Nice to be here. Thank you. Thank you.

 

Roger Ebert and I had gone on a date. Roger Ebert and I had gone out, and now I guess that’s what it was. I think it was a date. We went out. We went to a movie and yeah, I think it was.

 

They are never really gonna sell that manyvideos and…

 

Roger Ebert told me that syndication would be a good thing for my show and that there were people who had syndicated his show who would be interested in talking to me about it. I was shooting The Color Purple at the time these syndication talks and agreements were going on. And I was really at the time more interested in developing a movie career for myself. I was so excited about being in the Color Purple that I wanted that more than I wanted anything else ever in the world. And so when I was told that you’re gonna make this, you’re gonna have this big syndication deal. I was like, ok. I had done the scene in the Color Purple where Sofia hit the Mayor.

 

No, Miss Sofia. No, Miss Sofia, No…

 

I can’t believe you did this!

 

Get my children out of here!

 

I did that scene and was rushing through that scene because I needed to get to Chicago in time to make the big press announcement and sign the deal. So I did that--came signed the deal, went right back shooting tthe Color Purple.

 

In less than two months, a new show will debut here on Channel 6. It’s called Oprah. She is the reigning queen of TV talk in Chicago and it’s a title she hopes to claim nationwide.

 

I had a feeling that it was something remarkable I was embarking upon. I had no idea it would put me here 20 years later, talking about it. But I could feel that it was something special.

 

I read across a journal the other day I was cleaning up my drawer. So this is Sept. 8th, midnight, 1986, exactly the day before, 8 hours exactly before my national first show. I keep wondering how my life will change if it will change--what all this means; why have I been so blessed