SPRINGFIELD, ILL.: Oprah Winfrey will be inducted into the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, the group said today. Winfrey will enter the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame as its sole inductee at luncheon ceremonies on May 3. ABC 7 Anchor/Reporter Cheryl Burton will serve as the emcee of the luncheon.
“Oprah is the epitome of broadcasting excellence,” said Dennis Lyle, president and CEO of the Illinois Broadcasters Association. “How fortunate for us that she chose Illinois to remain her stage through each phase of her career that has seen her skyrocket from local talk show host to national treasure to the global media personality she's become today.”
Winfrey came from Baltimore to Chicago in 1984 to host ABC 7 Chicago’s (WLS-TV) morning show, “A.M.Chicago.” Her skills as a host put the show to first place in the ratings. Two years later, she launched the “Oprah Winfrey Show” through Harpo Productions, her own company. The daytime talk show is internationally distributed to 145 countries worldwide, and viewed by millions of people around the world. She announced her exit from broadcast last year with the introduction of her own cable channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network, which launched Jan. 1, 2011.
Winfrey will join Paul Harvey, Hugh Downs and the late Frank Reynolds in the IBA’s Hall of Fame.
-- Television Broadcast
