Wheel debuted on January 6, 1975, on NBC;
it was put on the air as compensation for cancelling Jeopardy (which
Merv Griffin produced) with one year remaining on its contract. Woolery
was the show's original host, and Susan Stafford was the original
hostess. Announcer Charlie O'Donnell has been "the voice of the Wheel"
since episode one in 1975, save for most of the 1980s when Jack Clark
announced due to O'Donnell's obligations to other shows. After Clark
passed away in 1988, Los Angeles-area disc jockey MG Kelly briefly
filled in (except for two weeks taped in Radio City Music Hall, where
Don Pardo filled in) until O'Donnell was able to take over permanently
in early 1989.
The theme song used from September 1975 to July 1983 is called "Big
Wheels" by Alan Thicke.
Chuck Woolery left Wheel on December 25, 1981, after a salary dispute
with Griffin. Three days later, Pat Sajak replaced him. Susan Stafford
left a year later to pursue volunteer work. Substitute letter turners,
including Summer Bartholomew (who would later be seen on Sale Of The
Century) filled in, until Vanna White was picked as a replacement.
(Stafford would return to fill in for a week in 1986.) Sajak left the
daytime show on January 9, 1989, to do a nighttime talk show for CBS
that would fail after one year. Former football player Rolf Benirschke
hosted the daytime show until NBC dropped it on June 30, 1989; Bob Goen
became its host when it moved to CBS on July 17 of that year. The
daytime show moved back to NBC on January 14, 1991, and was cancelled on
September 20, 1991. A nighttime version of Wheel, which is syndicated to
stations around the country, debuted on September 19, 1983. This version
still airs today, and after two decades the show continues to have the
highest Nielsen Ratings of any syndicated program. Pat Sajak and Vanna
White have hosted the nighttime version since its debut.
The show's set, puzzle board, and other props have changed over the
years; for descriptions of set changes over time.
Above text has been taken from
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