OPRAH WINFREY AND HER SHOW TOP EMMY WINNERS

Oprah Winfrey’s dramatic unseating of Phil Donahue as ruler of the daytime-TV talk-show circuit came to a fitting conclusion Tuesday as both she and her year-old syndicated program were honored at the 14th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

CBS’ “As the World Turns” was named best soap opera, ending a two-year reign by “The Young and the Restless.”

“As the World Turns” also picked up Emmys for three of its performers: Larry Bryggman (who plays Dr. John Dixon) as best actor, Gregg Marx (Tom Hughes) as best supporting actor, and Martha Byrne (Lilly Walsh) as best ingenue.

Kim Zimmer won her second Emmy as best actress in a dramatic serial for her role as Reva Shayne on CBS’ “Guiding Light.” She previously won in 1985.

Winfrey, whose daily series consistently topped Donahue’s in the ratings last season, was named best talk-show host and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was selected as best talk/service show. Except for 1984, either Donahue or his syndicated show had won an Emmy every year since 1978.

But Winfrey, who also served as host of Tuesday’s Emmy Award telecast on ABC, paid tribute to Donahue in her acceptance speech at the Sheraton-Centre Hotel in New York.

“When Donahue started,” she said, “people thought women were only interested in manicure tips and how to stuff cabbage, and Donahue showed they were interested in their lives and in other interests in their lives. And I thank him for paving the way.”

“The $25,000 Pyramid” was selected best game show for the fifth consecutive year, and PBS’ “Sesame Street” was named best children’s series for the third year in a row.

Other acting honors went to Kathleen Noone (Ellen Chandler) and Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin) of “All My Children” as best supporting actress and best younger leading man, respectively, and John Wesley Shipp (Martin Ellis) of “Santa Barbara” as best guest performer.

Bob Barker was named best game-show host for “The Price Is Right.”

Among the networks, CBS was the big winner, picking up nine of the 17 gold statuettes handed out on the air to go with 17 that it had won in non-televised ceremonies Sunday for craft categories.

ABC picked up four and wound up with eight total. NBC collected a total of five, PBS garnered seven and syndicated programs got four.

The win for “Sesame Street” was the ninth time it has won as best children’s series; it was pitted against CBS’ Saturday-morning hit “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which won six Emmys in the craft categories last Sunday.

The awards, covering the period between March 6, 1986, and March 5, 1987, were presented jointly by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The Emmys for prime-time programs will be presented Sept. 20 in nationally televised ceremonies.

Here are Tuesday’s Daytime Emmy winners.

Drama Series: “As the World Turns,” CBS.

Game Show: “The $25,000 Pyramid,” CBS.

Talk/Service Show: “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” syn.

Children’s Series: “Sesame Street,” PBS.

Children’s Special: “ABC Afterschool Special: Wanted: The Perfect Guy.”

Animated Program: “Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies,” CBS.

Lead Actress, Drama Series: Kim Zimmer (role: Reva Shayne), “Guiding Light,” CBS.

Lead Actor, Drama Series: Larry Bryggman (role: Dr. John Dixon), “As the World Turns,” CBS.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Kathleen Noone (role: Ellen Chandler), “All My Children,” ABC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Gregg Marx (role: Tom Hughes), “As the World Turns,” CBS.

Ingenue, Drama Series: Martha Byrne (role: Lilly Walsh), “As the World Turns,” CBS.

Younger Leading Man, Drama Series: Michael E. Knight (role: Tad Martin), “All My Children,” ABC.

Guest Performer, Drama Series: John Wesley Shipp (role: Martin Ellis), “Santa Barbara,” NBC.

Game Show Host: Bob Barker, “The Price Is Right,” CBS.

Talk/Service Show Host: Oprah Winfrey, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” syn.

Drama Series, Directing Team: “The Young and the Restless,” CBS.

Drama Series, Writing Team: “One Life to Live,” ABC.