Since her debut on the daytime version of Wheel of Fortune in 1982, Vanna has appeared in varieties of the show that have aired in every daypart. Vanna White is the co-host of Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. “The nice thing about working in local TV in LA,” said Sajak, “is that decision makers are watching you every night.” Merv Griffin’s decision has paid off for more than 40 years.

It was in that latter role where he was spotted by a talent scout for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles and, in 1977, he joined that station as its primary weatherman.įour years later, he was chosen by Wheel of Fortune’s creator, Merv Griffin, to assume hosting duties on the NBC daytime edition of the show. He joined the Army in 1968 and was sent to Vietnam where he joined Armed Forces Radio in Saigon where he began his daily show shouting, “Good morning, Vietnam!”įollowing his discharge, Sajak spent a year at another small radio station in Murray, Kentucky, and then moved to Nashville, where he spent five years at WSM-TV as a staff announcer, talk show host and weatherman. Sajak was born and raised in Chicago, where he broke into broadcasting as a newscaster and announcer at a small radio station. They helped shape what a television personality was, paving the way for so many others.”

“My early heroes were people like Arthur Godfrey, Dave Garroway, Steve Allen and, especially, Jack Paar.

“I was very lucky in that I always knew that I wanted to be in broadcasting,” says Sajak. In 2011, he was presented with a Daytime Emmy ® Lifetime Achievement Award. In a career spanning five decades, Pat has earned three Emmy ® Awards, a People’s Choice Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The top-ranked syndicated version made its debut in 1983, and in 2021, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premiered in primetime on ABC. Pat Sajak has been the host of Wheel of Fortune since 1981, when the show aired on network daytime television.

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