Criticism enlarges cracks in vast Winfrey empire

[Shana A]

Criticism enlarges cracks in vast Winfrey empire
Saturday,  June 7, 2008 3:13 AM
By Edward Wyatt
The NEW YORK TIMES

http://dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/06/07/1A_OPRAH_FADE.ART_ART_06-07-08_D1_CGAD2PG.html?sid=101

LOS ANGELES -- Oprah Winfrey remains the queen of all media, albeit one with a crown that is looking a bit tarnished.

The average audience for her syndicated daytime talk show, The O prah Winfrey Show, has dipped almost 7 percent this year -- the third straight annual decline, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Oprah's Big Give, an ABC philanthropic reality show, beat every other program except American Idol in its premiere week during the winter but steadily lost almost one-third of its audience through the rest of its eight-week run, Nielsen reported.

The circulation of O, the Oprah Magazine has fallen more than 10 percent in the past three years, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.