Wheel of Fortune (American game show)
| Wheel of Fortune | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Merv Griffin |
| Directed by | Jeff Goldstein (1975–78) Dick Carson (1978–99) Mark Corwin (1999–2013) Bob Cisneros (2013–15) Robert Ennis (2015–present) |
| Presented by |
Network Host Chuck Woolery (1975–81) Pat Sajak (1981–89) Rolf Benirschke (1989) Bob Goen (1989–91) Hostess Susan Stafford (1975–82) Vanna White (1982–91) Syndication Host Pat Sajak Hostess Vanna White |
| Narrated by |
Charlie O'Donnell (1975–80, 1989–2010) Jack Clark (1980–88) M. G. Kelly (1988–89) Jim Thornton (2011–present) |
| Theme music composer |
Alan Thicke (1975–83) Merv Griffin (1983–97) Steve Kaplan (1997–2006) Frankie Blue (2006–16) John Hoke (2007–present) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes |
Syndicated version: 6,000 (as of April 11, 2014) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Merv Griffin (1975–2000) Harry Friedman (1999–present) |
| Producer(s) | John Rhinehart (1975–76) Nancy Jones (1976–95) Harry Friedman (1995–99) Karen Griffith (1997–present) Steve Schwartz (1997–present) |
| Location(s) |
NBC Studios (Burbank) (1975–89) CBS Television City (1989–95) Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California (1995–present) |
| Running time | approx. 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Merv Griffin Productions (1975–84) Merv Griffin Enterprises (1984–94) Columbia TriStar Television (1994–2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–present) Califon Productions, Inc. |
| Distributor |
King World Productions (1983–2007) CBS Television Distribution (2007–present) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
NBC (1975–89, 1991) CBS (1989–91) Syndicated (1983–present) |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) (1975–2006) 720p/1080i (HDTV) (2006–present) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release |
Network January 6, 1975 – June 30, 1989 (NBC) July 17, 1989 – January 11, 1991 (CBS) January 14, 1991 – September 20, 1991 (NBC) Syndication September 19, 1983 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Wheel 2000 |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
Wheel of Fortune (often known simply as Wheel) is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel.
Wheel premiered as a daytime series on NBC on January 6, 1975, and continued to air on the network until June 30, 1989. After some changes were made to its format, the daytime series returned on July 17, 1989 as part of CBS's daytime lineup. On January 14, 1991, Wheel moved back to NBC and aired on that network until it was cancelled on September 20, 1991. The popularity of the daytime series led to a nightly syndicated edition being developed; that series premiered on September 19, 1983 and continues to air to this day.
The network version was originally hosted by Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, with Charlie O'Donnell as its announcer. O'Donnell left in 1980, Woolery in 1981, and Stafford in 1982; they were replaced, respectively, by Jack Clark, Pat Sajak, and Vanna White. After Clark's death in 1988, M. G. Kelly took over briefly as announcer until O'Donnell returned in 1989. O'Donnell remained on the network version until its cancellation, and continued to announce on the syndicated show until his death in 2010, when Jim Thornton succeeded him. Sajak left the network version in January 1989 to host his own late-night talk show, and was replaced on that version by Rolf Benirschke. Bob Goen replaced Benirschke when the network show moved to CBS, then remained as host until the network show was canceled altogether. The syndicated version has been hosted continuously by Sajak and White since its inception.
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