Three theories shed light on Oprah Winfrey’s power and influence By Teri Kim, Mary Omachonu & Cher Phillips

Three theories shed light on Oprah Winfrey’s power and influence

By Teri Kim, Mary Omachonu & Cher Phillips

“Oprah-gasm:” Oprah Effect in action

Oprah’s FavoriteThings Holiday 2005

Oprah featured Blackberry on her show.

Hits to T-Mobile Black Berry web page double.

Evan though Blackberry was battling a copyright lawsuit.

Sources: Accessed April 2, 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBP7XJ4aGzo

The Globe and Mail (Canada), REPORT ON BUSINESS: CANADIAN; TECHNOLOGY; Pg. B1, SHAWN McCARTHY , Oprah's magic, BlackBerry's hope; RIM hoping plug on star's TV show translates into sales, November 25, 2005

The Toronto Star February 23, 2006 Thursday SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A03, Picking BlackBerrys, Sharda Prashad

In the beginning….

Born January 29, 1954 in Mississippi to unmarried teenagers.

Moved to Milwaukee. Molested by an uncle and cousin at age nine.

Pregnant at fourteen.

First job in radio for WVOL, while still in high school.

Sources: Photos from http://www2.oprah.com/about/press/about_press_bio.jhtml, Oprah Winfrey’s personal collection

Career Highlights

1984 – Host of TV morning talk show, AM Chicago. 1986 – Oprah Winfrey show enters syndication. 1988 – Harpo is established. 2000 - With Hearst Magazines, publishes O, The Oprah Magazine. 2004 – O at Home, a “shelter” magazine is launched.

Sources: Photo - Oprah’s first show, http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200502/20050221/slide_20050221_102.jhtml

Achievements outside of the Oprah Winfrey Show……

Emmy Awards Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people 2006, 2005, 2004, 1998.Humanitarian awards.Fortune Magazine 2006, ranked eight out of 50 most powerful, influential women.2006 net worth of $1.5 billion (Forbes Magazine, list of 400 wealthiest Americans.)

Sources: Photo -Time cover, October 5, 1998 issue. (Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Breaking ahead of the pack

What makes Oprah different from Jerry Springer, Rikki Lake, and Phil Donahue?

Sources: Cartoon from http://storms.typepad.com/booklust/images/oprah.jpg, Accessed April 4, 2007

Oprah’s Midas Touch

Live your best life!

Oprah’s Book Club, started in 1996.

The Secret

Oprah’s Favorite Things

Sources: Screenshot from http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/obc_main.jhtml, accessed April 5, 2007

Three Theories

Source Credibility

Celebrity Branding, Public Personality

Parasocial Interaction

Sources: Toni Morrison and Oprah in 1996. (Reuters/CORBIS)

Source Credibility

Three models Factor model:

- What ways do receivers find a source credible

Functional model: - How source’s credibility fulfills to receivers’ needs

Constructivist model: - How do sources satisfy individual receivers’ needs

Sources: Infante, D., Rancer, A., Womack, D. (1997). Building Communication Theory (3rd ed.). Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.

Factor Model: Aristotle

“Ethos” (or credibility) dominant persuasive method for 2,500 years

Good sense (competence or expertise), good moral character, and goodwill are qualities that induce people to believe something without proof

These three factors later became factors of credibility

Sources: Infante,et all.

FACTORS OF SOURCE CREDIBILITY. By: Whitehead Jr., Jack L.. Quarterly Journal of Speech, Feb68, Vol. 54 Issue 1, p59, 5p; (AN 9302175)

Photo - Aristotle bust, Lovre, Paris, http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/41b_p1.html

Factor Model: What is a factor?

Looks at what makes a source seem credible

Source credibility looks at how favorably the receiver judges the source on each of the factors of credibility

Factors are clusters of perceptions

A source’s attributes like intelligence, authoritativeness, ability to perform might impact how much we trust a source’s as an expert

Sources: Infante, et. all

Factor Model: Not all factors created equal

Credibility is in the mind of the receiver, not an actual characteristic of the source

Hovland, Janis and Kelley found in 1954 that expertise functions independently from character -

“If we believe sources have our best interests in mind, we also perceive them as having good character. If we think they are trying to deceive us, we rate their character poorly.” [Infante, et. all.]

Sources: Infante, et all.

Factor Model: The laundry list

Factors have included: Energy (dynamism), sociability, power, impact, mental balance, cultivation, charisma…

Where does the list stop?

Drawback to source credibility: research selects a certain number of factors when creating a rating scale for studying source credibility – researchers don’t know if they’ve chosen the pertinent ones

Or - testing for too many factors skews the results.Breaking off into the other models

Sources: FACTORS OF SOURCE CREDIBILITY. By: Whitehead Jr., Jack L.. Quarterly Journal of Speech, Feb68, Vol. 54 Issue 1, p59, 5p; (AN 9302175)

Infante, et all.

Functional ModelFunctional model looks at how the receiver’s needs are fulfilled.

Three simultaneous processes occur in a persuasive situation:

receiver becomes aware of source’s characteristicsreceiver realizes functions the source could servereceiver compares the characteristics with functional criteria: how can I use this in my life?

The more the receivers’ needs are fulfilled, the greater the credibility is attributed of the source

Sources: Infante, et all.

Constructivist model: Different strokes… Looks at source and what the receiver does with the message

Other two models use the Covering Law approach – view that the true nature of reality is contained in natural, observable patterns.

Interpretive paradigm – the true nature of reality can be discovered by looking at individual subjective views of reality

Difference is in the research method: functional and factor models use checklists, constructivists ask receivers to write down impressions, and then compile, compare adjectives

Model is based on the source – tries to learn what it is about the source that leads the receiver to accept or reject source or message.

Sources: Infante, et all

O, The Oprah Magazine: Themes as Factors

Trust, 2000 Gratitude, 2000 Generosity, 2000Comfort, 2001 Self-esteem, 2001Joy, 2001Success, 2001 Intimacy, 2001Creativity, 2001Truth, 2002

Sources: Photo -Oprah Winfrey with first issue of O. (Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

http://www2.oprah.com/omagazine/omag_past.jhtml

Fun, 2002Strength, 2002Balance, 2003Energy, 2003Happiness, 2004Confidence, 2004Connection 2004Pleasure, 2005Expert, 2006Authenticity, 2007

Oprah as expert, The Beef Trial, 1998

After learning effects of Mad Cow Disease in an April 1996 shows, she said, “It has just stopped me cold from eating another burger.”After the program, cattle futures dropped more than 10%Beef ranchers sued her for $12 millionOprah won – ranchers failed to prove she meant actual malice to the beef industry with her statement. Oprah took show to Amarillo, turned public opinion even more in her directionAfter winning, said “Free speech not only lives, it rocks!” Trial win seen as a free speech victory.

Sources: http://www3.georgetown.edu/grad/cct/9059.html Thesis: Changing Nature of Celebrity from Entertainer to Entrepreneur: Oprah Winfrey as Tastemaker, The, Author: Lily Miller Gradutation Year: 2004 Advisor: Jeffrey Peck Reader: Abbas Malek Date: 07 March 2006

Dressing down Frey necessary to sustain her credible characterIn 2006, an Oprah Book Club endorsed title, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, was exposed as a fictionalized memoir, as opposed to a true account of his life.

Initially, Oprah supported Frey

Then, she dressed him down publicly on her show, “I felt betrayed” made headlines

What would have happened to the perception of her booklist had she simply pulled the title and apologized to her audience?

Sources: The Wrath of Oprah; How James went to pieces, Oprah got her groove back, and other tales of 'truthiness' in the publishing trade/, Newsweek, February 6, 2006 Correction Appended, U.S. Edition, MEDIA; Pg. 42, 1228 words, By Jonathan Darman

Photo, James Frey and Oprah, AP.

Theory Two – Celebrity Branding

“Celebrity status …confers on the person a certain discursive power: within society, the celebrity is a voice above others, a voice that is channeled into the media system as being legitimately significant,” “As a host, Oprah plays with the roles of public advocate and channeling device for others.” “In the show…the solidarity of the studio audience and Oprah is ritualistically established…with displays of emotional empathy and periodic provision of anthemic statements of support for Oprah.”“Oprah Winfrey symbolically represents empowerment.”

Sources: P. David Marshall, PhD., Chair, Northeastern University Department of Communication Studies.

Celebrity Branding: Feel the Lovemark

“Lovemarks” are “super-evolved brands” which create emotional bonds with their consumers.“The key definition of a ‘Lovemark’ is a product, service, or entity that inspires "loyalty beyond reason."If anything is to evolve into a Lovemark, it must touch directly on the personal aspirations and inspirations of consumers: commitment, empathy, and passion.

Sources: Kevin Roberts (2004), CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi

Power of Panties: Spanx

Teri’s Sources

Teri’s references: Lofton, K. (2006). Practicing Oprah; or the prescriptive

compulsion of a spiritual capitalism. The Journal of Popular Culture. 39(4) pp. 599(22).Marshall, P.D. (1997) Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997. pp. 131(6)Walker, R. (2004, December 19). Anointed by Oprah. The New York Times. Sec. 6; col 1; pp. 34. Magazine Desk; The Way We Live Now.Cooper, P. and Pawle, J. (March 2006). Measuring emotion – Lovemarks, the future beyond brands. Journal of Advertising Research 46.1 38(11).

Theory Three: Parasocial Interaction

Horton & Wohl (1956)Were the first to introduce the concept of parasocial interactionParasocial interaction falls into the Uses and Gratifications approachThey wrote that often the TV personality “faces the TV viewer”>>uses the mode of direct address>>talks as if he/she were conversing personally and privately with the TV viewerThe simulation of conversational give and take is labeled “parasocial interaction”TV personalities exist only because of their importance to the audience created by the parasocail relationship that they established

Parasocial Interaction: Widespread Intimacy These types of TV performers:

Must have the ability to achieve an intimacy with large numbers of strangersThe show is seen by an estimated 48 million viewers a week in the United States and an estimated and is broadcast internationally in 126 countries. [1]The series airs on 216 stations representing more than 99% of the country [2]Must offer a continuing relationship to the audience, the relationship must be regular and dependable—something which can be planned on, looked forward to, and integrated into the lives of the viewersThe show is in syndication, program scheduled in the same time period everyday, five days per week

Sources: 1 “Television Pioneer.” http://www.oprah.com/about/press/about_press_bio.jhtml#1

2 Source: http://www.kingworld.com/program/oprah.html

Parasocial Interaction:The “para-friendship”Viewers:

Develop parasocial relationships with entertainers, talk show hosts, journalists, sport personalitiesBelieve that they “know” and understand the media personality in the same way as they know and understand their “real” friendsMust be willing to participate in the illusion of a face-to-face exchange with the performer rather than passive observationOver time, would begin to believe that they understand the values and motives of the TV performers personalities

Sources: Miller, R. (1983) A Descriptive Study of Television Usage Among Older Americans: Refining the Parasocial Concept. Dissertation Information Service


Nordlund (1979)

The concept of media interaction may include a readiness to be preoccupied with media characters, to talk about them with others, to relate their circumstances to one’s own, to feel as if in some relationship with them

Sources: Miller, R. (1983) A Descriptive Study of Television Usage Among Older Americans: Refining the Parasocial Concept. Dissertation Information Service


Levy (1979)Portrays parasocial interactions as an alternative to face-to-face relationships for some who have few or week social ties with other peopleParasocial relationships with media personalities often fill the “gaps” caused by the death of a spouse or by children leaving home



Turner (1993)

Similarity (in attitudes, background, value/morality, appearance) between individuals leads to interpersonal attraction or “liking”

Found that attitude similarity emerged as the factor most closely related to parasocial interaction


Measuring Parasocial Interaction:

Rubin, Perse, and Powell (1965) developed a questionnaire to measure parasocial interactionThe Parasocial Interaction Scale (PSI) is a 20-item scale measure designed to assess an individual’s feeling of friendship, involvement, and personal concern for a TV newscasterBy modifying the target from newscaster to another type of persona, you can obtain a measure of parasocial interaction with any media personality


Individuals respond to each of the 20 items by choosing one of five response options ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”Includes such items as:

“I like to compare my ideas with what my favorite newscaster says.”“The newscaster makes me feel comfortable, as if I am with friends.”“I see my favorite newscaster as a natural, down-to-earth person.”“I look forward to watching my favorite newscaster on tonight’s news.”“If my favorite newscaster appeared on another TV program, I would watch the program.”“When my favorite newscaster reports a story, he or she seems to understand the kind of things I want to know.”“I sometimes make remarks to my favorite newscaster during the newscast.” “I miss seeing my favorite newscaster when he or she is on vacation.”“I would like to meet my favorite newscaster in person.”I think my favorite newscaster is like an old friend.”

Parasocial Interaction: Scale


Oprah.com Message Boards: Letters to Oprah

“Sometimes I just sit and wonder what it is I would have to do to meet you, I'm not a star ... I'm not rich ... I don't have any talent ... but I think I'm a real nice person with a big heart and I kinda think you would like to meet me because I'm a real down to earth person and Oprah I love dogs too”

“Thank you Oprah for bringing such an important subject to light and as always helping to awaken human beings to their spiritual side.”

“I send LOTS of emails. I pretend Oprah actually sees them.”

“I just want to say may god bless you. And I wish you the best in all of your journey in life. It’s nice to see Oprah that you really care for people. God’s gift to the world you are. I love your show. You help whenever its trouble going on in our world. You are always there with your helping hand. God Bless!”

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Three theories shed light on Oprah Winfrey’s power and influence By Teri Kim, Mary Omachonu & Cher Phillips