu asking that Winfrey reconsider the McCarthy connection got hundreds of comments, thanks to its wide circulation online. On the Internet, the topic of vaccines and autism seems to function as an invective magnet, but Wu's essay is remarkably gentle and temperate.

"Oprah, I hope you take my letter, and the well-intentioned if sometimes harsh criticisms from many others in the blogosphere, to heart," Wu wrote. "Because even though I still don’t watch your show, others do, and they listen to you."

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