In 1984, Oprah moved to Chicago to host WLS-TV’s morning talk show, A.M. Chicago. In less than a month, she turned the show into the “hottest show in town.” (Academy of Achievement) After a month on the air, her ratings began surpassing the ratings of her major competitor at the time, Phil Donahue. Within a year, the show was reformatted to a one-hour segment, renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and launched on September 8, 1986.