DAYTIME TV QUEEN : OPRAH WINFREY’S BIG DAY, SEALED WITH A KISS

At one point during this week’s Daytime Emmy Awards, talk-show host Phil Donahue walked over to Oprah Winfrey’s table and kissed her on the cheek.

In a way, that quick buss Tuesday afternoon was a coronation--a king turning over the reins to the new queen of daytime television--and it’s only her first year with a national show.

“He came over and kissed me,” said a delighted Winfrey, who won an Emmy for best talk-show host and whose show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” was crowned best talk show in the land of daytime TV.

“He said ‘Congratulations, you deserve it.’ Isn’t that something,” Winfrey marveled. “It was only the second time I have ever met him.”

For most of the year, Winfrey and Donahue were said to be battling it out for talking-head supremacy. But there was no real feud; just two pros going about their jobs, and a little friendly competition. But as the ratings showed week after week, it was not much of a contest. Winfrey won hands down.

“Ain’t this a year I’m having,” said Winfrey.

Not only did she win big at the Daytime Emmys, but she also became the first woman to host the two-hour special broadcast by ABC.

“And a black woman, Lord have mercy,” Winfrey said.

Part of the reason Winfrey was chosen is that she is a soap fan herself and her favorite soap is “All My Children.” The Emmy telecast included a scene of a brief appearance Winfrey once made on the show. It was introduced by “All My Children” star Susan Lucci, the original daytime soap vixen, who was competing for the best actress award for the eighth straight year. Lucci lost out to Kim Zimmer of “Guiding Light.”

“My only disappointment of the day was that Susan Lucci didn’t win. I mean eight times, for goodness’ sake,” Winfrey said. “I had a momentary depression. But the director said, ‘Listen, you’re suppose to be objective. Get out there and do it.’ ”

As for Winfrey’s two Emmys, she’s already got a place in mind to display them.

“I think we’ll just put them on the show somewhere like they did on ‘Hill Street Blues’ and never mention them.”