Dr. Oz poses with WXIA-TV receptionist Regina Guilford. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Dr. Oz is both avuncular and authoritative, with an angular face and warm smile that makes many a woman’s heart skip a beat. That’s why Oprah liked him. And that’s why he, following Dr. Phil, has become the latest “Oprah” spinoff show.

And so far, Dr. Oz is making an impression, opening to strong numbers his first week both locally and nationally. (Watch him on WXIA-TV  weekdays at 3 p.m.) He is doing visits to TV affiliates and came through Atlanta last week. He set aside a few minutes for me.

“The ratings have been very strong,” Dr. Oz said to me in a break room at WXIA-TV studios. “That’s gratifying. I’m doing a good job delivering the message… I want to celebrate the joy of health. It has to be playful.”

His goal is to throw in a lot of useful medical information in one hour, with a half-dozen topics typically per hour. As he tested the idea of the show, he threw out topics he considered too narrow. For instance, cigarette smoking. “If you don’t smoke, you don’t care. That’s 80 percent of the people. If you smoke, you hear about it too much already.”

He shoots for a big noisy opening. (The one I saw last week focused on parasites that can tear you up from within!). Then go for useful bits such as five ways to figure out if you have cancer, five ways to stop a heart attack, why your water is so bad. “The show has to give action steps,” hes aid. “You move from the cerebral to the more emotional.”

Dr. Oz enjoys props, including actual body parts (such as real parasites that came from people’s bodies.). “People love it,” he said. “I always bring an audience member in to experience it for you.”

He does not plan to bring in many celebrities. They simply don’t live lives like you and me. Plus, they are often too savvy and well rehearsed. “I want a real experience,” he said. “But if a celebrity has a need for intevention… I won’t do it just because they’re in a movie.”

Dr. Oz, who comes across as the expert, admits he doesn’t know everything and will say so. “I get so much from the audience. They’ll tell me things I didn’t know. I don’t mind asking questions. I don’t mind saying I don’t know the answer.” He said his weakness is not always hearing the real question behind a question, the emotional issues behind it. “I don’t always have to fix the problem,” he said.

He notes that people have this old image of Dr. Marcus Welby. He wants to be that TV talk show version, a comforting interface, an entry to a dialogue.

Dr. Oz won’t delve into health care reform on this show but he does espouse the availability of free clinics (he did one recently in Houston.). Most people without health care work and most don’t take advantage of such free clinics, which are available in many places. People feel alienated, outside the system. He hopes his show can at least take them in a bit.

What’s the one bit of advice Dr. Oz does not always follow himself? “I tell folks to take five minutes to themselves. Hide in the bathroom. Let ideas flow through you., realize you’re in your own skin. I have difficulty doing that. Let the sound dim a little bit and focus on what’s important and what’s deep inside you.”

If you’re in New York City or are planning to, here’s a Web site explaining how to get into the audience. He can fit 200 people per taping and he tapes three days a week, two tapings a day. He’s in the former Conana O’Brien studio at 30 Rockefeller Center.

Dr. Oz w/ me.