Are you listening, Sierra Club?

I think I have uncovered another endangered species:

The American Game Show Announcer.

This species isn't exactly extinct yet: "The Price Is Right" has Rich Fields, Charlie O'Donnell remains the voice behind "Wheel of Fortune" and the aforementioned Mr. Gilbert (whom I first saw on "Yours for a Song," starring none other than Bert Parks) is still telling us that "This is 'Jeopardy!'"

But "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" has no announcer, and, more recently, neither does "Million Dollar Password." Meredith Vieira and Regis Philbin are such known quantities that they apparently, and literally, need no introduction.

I suppose this is a way of saving money; I also suppose not that many game shows these days end with those long lists of product plugs, which were the announcer's bread and butter (or Rice-a-Roni and butter).

Here's hoping that Rich, Charlie and Johnny hang on for a while.