Oprah & Sarah: Strictly Business

Sarah and Oprah find mutual benefit

By ROBERT A. GEORGE

Updated 11:30 AM EDT, Thu, Oct 22, 2009

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Oprah and Sarah sitting down for a chat next month? Really? One an uber-famous talk-show host, black liberal Democrat. The other an instant media lighting rod, white conservative Republican. About the only thing they seem to have in common are past feuds with David Letterman, which, come to think of it, could give them plenty to chat about.

Actually, this sit-down makes perfect sense -- and shows how smart these two women are. Palin can use exposure for her new book and possible political future, and Oprah can mend fences with the segment of her audience alienated by her foray into partisan politics.

It was risky for Winfrey to endorse fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama in 2007. She had become the most successful daytime talk show host -- and arguably the wealthiest female entertainer -- by attracting a loyal following of women interested in building their self-esteem. Oprah had previously avoided taking political sides over her two-decade career. While she was vaguely liberal, she kept her personal politics under wraps. In 2000, she had both Al Gore and George W. Bush as guests.

That all changed two years ago. Oprah publicly announced that she was supporting Obama in spring of 2007, then made an unprecedented appearance on the Iowa campaign trail with Obama in December.

The other woman making a debut on the national political scene in the 2008 presidential cycle was the previously little-known governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. In office barely two years at the time, she became a political and cultural phenomenon when tapped by John McCain as his vice presidential running mate in August 2008. While becoming an instant hit at the GOP Convention in September 2008, as the campaign went on, she was the controversial figure -- beloved by most conservatives while scorned by liberals and much of the media. Notably, Oprah appeared not to want Palin on her show during the campaign.

Both women may have paid a price for their historic 2008 presidential campaign involvement: One year, after her initial Obama endorsement, Oprah Winfrey saw her ratings drop. That hangover seems to have continued. As a result, she's kick-started her 24th season with big-name guest stars and taking the show on the road to places like New York's Central Park and a Texas state fair.

Palin, meanwhile, apparently found the intense media spotlight too much for either her, her family, or both: She resigned as governor, immediately began cashing in on a lucrative speaking career -- and signed a big book deal.

And now, more than a year after Palin's debut, she'll finally appear on Oprah's show, the week her "Going Rogue" hits the stands. It's a masterstroke for both women. explicitlys a ready made huge audience of (primarily) women. She'll be able to talk about balancing work, family -- and politics. Oprah will, arguably, get an even larger audience than normal; it will come from conservative-leaning women who either never watched her show -- or got turned off her when she came out explictly for Obama.

But while politics might create the backdrop for their chat, the fact is that this is strictly business. They are now savvy business women who see that both their brands (and respective book sales, ratings, bank accounts, etc) getting huge spikes in a mutual broadcast appearance.

Will November 17 be must-see TV?

You betcha!

New York writer Robert A. George blogs at Ragged Thots. Follow him on Twitter.