Welcome to the very first national Oprah Winfrey show.
Back in 1986, she was a little known talk show host making her national debut. Today Oprah Winfrey is a one woman multi-media conglomarate and everyone knows her on a first name basis.
"Oprah has been on the air for...forever and she's kind of a part of everyone's life."
"She's an icon."
on the air就是‘to be broadcasting on the radio or television at the present moment 在广播或是电视上播出'，它的反义词是off the air.
Many Oprah fans tell me they are shocked by her decision to pull the plug on her show next September. She told her audience and viewers at home that they've enriched her life beyond measure.
pull the plug （on sth）这个词组的意思是‘to prevent a plan, business etc from being able to continue, especially by deciding not to give it any more money'，其实是很形象的，拔掉插头就没有电了，也就不能继续运行了，所以这里就是说奥普拉停掉了这个节目。
"When cameras were done rolling and she came back and said, you know, I just, I really do want to thank everybody and it means, you know, you mean so much to me. So she said it again, which was really nice."
It was vintage Oprah, relatable and emotional.
"Everybody seemed pretty sad and got emotional with her. I got a little teary-eyed and...yeah...yeah...yes, she did. She had to catch her breath and she got emotional. Big day. "
There are restrictions on showing you the video just yet, but here is a toast from what Oprah told her viewers.
"Why walk away and make the next season the last?" She asked. "Here's the real reason. I love the show. This show has been my life and I love it enough to know when to say goodbye. 25 years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit."
Winfrey has been the highest rated daytime talk show host for most of her quarter century on national TV. We watched her chat with celebrities; surprise her audience; build an empire; and endorse a president in her spare time. There were embarrassments like the Oprah book club selection that turned out to be bogus.
But for most of her fans, it's always been all about Oprah.
Her long-time struggle with her weight, speaking volumes about "I'm a lot like you" appeal.
"I'm mad about myself. I am embarrassed. I can't believe I'm still talking about weight."
Oprah's common touch has given her the Midas touch. She's worth an estimated $2.7 billion. She's sinking some of her fortune into a new cable TV venture, the Oprah Winfrey Network. It's scheduled to debut in January, 2011, just a few months after she ends her reign as the queen of daytime talk.
common touch/Midas touch
common touch的意思是‘the ability of someone in a position of power or authority to talk to and understand ordinary people 通常是指一些名人或是位高权重的人能够体恤民心、平易近人'，而Midas touch则是形容某个人做什么事儿都能成功、都能赚钱。
"I don't think I could be here without her. I think she has blazed a trail that is...she's an amazing, amazing woman."
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Chicago.