Oprah Winfrey is a Hall of Famer

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Oprah Winfrey, who rose from Chicago talk show host to worldwide renown as a broadcaster, will be inducted into the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Winfrey will be the sole inductee at luncheon ceremonies on May 3rd.


“Oprah is the epitome of broadcasting excellence,” said Dennis Lyle, President/CEO of the Illinois Broadcasters Association. “How fortunate for us that she chose Illinois to remain her stage through each phase of her career that has seen her skyrocket from local talk show host to national treasure to the global media personality she’s become today.”

According to Emily Barr, President and General Manager, WLS-TV Chicago, “There’s no doubt that Oprah Winfrey’s impact as co-host of  A.M. Chicago was a defining moment in our station’s history.  We knew then what everyone knows now.  Oprah is without equal in sheer talent and ability to connect with and influence audiences.  We at ABC 7 are proud of our long-standing relationship with Oprah and delighted that someone who has served her viewers and our community so faithfully for over 25 years as an Illinois broadcaster, is being honored by the IBA.”

Winfrey came from Baltimore to Chicago in 1984 to host A.M. Chicago .  Her openness, warmth and an unsurpassed ability to relate to audiences, catapulted the show to first place in the ratings, handily beating the other top daytime competitors.

In 1986, under her new Chicago production company, Harpo Productions, Winfrey launched the Oprah Winfrey Show.  The award-winning daytime talk show is internationally distributed to 145 countries worldwide, and viewed by millions of people around the world.

After 25 years, Winfrey will end her daytime television show, leaving behind an amazing legacy. Her media influence and ties to viewing audiences will continue on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, which launched on January 1, 2011.