AI Summary
5 min readThe Bet That Changed Television
On September 8, 1986, a 32-year-old Oprah Winfrey sat awake the night before her first national broadcast and wrote in her journal: "I keep wondering how my life will change. If it will change. And what all this means. Why have I been so blessed?" Forty years later, looking back at that moment on The Oprah Podcast, she describes the decision that made it possible: "I bet on myself. This was almost unheard of at the time."
The Audition That Almost Didn't Happen
The story begins three years earlier, on Labor Day weekend 1983, when Winfrey flew to Chicago to audition for a local morning show called AM Chicago. She had been working in television since age 19, starting as a weekend anchor in Nashville and then as a news anchor in Baltimore, where she eventually co-hosted her first talk show, People Are Talking, with Richard Sher. But Chicago was the big leagues—the number three market in the country—and she arrived with no prepared material, a Jerry curl, and an Anne Klein II outfit she would wear until it was threadbare.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & Gratitude** - Oprah opens the podcast celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first national airing of The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 8, 1986.
- 2 (02:11) **The Move to Chicago & AM Chicago** - Oprah describes her move to Chicago, the "big leagues," and her hiring by Dennis Swanson to host AM Chicago.
- 3 (03:09) **Early Show Moments & Barbara Walters** - A montage of early AM Chicago clips is shown, including Oprah's nervous but historic interview with her idol, Barbara Walters.
- 4 (08:02) **Thanking Dennis Swanson** - Oprah surprises Dennis Swanson on a later episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to thank him for hiring her 11 years prior.
- 5 (13:08) **The Live Thank You Moment** - Oprah speaks live to Dennis Swanson on the monitor, thanking him for giving her the freedom to be herself on air.
- 6 (17:26) **The Power of "Just Be Yourself"** - Oprah explains why Swanson's advice to "just be yourself" was so powerful, especially against the reigning talk show king, Phil Donahue.
- 7 (20:32) **The First National Show: How to Find a Husband** - Oprah presents clips from the very first national Oprah Winfrey Show, which focused on finding a partner.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Today—September 8, 1986—marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most momentous days in Oprah's life and career. Forty years ago today the very first nationally syndicated episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired launching what would become a 25 year cultural phenomenon and pioneering television. In this special anniversary episode Oprah reflects on her extraordinary journey—from her early days as a news anchor in Nashville and Baltimore to her first audition tape and the lessons she learned hosting AM Chicago, the show that brought her to the Windy City. She also reveals the enduring early lessons that shaped her life's purpose and continue to guide her work today as well as how she lives each day in gratitude for what she considers a God-given opportunity.
00:00:00 Oprah on the beginning of The Oprah Winfrey Show
00:04:00 Oprah and Barbara Walters
00:09:00 Oprah’s audition and Dennis Swanson
00:18:30 - Oprah’s journal entry before her first national show
00:20:00 - Oprah's first show
00:30:00 - Oprah’s last show
00:35:50 - Don Johnson’s surprise
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https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381
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