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Oprah Winfrey Improves Ratings, Regains Daytime Queen Crown
Fans of daytime television can come in off the ledge now and breathe easier, because Oprah Winfrey is back where she belongs -- on top of the world.Heading into the premiere of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show's' 24th season, television pundits were debating whether Oprah had lost her edge; ratings had tumbled 7 percent over the past year, with one week of reruns notching the show's smallest viewership ever.
Fans of daytime television can come in off the ledge now and breathe easier, because Oprah Winfrey is back where she belongs -- on top of the world.Heading into the premiere of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show's' 24th season, television pundits were debating whether Oprah had lost her edge; ratings had tumbled 7 percent over the past year, with one week of reruns notching the show's smallest viewership ever.
And with buzz building around competitors such as Tyra Banks and newly minted 'American Idol' judge Ellen DeGeneres, some were questioning whether the queen of daytime was finally vulnerable.
Well, the new numbers are in and they provide a resounding answer: No. Thanks in part to her heavily hyped interview with repentant diva Whitney Houston, the season premiere delivered the highest single day rating for 'Oprah Winfrey' in nearly two years. And a slate of specials that included a tribute to Michael Jackson and a Mariah Carey concert in Central Park helped make it the highest rated syndicated show of the week for the first time since 2005.
Of course, some skeptics are still saying that reliance on guest stars (like Jay-Z and Barbara Streisand) and tabloid fodder (the Mackenzie Phillips incest interview) is an indication that Oprah herself is no longer the draw she once was. But to others it's simply free market capitalism at its best; now that she has real competition to deal with, Oprah has had to elevate her game in order to stay on top.
And regardless of ratings, in that sort of battle, there can be only one winner: The television viewing public.
Oprah Winfrey Photos
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 2: Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, center, sits with other members of the U.S. delegation as U.S. President Barack Obama finishes his presentation in support of Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games on October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey
Getty Images
Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, center, sits with other members of the U.S. delegation as U.S. President Barack Obama finished making a presentation in support of Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, in Copenhagen. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are competing to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and the IOC will choose the winning city in a vote on Friday, Oct. 2, in Copenhagen. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)
AP
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 02: U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey arrives for the Chicago 2016 presentation on October 2, 2009 at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, second right, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey;Michelle Obama
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, second right, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey;Michelle Obama
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, second right, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey;Michelle Obama
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: Talk show host Oprah Winfrey talks with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Richard Daley;Oprah Winfrey
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, second right, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey;Michelle Obama
Getty Images
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 1: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, second right, and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, right, at the opening Ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House on October 1, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 121st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on October 2 on whether Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid will host the 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Oprah Winfrey;Michelle Obama
Getty Images
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama sits with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, at the opening ceremonies of the the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session and XIII Olympic Congress at the Copenhagen Opera House, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, in Copenhagen. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are competing to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and the IOC will choose the winning city in a vote on Friday, Oct. 2, in Copenhagen. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)
AP
