Bob Barker
...rom the incredibly high ratings for the 30th anniversary show in January 2002. Since then, the prime time specials have returned in spurts for sweeps weeks and on occasion when CBS's turn in the rotation occurs for the Daytime Emmy Awards, including the post-September 11 terrorist attack themed episodes honoring the different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Coast Guard, etc.) and public safety officers, and later special occasions. Coincidentally, the first of the specials saluting the Armed Forces to air was the Navy, which was Barker's own branch of the military, and both CBS and RTL showed photos from Barker's own time in the Navy. During the prime time shows, the prizes are more extravagant than in the daytime version, and the cash amounts are higher, with Plinko, It's in the Bag, and Grand Game featuring higher dollar values. In the Showcase Showdown, the $10,000 bonus was replaced during the specials. In the 2002 military specials, $100,000 can be won if the player spins $1.00 in their bonus spin, but was never won. Since 2003, a $1,000,000 prize can be won on the prime time version; this has yet to be won, however there have been a few close calls.On September 4, 1972, Barker began his most famous assignment hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. In the four decades of the CBS version, he has become far more synonymous with the show than first host Bill Cullen was with the 1950s–1960s original. In 2002, The Price Is Right celebrated 30 consecutive years on the air. It is the longest running game show of all time in North America, and is also the longest running five-day-a-week daytime entertainment program (and only The Tonight Show's 50 years on the air has surpassed it in terms of overall five-day-a-week American entertainment television programming). Overall, in daytime programming (excluding Saturday and Sunday), The Price Is Right is ranked 6th among the longest-continuing television programs (NBC's Today ranks the longest, followed by four daytime soap operas: Guiding Light, As the World Turns, General Hospital, and Days Of Our Lives). It has won its timeslot (11 a.m. Eastern) for the past 25 years, with its closest competitor (currently ABC's The View) normally getting about half of TPiR's ratings. Barker has recently had success with a prime time version of The Price Is Right. This stemmed f...