Tuning in to Game Shows

Affording viewers the opportunity to play along at home, game shows are one of the most popular formats in television programming. The origins of game shows date back to Roy Ward Dickson’s Professor Dick and His Question Box, a 1935 Canadian radio quiz show. Within two years of its broadcasting, over two hundred of such shows were produced in North America alone. In the United States, the golden age of the television game show was in the 1970s, and featured such shows as Match Game, Family Feud, The $10,000 Pyramid and The Price is Right. The Price is Right actually first aired on the NBC and ABC television networks in the United States from 1956 until 1965, hosted by Bill Cullen. In 1972, Bob Barker took over and remained the host until 2006. Two other classic games shows which remain vibrant in syndication are Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, both devised by Merv Griffin. Seen in 55 countries, Wheel of Fortune currently holds the record for world's most popular TV game show. With the advent of stations like the Game Show Network, new game shows come out every year, delighting legions and legions of new fans.