[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'185400\' date=\'May 5 2008, 04:02 PM\']
[quote name=\'urbanpreppie05\' post=\'185392\' date=\'May 5 2008, 02:04 PM\']
While we're on the subject of Wheel of Fortune's rounds...extra stuff withstanding (the gift tags, the mystery round, the 25 space, the Big money space) I rather like the newer format- the game seems a lot faster.
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Could it be the game seems faster because there's less of it, thanks to commercial sponsorships and actual commercials?
And playing devil's advocate concerning its popularity, Wheel hasn't faced new competition since. . . when? It's still Entertainment Tonight, all the poor man's Entertainment Tonights, and sitcom reruns. Hollywood Squares was probably the last well-funded, well-cleared entry in prime access time. Before that it was, what, "$100,000 Name That Tune" back in the mid 80s?
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"The Challengers" was supposed to go head-on against "Wheel" and "J!" in many markets, but didn't last long.
All of the nighttime versions of daytime shows were meant to run in access--"Win, Lose or Draw," "Sale of the Century," "$100K Pyramid" and, of course, "Feud" with Combs. "Feud" was on the NBC-owned stations in access its first few years and was promoted up the wazoo on those stations during the 1988 Olympics (they even made Olympic-themed promos with Combs struggling to be an athlete).
And don't forget Davison "TPIR," although I don't know how many access slots it got.