Wink Martindale claimed he came up with the idea for the show while reading the Los Angeles Times. Martindale’s conception was originally known as Front Page, and he submitted it to Merv Griffin to see what he thought. Griffin was receptive to the idea, and he and Martindale struck a deal to try to sell the concept into syndication. Martindale would serve as executive producer and host of the series with his production company, Wink Martindale Enterprises, and Griffin’s as co-packagers and King World, who was partnering with Griffin to distribute Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! in syndication at the time, serving the same role for what eventually would become Headline Chasers.
