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Dr. Kniker, a Guest on the Oprah Show
Guests from S.A. praise Oprah for 'warmth'
By JEANNE JAKLE - TELEVISION WRITER
Published 06:14 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A San Antonio doctor still can't believe his good fortune; he got to experience something that many only dream about.
"My God, I was on the Oprah show!" Dr. Ted Kniker, an allergy specialist, said in a chat about his visit to The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Kniker was invited to sit on that famous couch back in 1995, when he still was on the staff of the University of Texas Health Science Center. The purpose was to discuss the positive and negative effects of certain foods on children.
He said he felt nervous at first, but Winfrey's warmth and graciousness quickly put him at ease. His hostess even took time before the taping to make sure everyone pronounced his unusual name - "Ke-nicker, not nicker" - right.
He said he was deeply impressed that a woman with such a modest background "evolved into this fantastic person who can meet all kinds of people and extract from them so many unique and interesting things."
Kniker was far from the only San Antonio resident eager to talk about Winfrey's impact as the end of her talk reign neared. Her swan song airs at 4 p.m. today on KSAT.
Two TV newswomen enthused over how pampered they felt during their show visits many years ago. KSAT's Leslie Mouton was battling breast cancer at the time and had lost her hair during chemotherapy. She went public with her disease, even chucking her wig and anchoring the news bald. Her courage was noticed by Winfrey, who beckoned Mouton in 2001 to appear on her show.
Mouton recalled how Winfrey shared her own experience of being bald.
"As she put it, 'It wasn't cancer, it was just a bad perm,'" she said. "But she related to the trauma of a woman losing her hair and the pressures of being a woman on television."
In 1994, when KENS reporter Wendy Rigby was chosen as one of 16 newswomen to get a makeover by Winfrey's slew of beauty and fashion experts, she received first-class treatment every step of the way.
She came away looking great, but the highlight was meeting Winfrey.
"She was gregarious and smart and funny," Rigby recalled.
Winfrey also left a lasting impression on a San Antonio family led by two gay dads. Longtime San Antonio Independent School District employee Mark Sutherland-Trevino and Andy, his husband of many years, brought their kids - six of them at the time, ranging in ages from 3 to 14 - on a 2007 program devoted to extraordinary families.
"Oprah treated us like royalty," Sutherland-Trevino said, "even served milk and cookies to the kids."
He said there will be a void when this "philanthropic, feel-good woman" leaves afternoon TV.
Lots of San Antonio viewers heaped accolades on Winfrey, as well.
"There have been many (shows) that brought me to tears and others that had me laughing so hard," Betsy Britton wrote on Facebook. "One I do remember that touched my soul was when she went to Auschwitz with Elie Wiesel."
"I appreciate that Oprah allowed viewers to see her flaws as well as strengths," Eileen Pace said.
Kate Gianotti said she was impressed by Oprah's "Amarillo shows" of 1998, when Winfrey held her head high even while being sued by cattle ranchers for what they termed her anti-beef remarks.
"Oprah taught me to be grateful," Jonathan Jones said. "When things in life start heading south, she reminded us to take a minute to reflect on things that really matter."
However, it's doubtful anyone will miss her more than ABC affiliate KSAT, which has carried The Oprah Winfrey Show for 16 years. Not only was the show a huge ratings draw, but it also provided a healthy lead-in to the station's 5 p.m. local news.
"Oprah is an institution (that) has forever changed the face of daytime television," KSAT general manager Jim Joslyn said in a statement. "We at KSAT12 have loved having Oprah as part of our afternoon lineup."
Only time will tell if KSAT's 4-5 p.m. replacements - a new local newscast, followed by Inside Edition - will be met with similar enthusiasm.
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By JEANNE JAKLE - TELEVISION WRITER
Published 06:14 p.m., Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A San Antonio doctor still can't believe his good fortune; he got to experience something that many only dream about."My God, I was on the Oprah show!" Dr. Ted Kniker, an allergy specialist, said in a chat about his visit to The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Kniker was invited to sit on that famous couch back in 1995, when he still was on the staff of the University of Texas Health Science Center. The purpose was to discuss the positive and negative effects of certain foods on children.
He said he felt nervous at first, but Winfrey's warmth and graciousness quickly put him at ease. His hostess even took time before the taping to make sure everyone pronounced his unusual name - "Ke-nicker, not nicker" - right.
He said he was deeply impressed that a woman with such a modest background "evolved into this fantastic person who can meet all kinds of people and extract from them so many unique and interesting things."
Kniker was far from the only San Antonio resident eager to talk about Winfrey's impact as the end of her talk reign neared. Her swan song airs at 4 p.m. today on KSAT.
Two TV newswomen enthused over how pampered they felt during their show visits many years ago. KSAT's Leslie Mouton was battling breast cancer at the time and had lost her hair during chemotherapy. She went public with her disease, even chucking her wig and anchoring the news bald. Her courage was noticed by Winfrey, who beckoned Mouton in 2001 to appear on her show.
Mouton recalled how Winfrey shared her own experience of being bald.
"As she put it, 'It wasn't cancer, it was just a bad perm,'" she said. "But she related to the trauma of a woman losing her hair and the pressures of being a woman on television."
In 1994, when KENS reporter Wendy Rigby was chosen as one of 16 newswomen to get a makeover by Winfrey's slew of beauty and fashion experts, she received first-class treatment every step of the way.
She came away looking great, but the highlight was meeting Winfrey.
"She was gregarious and smart and funny," Rigby recalled.
Winfrey also left a lasting impression on a San Antonio family led by two gay dads. Longtime San Antonio Independent School District employee Mark Sutherland-Trevino and Andy, his husband of many years, brought their kids - six of them at the time, ranging in ages from 3 to 14 - on a 2007 program devoted to extraordinary families.
"Oprah treated us like royalty," Sutherland-Trevino said, "even served milk and cookies to the kids."
He said there will be a void when this "philanthropic, feel-good woman" leaves afternoon TV.
Lots of San Antonio viewers heaped accolades on Winfrey, as well.
"There have been many (shows) that brought me to tears and others that had me laughing so hard," Betsy Britton wrote on Facebook. "One I do remember that touched my soul was when she went to Auschwitz with Elie Wiesel."
"I appreciate that Oprah allowed viewers to see her flaws as well as strengths," Eileen Pace said.
Kate Gianotti said she was impressed by Oprah's "Amarillo shows" of 1998, when Winfrey held her head high even while being sued by cattle ranchers for what they termed her anti-beef remarks.
"Oprah taught me to be grateful," Jonathan Jones said. "When things in life start heading south, she reminded us to take a minute to reflect on things that really matter."
However, it's doubtful anyone will miss her more than ABC affiliate KSAT, which has carried The Oprah Winfrey Show for 16 years. Not only was the show a huge ratings draw, but it also provided a healthy lead-in to the station's 5 p.m. local news.
"Oprah is an institution (that) has forever changed the face of daytime television," KSAT general manager Jim Joslyn said in a statement. "We at KSAT12 have loved having Oprah as part of our afternoon lineup."
Only time will tell if KSAT's 4-5 p.m. replacements - a new local newscast, followed by Inside Edition - will be met with similar enthusiasm.
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