Former talk show diva Oprah Winfrey is in some boiling water. On Sunday night, Winfrey took to Twitter, urging viewers, especially Nielsen households, to watch the OWN network as opposed to the Grammy Awards. After breaking Nielsen’s cardinal rules of never influencing a viewer and their TV-watching habits, Winfrey issued an apology on Monday.
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Nine-million Winfrey Twitter followers received the following tweet moments before her “Oprah’s Next Chapter” show began:
“Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Nielsen box.”
The responses from Winfrey’s tweet set off a firestorm, with many feeling that Oprah’s demands for her struggling cable channel were “desperate.” Winfrey defended her actions by tweeting back:
“The word ‘please’ is used as courtesy not a beg … ‘desperate’ not ever a part of my vocab … ‘unethical’ a little harsh don’t u think? Seemed like it made sense to me. Sorry if u’re offended.”
Soon after, Winfrey tweeted:
“It is Nielsen’s policy to note attempts to single out panel members to either change their viewing habits or otherwise influence or affect their reporting.”
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