Official: Jim Thornton Chosen as New “Wheel of Fortune” Announcer

Edit: It’s official.  As we previously reported in February, Jim Thornton has been named the new announcer of Wheel of Fortune. Jim’s official run starts on the season debut, September 19th. “We are delighted to welcome Jim Thornton into the Wheel of Fortune family,” said Wheel of Fortune executive producer Harry Friedman. “Jim’s rich, friendly voice and engaging personality are a great fit for our show and its tradition.”

“This has been a lifelong dream, and to be able to follow in the footsteps of a legend like Charlie O’Donnell is truly humbling,” said Thornton. “Being selected as announcer for Wheel of Fortune is a huge honor. Now I just have to make sure I don’t call out the answers to the puzzles when my mic is open!”

Looks like we could have found our Wheel of Fortune announcer.  This doesn’t have television show confirmation but it’s coming from a pretty good source.  A fellow game show announcer, on Facebook, indirectly gave significant clues that Jim Thornton, one of the guest announcers Wheel of Fortune has used since the passing of Charlie O’Donnell, has been selected as the new permanent announcer.  Specifically, the clue put Jim’s name is a Wheel style puzzle before saying (s)he has no further comment.  I didn’t see Jim, so I’ve got no feedback.  But for those of you that have seen him, what do you think?