Skip to content
Andrew Tobias
Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

  • Home
  • Books
  • Videos
  • Bio
  • Archives
  • Links
  • Me-Mail
Andrew Tobias
Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

Oprah

July 9, 1996January 30, 2017

I “did Oprah” the other day. What a nice experience. I had not actually seen the show before — perhaps the only living American with this distinction — and was impressed by how much information she and the producers contrived to pack into the hour.

But what I was really impressed by was her reach. Half the country seems to watch Oprah. Indeed, because the show had been taped in Chicago some time before, I got to watch it like everybody else, groaning at the sight of my several chins. At every commercial break, my phone rang with congratulations. When it was over, I went out for a decaf el grande frappucino, and walking down Columbus Avenue ran into an old friend. Not that old — maybe 60, very nattily dressed, someone not unknown in New York. Coming from a meeting with his bankers or something. “I just saw you on Oprah!” he said.

And here I thought people actually worked during the day. Or read books or were glued to the Internet.

Speaking of which, you can find Oprah on the Internet, too. Or at least America On Line. GO OPRAH!

That is precisely where I had found myself, “on stage,” two days earlier. It was a live interactive conference designed, I was told, to answer the participants’ questions and promote the upcoming show. We had 262 guests in the “audience.” That’s not as many as the race car driver in the hour before me (waiting for my turn, I sent in a question about tobacco sponsorship, but got no response). He had about 500. But Bruce Jenner — Bruce Jenner! — had only 19, so I felt pretty good.

Here were these 262 people devoting an hour of their lives to watching me type with two fingers and a sticky space bar. But the technology is young, which is part of its appeal. One day soon they may add voice to this stuff, so you can actually hear the questions and answers. That will speed things up, if you have a fast modem; people obviously speak a lot faster than they type. And then they may add video, so you can actually see everybody. Wow! Millions of people might tune in for something as high-tech miraculous as that. It could be called “Oprah,” and it could air every day at 4PM. They could call this new technology: “television.”

Post navigation

← Gamblers Anonymous
Business Reply →

Quote of the Day

"First they ignore you; then they laugh at you; then they fight you; then . . . you win."

Mahatma Gandhi

Subscribe

 Advice

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need

"So full of tips and angles that only a booby or a billionaire could not benefit." -- The New York Times

Help

MYM Emergency?

Too Much Junk?

Tax Questions?

Ask Less

Recent Posts

  • Anyone? Anyone?

    July 11, 2025
  • "PAPERS PLEASE" -- Trump's Very Own Gigantic Police Force

    July 9, 2025
  • 5 Links And A Joke Walk Into A Bar

    July 8, 2025
  • There WAS No Cherry Tree

    July 7, 2025
  • "The Most Popular Bill Ever Signed In The History Of Our Country"

    July 6, 2025
  • Unbelievably Bad -- Literally

    July 4, 2025
  • Repeal The Steal

    July 2, 2025
  • Our Record-High Stock Market

    June 30, 2025
  • Stuffing The Goose

    June 30, 2025
  • Yes! (Plus A Bonus)

    June 29, 2025
Andrew Tobias Books
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
©2025 Andrew Tobias - All Rights Reserved | Website: Whirled Pixels | Author Photo: Tony Adams