Oprah’s Gone On-Line

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Oprah Winfrey has gone on-line. And for a beginner, she’s not doing too badly. Since its launch last month, “Oprah Online” has become one of the most popular features from “ABC Online” (available via America Online).

Why, oh why? After all, there’s the daily TV show. But, according to Lauren Marrus, vice president of ABC’s multimedia group, the on-line service is a direct extension of “Oprah,” the show, and is designed for the thousands of viewers who have their own questions.

“If you ever go to a taping, you see that the guests and the audience keeps yapping for up to an hour after the show has stopped taping,” says Marrus. “There is just so much more buzz. So what we’ve tried to do is to extend her message and themes beyond the walls of her studio.”

And that they have done: On launch night, Oprah addressed 2,300 attendees in an on-line “auditorium.” It was, says Marrus, the largest auditorium gathering in AOL history. Since then, “Oprah Online” has clocked more hours of usage per AOL customer than any other ABC Online property, “except maybe sports,” she says.

Oprah herself is only an occasional surfer. Her “appearances” continue to be sparse. But she does have a say-so in content. Experts often return from her shows for on-line chatfests.

The service is on continually, but the auditorium begins in the early evening, usually after the TV show.