I am as quick as anyone to dismiss the old media. Just two weeks ago Katie Couric scored the lowest ratings EVER for "CBS Evening News" and other news channels not named Fox are not doing so well either. "The Boston Globe" is on life support and it's fending off other rags for use of the ventilator. But just because the industry as a whole is doing poorly does not mean that everyone's doing poorly.
Oprah Winfrey is perhaps the most powerful woman in America, if not the world. Her role in Obama's success has been trumpeted but her influence might have gotten lost in the crowd. When 99% of the media sing from the Obama song book, it is easy to overlook the influence of one mighty voice. Not all endorsements are created equal.
Winfrey was a factor in the 2008 election and she will continue to be an influence on matters of public concern. The report is scholarly and dry and it's 59 pages long. But it does its job of spelling out the titanic influence of Oprah Winfrey.
http://econ-server.umd.edu/~garthwaite/celebrityendorsements_garthwaitemoore.pdf
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