Oprah is America's Top Favorite TV Personality for Fifth Year in a Row

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, The Harris Poll(R) has asked U.S. adults "Who is your favorite TV personality?" and for the fifth year in a row, Oprah Winfrey lands in the number one position as America's favorite television personality. Jon Stewart is in second place for the second year, while Bill O'Reilly moves up one notch to third place. Next is a newcomer to the list -- Hugh Laurie (star of the television show, "House"), who debuts in fourth place, while veteran late night host David Letterman drops from number three to fifth place. Letterman's rival, Jay Leno, is number six on the list (dropping from 2005 when he was tied for fourth place).

These are the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,162 U.S. adults surveyed online between December 12 and 18, 2006 by Harris Interactive(R).

Besides Hugh Laurie, there are two other new TV personalities who make it into the top 10 list, one for the first time and one from previous years. Ray Romano returns at number seven while "24's" Kiefer Sutherland, who plays "Jack Bauer" on that show, makes his debut on the list, tied for eighth place. Rounding out the top 10 are two repeats -- Ellen DeGeneres and Conan O'Brien, who are also tied for eighth place on this list. DeGeneres dropped from number six while O'Brien dropped from number seven.

Three people dropped off the list: Jerry Seinfeld (previously ranked eighth), George Lopez (previously ninth) and Tim Allen (previously tenth). Interestingly, the list lost three sitcom stars and gained two drama stars and one sitcom star. This might be an indication of what types of television shows viewers are watching.

Not surprisingly, there are differences in favorite television personality when it comes to some demographic breaks. Women cite Oprah as their top television personality, but men choose a different talk show host -- Bill O'Reilly. There are also interesting age breaks: Echo Boomers (ages 18 to 29) say Conan O'Brien is number one, while Gen Xers (ages 30 to 41) turn away from talk and say Hugh Laurie is their favorite television personality. Baby Boomers (ages 42 to 60) say Oprah is their favorite while Matures (ages 61 and over) say it is Bill O'Reilly. Finally, even with television stars, political boundaries are drawn. Conservatives say Bill O'Reilly is number one while Liberals say Jon Stewart is their favorite.

                                 TABLE 1
                         FAVORITE TV PERSONALITY
                  "Who is your favorite TV personality?"

  Base: All adults

           '93 '94  '95  '96 '97  '98 '99  '00 '01  '02* '03  '04 '05  '06
  Oprah
   Winfrey   2   2    3    3   3    1   2    1   3     1   1    1   1    1

  Jon
   Stewart   *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   *     *  =6   =2   2    2

  Bill
   O'Reilly  *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   7     5   3    8  =4    3

  Hugh
   Laurie    *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   *     *   *    *   *    4

  David      6   6    4    5   7    *   *    6   4     3   2   =2   3    5
   Letterman

  Jay Leno   *   8   10  =10   8   =6   *   =7   6     9   5    5  =4    6

  Ray
   Romano    *   *    *    *   *    *   *   =7   5     2   4    4   *    7

  Kiefer
  Sutherland *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   *     *   *    *   *    =8

  Ellen
  DeGeneres  *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   *     * =10    7   6    =8

  Conan
   O'Brien   *   *    *    *   *    *   *    *   *     *   *    *   7   =8


  * The 2002 survey was conducted in January 2003.
  "=" means there was a tie for that position



                       DROPPED OFF OF LIST IN 2006
         Jerry Seinfeld (was No. 8), George Lopez (was No. 9) and
                          Tim Allen (was No. 10)

                                 TABLE 2
              FAVORITE TV PERSONALITY AMONG DIFFERENT GROUPS


  AMONG:                                                 2006
  Men                                               Bill O'Reilly
  Women                                             Oprah Winfrey

  Echo Boomers (18-29)                              Conan O'Brien
  Gen X (30-41)                                      Hugh Laurie
  Baby Boomers (42-60)                              Oprah Winfrey
  Matures (61+)                                     Bill O'Reilly

  Conservatives                                     Bill O'Reilly
  Liberals                                           Jon Stewart
  Moderates                                         Oprah Winfrey


  Methodology

This Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between December 12 and 18, 2006, among 1,162 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 1,162 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- three percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

  J28941
  Q975

  The Harris Poll(R) #5, January 17, 2007
  By Regina Corso, Director, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive

  About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

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   Harris Interactive
   585-214-7756

  Harris Interactive Inc. 1/07