Lina Ko November 24th, 2009
Everything good must come to an end. So when Oprah finally announced on her show last week that her daytime TV show would end in 2011, both she and her audience choked up on air.
However, according to a lot of journalists and entertainment analysts, this hardly came as a surprise. Oprah calling it quits with her syndicated talk show became inevitable like Jerry Seinfeld quitting his hugely successful sitcom. One of the richest people in the world, Oprah has moved from an afternoon icon to magazine publisher to Broadway impresario to movie producer. She has become not only an entertainment giant, but also a motivational inspirer and the most powerful pop culture and even political influencer.
With her new venture in 2011, the Oprah Winfrey Network, we will probably see more of Oprah, instead of less. The most successful personal brand of Oprah will reach new heights with her own cable network. With her evolution as a household name over the last two decades, Oprah has always, in Rob Salem’s words, “managed to maintain her emotional integrity and boundless empathy, while also possessing the foresight and business savvy to retain ownership and creative control of her own brand.” We will not see the last of Oprah. It’s just another stage of renewal for the Oprah brand.
Lina Ko November 12th, 2009
In spite of a tough economic climate, most Canadian boomers are still giving generously when it comes to charitable donations of money and time. According to a new survey by the BMO Retirement Institute, an overwhelming majority of Canadians open their wallets to charities and other philanthropic causes, with an 84 percent donor rate in 2007 resulting in more than $10 billion. This represents a 12 percent increase or $1.1 billion over figures from 2004.
The report also indicated that Canadians’ generosity went beyond financial donations in 2007 as well, with 2.1 billion hours of volunteered time to charities – equating more than a million full-time jobs.
According to the BMO report, titled The Evolution of Giving: From Charity to Philanthropy, boomers also have lofty charitable goals for the next five years, with 82 percent saying they intend to at least maintain their current contribution rates.
I’ve blogged before on the subject of boomers wanting to give back to the community as they mature. Charitable causes might just continue to be recession-proof because of the boomers’ contributions!
Lina Ko November 3rd, 2009
Having just blogged about the rise in demand for physiotherapy, I was glad to come across a women’s gym that offers customized solutions for women boomers to stay active and fit. Contours Express, based in Kentucky, U.S.A., has Canadian franchises across Canada – Alberta, B.C., Nova Scotia and Ontario – aiming to make a difference in women’s lives. Although most of their members are boomers, the fitness centres also attract overweight teenagers, Gen-Xers, Gen-Yers and even seniors who want to keep fit in a fun, safe and non-intimidating environment.
Guided by qualified fitness trainers, the women’s gyms offer a 29-minute workout combining weight-based equipment with an aerobic exercise. I have a few girlfriends who want to lose weight and feel more energetic, but are too intimidated by most of the gyms because, believe it or not, most of the men and women frequenting gyms downtown are actually extremely fit. Because I haven’t seen any fitness centres in urban centres that offer customized solutions for boomer women, I hope Contours Express might consider opening a franchise in downtown Toronto. But, at the moment, their gyms in Newmarket, Burlington, Orillia and Whitby are helping women in these suburbs who want to help themselves.