WLNY/55 drops 'Wheel,' 'Jeopardy!'
In this Sept. 29, 2007 file photo, Co-host Vanna White and host Pat Sajak make an appearance at Radio City Music Hall for a taping of celebrity week on "Wheel of Fortune" in New York. Credit: AP
WLNY/55 -- now owned by CBS -- has dropped daily telecasts of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" because of a complicated rule known as "syndicated exclusivity," or "syndex." A few readers have asked, and we can definitely state: They aren't coming back, so you'll have to get your "Wheel" / "Jeopardy!" fix at WABC/7.
Per a CBS spokesman, "WABC has the syndex rights to air 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' " in NYC, which means WLNY could only air those shows in a portion of tristate area. Before last week, WLNY provided two feeds to local cable providers, one with the station's full schedule and a second feed with syndex programs blacked out, the spokesman said.
But, he added, Ch. 55 has now converted to HD -- that's right, CBS has brought the station into the 21st century -- which means the station is delivering one feed, the HD one, throughout the tristate area, which means the syndex rule has kicked in.
