Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is a great example of how women's roles have changed over the last century. Oprah has thrived greatly in life and has grown up from a poor childhood of abuse and molestation. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, where she was raised by her grandmother. She ran away from home at age 13 to a youth center but was rejected because there weren't enough beds. Then, as a last resort, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he lived with his father. Her father was very strict in forcing her to read and write weekly book reports, always pushing her to do her best. Oprah attended college at Tennessee State University, where she majored in speech communications and performing arts. Her father's high standards inspired her to aim for and achieve more in life. Oprah was involved in several groups and pursued her interests in media and journalism while in school. Although her early life was full of difficulties, she was always gifted with intelligence and graduated with honors. Oprah began her talk show career in 1976, moving to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor. , and in 1978 she discovered her talent for talk show hosting when she became co-host of WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking," while continuing to serve as an anchor and reporter. In January 1984, he came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," a faltering local talk show. In less than a year, he turned "AM Chicago" into the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to an hour and was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in September 1985. Seen nationwide since September 8, 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" became the number one talk show on national broadcasts in less than a year. In June 1987, in its first year of eligibility, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received three Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction. In June 1988, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Program/Feature, and she herself received the "Broadcaster of the Year" award from the International Radio and Television Society. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman to receive the honor in the 25-year history of IRTS. Oprah founded her own production company called HARPO Productions, making her the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show..