Pat Sajak, born Patrick Leonard Sajdak, is an American television personality, former weatherman, and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.
Sajak won a contest on WLS radio's Dick Biondi Show to be a guest teen deejay. While at Columbia College Chicago, his broadcasting instructor Al Parker told him that a local radio station (WEDC) was looking for a newsman. Sajak applied for the job and was hired to work from midnight to 6:00 a.m. In 1968, Sajak joined the US Army and was sent to Vietnam, where he served as a disc jockey on Armed Forces Radio. On The Military Channel's program, An Officer and a Movie, Sajak admitted to botching President Richard Nixon's 1969 Christmas broadcast to the troops; he accidentally cut the feed off prematurely. Upon realizing the error, he decided it would be best not to resume the feed. In the early 1970s, Sajak DJed for a Murray, Kentucky, radio station for a year. Also in the early 1970s, Sajak began DJing at 50,000-watt WSM in Nashville; at the time WSM was playing pop music during the day, and he was the 3:00–5:00pm afternoon personality. The radio station's television sister, WSM-TV (now WSMV), brought Sajak on screen, first as a voiceover artist doing station identifications and anchoring the five-minute newscasts during NBC's Today Show, then as a weekend and substitute weatherman, where he became acquainted with anchor Dan Miller. In 1977 KNBC-TV in Los Angeles was looking for a weatherman, and spotted Sajak working in Nashville. Sajak accepted KNBC's request for him to be a full-time weatherman for the station.
In 1981, Merv Griffin asked Sajak if he would be interested in taking over the duties as host on Wheel of Fortune from Chuck Woolery. However, Fred Silverman, then president and CEO of NBC, rejected his hiring, claiming he was too local, and Griffin responded by imposing a moratorium on new tapings until Sajak was hired The issue became moot when Silverman was dismissed due to repeated programming failures and replaced by Brandon Tartikoff. Sajak, who had already hosted two game show pilots in 1980, Press Your Luck for Ralph Edwards (no relation to the 1983 CBS game show of the same name) and Puzzlers for Mark Goodson, accepted the position. He hosted both the daytime (NBC) and syndicated evening versions of Wheel from 1983 to 1989, and continues to host the latter version. With Sajak returning for his 36th season in 2018–19, he became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing Bob Barker, who hosted Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007. Sajak was officially honored as such by the Guinness World Records with the episode taped March 22, 2019 and aired May 8, 2019 (two days before the primetime version's 7,000th episode).
Sajak had a small role as a Buffalo, New York, newscaster in the 1982 comedy film Airplane II: The Sequel. When his late-night talk show on CBS premiered in January 1989, he left the daytime version of Wheel, and was replaced by former San Diego Chargers place-kicker Rolf Benirschke. Sajak appeared on Super Password several times from 1984 to 1989, as well as Password Plus in 1981, shortly before taking on hosting duties on Wheel. Other game shows on which Sajak guested were Dream House and Just Men!
ESTJ personality types are the pragmatic organisers, they like to get things done and done properly. They have little time for anything ethereal, woolly or conceptual preferring facts, figures, plans and procedures. These are the action-oriented characters who cut to the car chase and move quickly to completion, taking the least circuitous route, A-Z no deviation. The strength of the ESTJ is the desire, and ability, to adopt a decisive stance, take charge and get the job done which makes them 'natural' leaders whom others will readily follow.
ESTJs are built to project manage, which is why they are often found in Operations type roles, quickly weighing up the situation, setting targets and marshalling the resources to make sure the job is done - on time and within budget. The ESTJ has a strong work ethic and this includes loyalty to the cause - whatever that cause is. This desire to get things done may mean that they ignore the niceties, the softer issues as they tend not to be so well-tuned in to how other people are feeling. There is a strong competitive edge to the ESTJ, and a need to assume control and this can often make it difficult for others to deflect them from their chosen course of action. The ESTJ simply wants to get on and get things done. Formal and structured the ESTJ works best when everyone is clear as to the ground-rules, (the ESTJ will happily create them if they are lacking). Practical planners, ESTJs are factual, accurate, detailed and process driven the ESTJ will bring order, structure and focus to their environment.
Their ability to jump in and take charge can, however, become a weakness as the ESTJ will follow the traditional, tried-and-tested route, and may want to dive in quickly, get their hands dirty and ignore the advice of those who may want to reflect or try a different approach. This can mean the ESTJ will be traditional and often quite conservative in their approach, preferring the known to experimenting or trying a more novel, creative approach so they may not always adapt well to change, and indeed if pushed hard can make formidable opponents to any new order. For the ESTJ change must make logical sense and ‘if it ain’t broke then why fix it?’ ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. ESTJs are traditional and hierarchical, they exude work ethic. Power, position and prestige should be worked for and earned. Laziness is viewed with scorn and the credo is ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!’
The desire to ‘do’ can also make the ESTJ very present focused and so they may not necessarily appreciate how such present actions may impinge on the future nor do they excel at predicting or anticipating future trends or forecasting as they are keen to make quick decisions and are built to get to closure as quickly as possible in order to get the job done. So, the ESTJ may rush in without stopping to consider the full range of options open as their prime focus will be to get on with it and as such they may be difficult to budge. They plan with logic and objectivity, relying on empirical evidence and data rather than emotions. If something needs to be planned, organised followed-through then the ESTJ is the person to do it.
ESTJs are factual, accurate, detailed and process driven the ESTJ will bring order, structure and focus to their environment. Being extraverted, their focus involves organisation of people, tasks, processes, etc which all translates into “management.” While ENTJs enjoy organising and mobilising people according to their own ideas, ESTJs are content to enforce ‘the rules,’ often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority, if a job needs to be done, (‘done’ being the operative word), then leave it to an ESTJ. The extravert side also means they will have little trouble letting everyone know exactly where they stand. They tend to dislike sloppiness or mess and engender order and discipline within projects, teams and situations. Emotional arguments or pleading won’t work as only hard facts and logical reasoning ‘compute’ with the ESTJ.
Choose another celebrity type to compare side by side the different approaches work, attitudes to conflict and the way they engage with others.