I recently saw an interview on Nightline with Judge Judy and then read an interview with Oprah. Both are enormously successful, but have very different shows and demands. They are both vying for #1 for queen of daytime TV.

Quick Facts about Judge Judy
15 years on the air – started being a family law judge and her style was profiled in an LA Times article then picked up on 60 Minutes. That publicity led to her reality TV show. It started slowly but has risen to the top rated show on daytime TV.

Watched by ten million people daily.

When asked about Oprah Judge Judy says: Her talents are boundless, I think she works 24/7 – it’s not for me. I like my life of balance.

Married with kids and grandkids.

She frequently beats Oprah in the ratings. 13^th Emmy nomination (no wins). Here’s the Nightline interview  of Judge Judy on Hulu.

She doesn’t try to form a relationship with the audience really and it’s not her entire life. Her audience is made up of paid extras which are carefully orchestrated to be part of the show

Her straightforward style that can be abrasive is said to start the mean TV style of Dr. Phil and others.

Salary: $25 million/year

Quick facts about Oprah

24 years on the air

Salary put at $385 million (according to Wikipedia) and is one of the highest paid TV stars and much more than Judge Judy (but after several million who’s counting, right?)

By her own admission she works hard and her work is her life. “I would like to have a little more balance…My obligations have become my life.”

I keep saying yes to everything, and managing it all gets to be overwhelming. A typical day for me starts here with a 6:30 workout; by 7:30 I’m in the makeup chair. And then I don’t usually get in the car to leave until 9, 10 o’clock at night. Get home just in time to breathe, get the damn puppy thing done—I don’t know what I was thinking, getting a puppy—then go to bed, get up, and start the whole process all over again. It’s too much.

Single, no children…”I do feel like I am a mother in a broader sense—to a generation of viewers who’ve grown up with me.”

7.4 million watch daily

I’m always curious about the most successful people in an industry. What it says to me is that you can be successful being Gary V and making your work your entire life. Or you can be Tim Ferris and pair down work to a minimum 4 hour work week so you can play the rest of the time. You can make your millions connecting with people, updating Twitter and not sleeping or you can do it on your terms.

I’m more Judge Judy than Oprah in terms of I want the balance. I don’t want my ambitions or work to consume my life. I’m also more Tim Ferris – it’s much easier for me to make money when I take myself out of it and let it run (which is why I love affiliate marketing.)

What about you – are you more Judge Judy or Oprah?

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• Judge Judy Stomps Oprah in Daytime TV Ratings (idiomag.com)

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