Oprah in Australia

[Waldo]

I'd agree to that. I tried Googling Neilson and rating in the US talk shows but couldn't find anything. I'll keep looking.

[Greg Ward]

I think they also measure newspaper inches and TV new reports across the channels as well as well as mentions on radio programmes and articles in magazines and....

I think the actual numbers are around 45 million US viewers per week.... are they the same viewers per day x 7 days? I don't know

I am glad Wiki provided you with pages of notes and plenty of attachments, it appears to be having a calming affect on your obsession.

I think you all should spend more time in the shed, let Julia do the worrying over Christmas.

Greg

[silentC]

You're a condescending sort of bloke, aren't you Gregory?

You used the phrase "I think" three times there. Are you sure you're not over-taxing yourself, mate?

[Greg Ward]

I admit I have a problem.

I don't really like poetry that doesn't rhyme or doesn't have a structure, it appears lazy.

I don't like songs that rhyme words that aren't actual rhymes

I don't like using smilies, believing that words should be able to communicate my thoughts without their use. Perhaps I fail there as well......

Now.... damn, I've used 'I don't' three times as well...... now four

I think I'll go and count the cracks in the tiles in bathroom floor again to see if they are an even number.

Now back to the subject, don't know if you saw the headline in The Daily Telegraph
'Rock Oprah" with a photo of Ulahru... made me smile (sorry can't spell Ularu etiher, I can spell Ayres Rock)

Greg

[silentC]

The Daily Telegraph! Are you serious? Well, that explains everything.

(Sorry, the smiley is there so you know I'm pulling your leg. Just force of habit really, because some people aren't as good at picking up on subtlety as you and I.)

[Greg Ward]

Don't pick on me......... It's not nice and I really don't like it.

I only saw the headlines while I was browsing at Macdonalds. I never buy an Australian newspaper.
Normally (naturally) I only read those newspapers I subscribe to on-line, Guardian and the NY Times, and like Kev, the China Daily, in both the Manderin and Cantonese versions.

Perhaps if my son were here, he could teach me how to use those pesky smilies.

Greg

[Castaway]

Oprah who...?.

[RETIRED]

Play nicely children or the sandpit will be closed.

[Greg Ward]

Sorry.

Sometimes my mouth causes me problems, sometimes my actions, sometimes I'm just a smart a****

But this time of the year is well known as being difficult if marriage breakdowns and partner separations, murders and fights are measured.

And I shouldn't relieve my stress here.

I'll go and kick the dog next time.

Greg

[Lignum]

But this time of the year is well known as being difficult if marriage breakdowns and partner separations, murders and fights are measured.

And thats just on the Oprah midday tv show

[kiwigeo]

Bit harsh. To say she has no talent is a fair way of the mark. To come from poverty as a child, to a billionaire and one of the most influential women in the world takes a fair bit of talent if you ask me.

Agreed she's started out rough and ended up making alot of dough but 50 years after she's gone who will remember her? If you measure success by how much money you've got in the bank then yes shes successful.

My heroes are people like Sir Edmund Hillary.....he didn't end up amongst New Zealand's top 50 wealthiest people but everyone knows his name and what he did to earn his fame. Not a bad efort for a humble bee keeper from Kiwiland. Granted he didnt come from poverty like Ophra but he had other personal tragedies to surmount such as the death of his first wife and one of his daughters in a plane crash in Nepal...an event that led to Ed's black years and a long road to recovery.

[kiwigeo]

I think Qantas is flying them for free, I'm sure most of the trip is paid for in some way or other.

Qantas is flying the audience.....Oprah is winging around Oz in her $50m private jet.

[Too Many Clamps]

Twas heart warming to see Joolya being booed at Fed Square.

[Manuka Jock]

Hey folks ,
looks like your place is just one big golden arch for Oprofits to flow in through

Oprah took 300 lucky audience members from her season premiere to Australia and is airing several shows leading up to their trip so her viewers can learn about the land Down Under. As part of one of these shows, an Oprah guest reporter, Carrie Bickmore, informs viewers that "hip" Aussies gather and socialize at McCafes, coffee shops that are part of the McDonald's empire.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Or is there?
Bickmore, in a segment promoted as a "crash course in Australian lingo and culture" called McCafes "hip hangouts" and used their slogan "It's all a little bit fancy" to describe the chain, claiming it's where "guys come for business meetings [and] girls come for a catch-up over coffee." According to The Australian, McDonald's paid Harpo Industries for the spot.
Let me get this straight: Oprah takes 300 people to Australia, because traveling is part of a "best life" involving exposing oneself to different landscapes and cultures. That's the whole point of leisure travel, right? So in order to acclimate her viewers to the unique cultural offerings that make Australia Australian, she tells them about McDonald's coffee shops.
Four groups of people Oprah seriously off with this really lame conception of a show:
Her Viewers
Oprah gets paid for this. And does not disclose it on the show. A show rep only confesses when questioned by a newspaper. Lame.
Australians
Many Aussies are up in arms. The Oprah visit has been widely hyped by the Australian media, and they resent McCafes being presented as the best of what their country has to offer.
Coffee Makers

Coffee enthusiasts are particularly miffed, as Australia has a thriving coffee culture, due to the large number of Italian and Greek immigrants to the country, that certainly doesn't consider McCafes as their pride and joy.
Australian Restauranteurs
The Australian government, in an attempt to boost tourism to the country, is footing the bill for the trip, to the tune of AUS $5 million. In light of that, I'd be extremely upset that her shows didn't highlight Australia's culinary landscape.

Listen, I don't hate Oprah. She built her empire herself and seems particularly generous in leveraging her power into benefits for her viewers. I wouldn't turn down a free trip to Australia. However, women in American listen to what she has to say. They really listen. And when she insinuates that when you should travel, if you want to be like the locals, head to McCafes (or McDonalds, or any other chain you can experience here in the US) that's both irresponsible and just plain bad advice. Had she taken her viewers to Paris, would she bypass the legendary bistros and brasseries for McDo?
If you are fortunate enough to travel to a foreign country, do yourself a favor: ignore Oprah. Seek out what the locals eat where they eat it. You can visit the Golden Arches any old time ... here in America.
Do you think Oprah took an ethical and public relations nose dive with the McDonald's kerfuffle?

Did Controversial McDonald's Stunt Ruin Oprah's Credibility? | The Stir

Corporate America will be rubbing its mitts together big time

[silentC]

I love it. $5m (notice how it's gone up from the original $3m they told us they were spending) to tell Americans that Australia is just like the US! What an incentive to travel.