the buzz log

Few celebrities are worshipped like Oprah Winfrey. And yet, according to the New York Times, Oprah's influence may be on the decline.

The Times reports that "the average audience for 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' has fallen nearly 7 percent this year." The article goes on to explain that her magazine, O, is losing subscribers, and some of her longtime fans are upset with her endorsement of Barack Obama. All that may be true, but there is another factor to consider—Oprah's hold over Search. Is it waning as well?

In a word, no. Searches for "oprah" are 19% higher in the first five months of 2008 than they were during the last five months of 2007. In early April, when Oprah interviewed the pregnant man, queries on the media mogul soared 68% and related searches on "pregnant man oprah" and "oprah interviews pregnant man" spiked enormously.

But that famous chat wasn't the only topic that drew searches. When Valerie Bertinelli talked about weight loss, folks looked up "walkvest," her not-so-secret weapon. Ditto for Dr. Oz and Bob Greene. When these health gurus come on the show, viewers turn to the Web for more information and advice. And when David Cassidy stopped by, searches on the former teen idol went through the roof. Think that level of interest would have happened without Oprah?

It's also worth noting that it's not just about the TV show. Oprah's online seminar on Eckhart Tolle and "A New Earth" inspired a huge following in Search. Queries on "oprah.com" and "oprah.com a new earth" roared throughout the 10 week webinar.

Oprah's viewership may be slipping, but we'd be hard-pressed to come up with another public figure who inspires searches like the queen of daytime TV. Oprah, we see no need to panic—you're still the biggest influencer in town.