In 2008, talk show host Oprah Winfrey made waves as a key supporter of President Obama during his campaign run. But now, according to insiders, Winfrey won’t be such a public supporter during President Obama’s current 2012 reelection campaign. Instead, she’ll support the president from behind-the-scenes.
“For 2012, much has changed for Oprah. She now has own cable channel called OWN that has been struggling to find an audience — she isn’t going to do anything to alienate them,” a TV insider told popeater.com columnist Rub Shuter. “Unlike in 2008, when a drop in ratings didn’t matter as much for the queen of TV, Oprah is now fighting every day to get people to tune into OWN.”
An October 2008 Gallup poll showed that Winfrey’s favorable ratings had declined from 74 to 66 while her infavorable ratings had jumped from 17 26 percent. Adding to her decline in popularity, Winfrey also saw a drop in rating’s for her long-running talk-show The Oprah Winfrey Show, with audiences falling from a high of nearly 9 million in 2004-2005 to a low of 7.3 million in 2008.
As the source explains, although Winfrey still loves President Obama, her main focus is on gaining a concrete and loyal audience for her OWN network.
“Helping a friend keep the most important job in the world is great, but making sure her OWN network thrives is now her priority,” said the insider.
Do you believe the rumor? Should Winfrey be a private supporter this time around or make her support public, once again? – nicholas robinson
