Oprah Winfrey continues her reign at the top of the Forbes celeb list for a second consecutive year (the fifth time she’s done so and the 16th time she’s made the top 10). The queen of daytime TV has kept even the golf maestro Tiger Woods at second spot and the heart throb of millions, Angelina Jolie, at third place. Part of the reason for Oprah’s supremacy is her earnings. It is a staggering $275 million. Jolie had a comparatively meagre $14 million.
But it is not only earnings that has made Oprah the most powerful celeb. Forbes takes into consideration factors like (besides income over the past 12 months) web references, press clippings, broadcast mentions and major magazine covers devoted to the celebrity. But the money power did help propel Oprah to the top.
It’s not surprising that Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods remain at the top this year — they’re certainly some of the biggest earners
said Matthew Miller of Forbes magazine.
But the Oprah power does not stem not from the green bucks alone. It flows from her show which is viewed by 46 million people in the US every week. Oprah’s show has the women hooked and that is the source of her power. She raises issues (not only of women) but matters that touch Americans everyday.
Such is the power of Oprah’s show that a reference to it in a book can push up its sales by a few millions. Many believe it is Oprah’s pat on the back to Barack Obama which enabled him to edge out the formidable challenge posed by Hillary Clinton.
