While Jeopardy! gets to air 100% of its shows on time, and then later the station will brag about how it's their highest rated show, partially because they make it that way. They once posted an infographic on their Facebook page saying that J! on WPVI gets more viewers than Game of Thrones, while they didn't even mention Wheel.
It wouldn't be as annoying if their specials were an hour long and resulted in both shows getting the same treatment, but this constantly keeps happening to Wheel (which partners with WPVI on several occasions for Philly salutes) and never Jeopardy!
EP Harry Friedman was livid when he found out CBS's acquisition of TNF would mean Wheel and/or J! would get pre-empted on CBS stations, and when CBS asked him about doing a special promotional J! category or Wheel puzzle for TNF, he said, "I don't find the logic in supporting programming that pre-empts us", and yet Wheel keeps partnering with affiliates that pre-empt the show multiple times per year for local specials and events, yet rarely if ever pre-empt Jeopardy! Nashville aired <80% of last season's episodes, yet Wheel partnered with WKRN last season. Naturally, they gushed about the show and didn't pre-empt any episodes that week, then went back to the usual afterwards; they even pre-empted a rerun of the Nashville salute week.
Sounds like Mr. Friedman's beef is with the syndicator. Why hasn't he tried to find another for his simpleton's delight of a game show that only achieved its "iconic" status by feeding its viewers eye-candy Vanna day after day after day?