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"SEND ME BACK TO PRISON! My final plea is to you Miss Winfrey," reads a billboard in suburban Chicago that is hoping to gain the attention of the humanitarian media queen.
The ad is the handiwork of Christian musician and songwriter David Joseph, of Mayfield, Pa., reports the Associated Press. TV news reports quote Joseph, 37, as saying that a relative spent "thousands" of dollars to rent the sign, which went up last Friday and includes Joseph's photo and a contact number.
What's it all about? Joseph explains he spent years performing for federal inmates – making $20,000 a year in 80 to 90 prisons – until funding for his work came to a halt after 9/11. He'd like his job reinstated.
Not that the musician wants money from Oprah; he just wants to use her show as platform to reveal his plight. "My main desire is to tell my story on a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show," he says, hoping that a donor will step forward as a result of the vast exposure.
By Thursday, the billboard had yielded Joseph some crank calls, but as for Oprah being on the other end of the phone: "I haven't heard from her or any of her people as of yet," he said.
Harpo Studios Inc., Winfrey's production company, did not return calls from the Associated Press seeking comment.
