Both of these TV programs are gambling with money.
Lots of it. Merv Griffin created the programs many years ago and his estate
earns trillions in royalties, through licensing fees worldwide. But in the USA
their use of wagering (a/k/a gambling) somehow avoids taxation.
Contestants on both
shows can earn thousands of dollars, which is taxable, as is Jeopardy MC Alex Trebeck’s
six figure salary. The networks that syndicate these two shows pay millions to
the owners, probably Griffin family members or whoever has a stake in the heart
of some relative.
Somewhere along the
way, while Griffin was alive, he might have sold portions of the programs to
investors who speculate in such investments. For example, when opera singer
Mario Lanza was desperate for funds, he sold his record royalties to his manager for $25,000. Those recordings sold millions of copies for many years, and still do.
1 met his son sixteen
years ago and he said none of Lanza’s offspring received a dime from the
millions being paid to the manager in perpetuity. As a result, the MARIO LANZA
MUSEUM in Philadelphia is just a room in a brownstone. What a disgrace to this
great singer’s legacy!
Vana White and Pat Sajack are the titular stars of Wheel of Fortune. Vana has a lovely face, a sexy torso and the legs of a race horse. Pat is an attractive MC and looks 30 younger than he really is. They have both been doing the show for at least four decades and ABC-TV pays them a fortune for headlining this TV gambling enterprise.
I wonder why the US Treasury Department hasn't required ABC-TV to display the standard $50 tax fee for sponsoring a gambling operation? That badge of dishonor is often seen on the door window of a house where the residents host a weekly poker game party. And money exchanges hands. Legally.
Perhaps someone from the IRS will read this blog and files a claim with ABC-TV for a full field audit by government accountants. That move could reveal the trillions of unpaid taxes and papers filed in court to demand payment or else.
I don't think any major corporation wants the IRS in hot pursuit of their assets. Especially in this election year. Hear Hear Donald Trump. Show us your taxes!
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