Oprah Effect

With her captive hold on daytime TV viewers, Oprah Winfrey wielded huge influence on a significant American demographic. She was able to persuade her viewers to vote, purchase, and lobby in accordance with her show's promotions. Appearances on Oprah's show would convey instant celebrity, and her book recommendations shot to the tops of the New York Times bestseller list. Oprah Winfrey's stumping for a relatively obscure Illinois senator is often cited as a major factor in the election of President Barack Obama.

This phenomenon was coined the "Oprah Effect," and was later used to describe the practice of using "soft" news in daytime talk shows to influence voting trends among voters with a relatively low level of current events awareness. The View is a currently less successful attempt at deploying the "Oprah Effect" in its attempts to mobilize a resistance against President Trump. Apparently, people have less desire to associate themselves with Whoopi and Joy than with Oprah.