Wheel of Fortune (often known simply as Wheel) is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin that debuted in 1975. 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. The current version of the series, which airs in nightly syndication, premiered on September 19, 1983. It stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White as host and co-host. The original version of Wheel was a daytime series on NBC from January 6, 1975, to June 30, 1989, then on CBS from July 17, 1989, to January 11, 1991, and again on NBC from January 14, 1991, until it was cancelled on September 20, 1991, thereby co-existing with the nighttime version from 1983 to 1991.