Category: Sign of the Apocalypse (Page 9 of 20)

Oprah Winfrey represents a billion-dollar industry unto herself, which invites the question: What exactly is her product?
The daytime titan embarking on a new adventure in basic cable with the long-awaited launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)– has dabbled in many fields. Yet her signature power is derived from a singular source, stemming from her ability to create a lucrative commodity: experts.

With the news that Dr. Melvin Levine—who appeared on Oprah repeatedly over the course of several years as a childhood education expert—committed suicide on Friday, the same day that 40 of his former patients filed a medical malpractice and sexual abuse suit against him, it begs the question of whether O is doing enough vetting of the authors and experts to whom she chooses to lend her credibility.

To be fair, over the full extent of her long and successful rein as Queen of Talk, the law of averages must surely dictate that duds will appear occasionally.