NHK
| Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Shibuya,Tokyo |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Public Broadcast |
NHK (日本放送協会, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), or Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japan's public broadcaster. Today it operates two terrestrial television services (NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV), three satellite services (NHK BS-1, NHK BS-2, and NHK Hi-Vision – High-definition TV), and three radio networks (NHK Radio 1, NHK Radio 2, and NHK FM). For audiences overseas it provides services called NHK World. "NHK World" is composed of NHK World TV, NHK World Premium, shortwave and internet radio NHK World Radio Japan, and the Internet. NHK's shortwave service was known as Radio Tokyo in 1930s and 1940s.
History
NHK was founded in 1926, modelled on the BBC radio company of the United Kingdom. A second radio network was started in 1931 and a shortwave service broadcasting to listeners overseas began in 1935.
In November 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army nationalised all public news agencies and coordinated their efforts through the Information Liaison Confidential Committee, which included representatives from the Army, the Navy, the Foreign Ministry, the Government Information Office, the Cabinet Information Bureau, the Home Ministry, the Ministry of Greater East Asia, the Transportation Ministry, the Domei News Agency and the NHK. Thereafter, all published and broadcast news reports became official announcements of the Imperial Army General Headquarters in Tokyo for the duration of World War II.
NHK started television broadcasts in 1953. It aired its first color television broadcast in 1960. Although the network first introduced commercial broadcasts to Japan, nowadays NHK is paid for by viewer fees. Under the "Hōsō Hō" (Broadcasting Act), residents of Japan who own a TV are obliged to pay a fee of approximately ¥1,345 per month (discounted to ¥14,910 per year) for color TV, and ¥2,290 per month (discounted to ¥25,520/year) for satellite broadcasts. (Prices quoted include 5% consumption tax.) However, the act does not stipulate any punishment for failure of payment. There are currently around 1 million households nationwide that are refusing to pay their NHK fees, and the government is considering a tougher approach to extracting payment, including legal prosecution and demand of back-payment. The recent rash of scandals involving NHK executives found to be misusing and embezzling funds among other things, has not helped their cause, and the number of refusals across the country has spiked dramatically with each new scandal coming to light.(see television license)
NHK World TV started broadcasts in 1995. The entire NHK network moved to digital broadcasting in 2000.
TV programming
NHK General TV broadcasts a variety of programming. The following are noteworthy:
- News- Local, national, and world news reports. NHK is one of the few international broadcasters to maintain reporting bureaus in Afghanistan and Iraq. NHK News 7 offers bilingual broadcasts on NHK General TV, NHK World TV and NHK World Premium. NHK also offers news for the deaf, regional news and children's news. News Today 30 Minutes is the new name of NHK NEWSWATCH which ran for 6 years. It is an English newscast designed for foreign viewers.
- Emergency Reporting- Under the Broadcast Act, NHK is under the obligation to broadcast early warning emergency reporting in times of natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Their national network of seismometers in cooperation with the Japan Meteorological Agency and skip-back cameras makes NHK capable of delivering the news in just 2-3 minutes after the quake. Their skip-back cameras are equipped with a back-up power supply in case the electricity is cut-off and are able to rewind fast to show the first moment of the shaking.
- Education- Education programmes are watched nation-wide at primary schools. "Tensai Terebikun MAX" (better known as TTK) is a one-of-a-kind educational show combining education with a bit of entertainment. TTK is currently hosted by the Yasuda Big Circus and a cast of 24 children ranging from ages 8 to 13.
- Weather- Weather in detail, nationwide, and international for travellers.
- Sports- NHK broadcasts the six annual Grand Sumo tournaments, high-school baseball championships from Koshien Stadium, Olympic Games, National Sports Festival of Japan, and a range of other sports. NHK also broadcasts Boston Red Sox games when Daisuke Matsuzaka pitches.
- News analysis- The network carries in-depth reports on current topics, political debate, and similar programming.
- Music- The annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen on New Year's Eve is the highlight. The weekly schedule includes an amateur hour, and prime-time shows for all ages.
- Drama- A sentimental morning show, a weekly jidaigeki and a year-long show, the Taiga drama, spearhead the network's fiction offerings.
- Documentaries- NHK has become known for its documentary series, first popularized by the miniseries Legacy for the Future, and "The Silk Road."
- Children- The longest running children's show in Japan, "Okaasan to Issho", still airs up to this day on NHK-ETV.
- Other- Cooking, comedy, exercise, etc.
NHK domestic broadcasting stations (NHK G / Radio 1 / NHK-FM)
NHK domestic broadcasting stations (NHK E / Radio 2)
| Jurisdiction | Broadcasting station | Call sign (NHK E / Radio 2) | Broadcasting area (Prefectures) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto･Kōshin'etsu | Broadcasting Center (Tokyo) | JOAB-(D)TV / JOAB | Tokyo |
| Yokohama | Kanagawa | ||
| Saitama | Saitama | ||
| Chiba | Chiba | ||
| Maebashi | Gunma | ||
| Mito | Ibaraki | ||
| Utsunomiya | Tochigi | ||
| Nagano | JONB-(D)TV / JONB | Nagano | |
| Niigata | JOQB-(D)TV / JOQB | Niigata | |
| Kofu | JOKC-(D)TV / JOKC | Yamanashi | |
| Kansai | Osaka | JOBB-(D)TV / JOBB | Osaka |
| Kobe | Hyogo | ||
| Kyoto | Kyoto | ||
| Nara | Nara | ||
| Ohtsu | Shiga | ||
| Wakayama | Wakayama | ||
| Tokai･Hokuriku | Nagoya | JOCB-(D)TV / JOCB | Aichi |
| Gifu | Gifu | ||
| Tsu | Mie | ||
| Fukui | JOFC-(D)TV / JOFC | Fukui | |
| Kanazawa | JOJB-(D)TV / JOJB | Ishikawa | |
| Shizuoka | JOPB-(D)TV / JOPB | Shizuoka | |
| Toyama | JOIC-(D)TV / JOIC | Toyama | |
| Chugoku | Hiroshima | JOFB-(D)TV / JOFB | Hiroshima |
| Okayama | JOKB-(D)TV / JOKB | Okayama | |
| Matsue | JOTB-(D)TV / JOTB | Shimane | |
| Tottori | JOLC-(D)TV / JOLC | Tottori | |
| Yamaguchi | JOUC-(D)TV / JOUC | Yamaguchi | |
| Tohoku | Sendai | JOHB-(D)TV / JOHB | Miyagi |
| Akita | JOUB-(D)TV / JOUB | Akita | |
| Aomori | JOTC-(D)TV / JOTC | Aomori | |
| Fukushima | JOFD-(D)TV / JOFD | Fukushima | |
| Morioka | JOQC-(D)TV / JOQC | Iwate | |
| Yamagata | JOJC-(D)TV / JOJC | Yamagata | |
| Hokkaido | Sapporo | JOIB-(D)TV / JOIB | Ishikari･Shiribeshi･Sorachi Subprefecture |
| Hakodate | JOVB-(D)TV / JOVB | Oshima･Hiyama Subprefecture | |
| Asahikawa | JOCC-(D)TV / JOCC | Kamikawa･Rumoi･Soya Subprefecture | |
| Obihiro | JOOC-(D)TV / JOOC | Tokachi Subprefecture | |
| Kushiro | JOPC-(D)TV / JOPC | Kushiro･Nemuro Subprefecture | |
| Kitami | JOKD-(D)TV / JOKD | Abashiri Subprefecture | |
| Muroran | JOIZ-(D)TV / JOIZ | Iburi･Hidaka Subprefecture | |
| Kyūshū･Okinawa | Fukuoka | JOLB-(D)TV / JOLB | Fukuoka (Fukuoka area etc.) |
| Kitakyūshū | JOSB-(D)TV / JOSB | Fukuoka (Kitakyūshū area etc.) | |
| Kagoshima | JOHC-(D)TV / JOHC | Kagoshima | |
| Kumamoto | JOGB-(D)TV / JOGB | Kumamoto | |
| Miyazaki | JOMC-(D)TV / JOMC | Miyazaki | |
| Nagasaki | JOAC-(D)TV / JOAC | Nagasaki | |
| Oita | JOID-(D)TV / JOID | Oita | |
| Okinawa | JOAD-(D)TV / JOAD | Okinawa | |
| Saga | JOSD-(D)TV / JOSD | Saga | |
| Shikoku | Matsuyama | JOZB-(D)TV / JOZB | Ehime |
| Takamatsu | JOHD-(D)TV / JOHD | Kagawa | |
| Kochi | JORB-(D)TV / JORB | Kochi | |
| Tokushima | JOXB-(D)TV / JOXB | Tokushima | |
| -- | NHK BS1 | -- | Japanese whole area (Broadcasting Satellite) |
| NHK BS2 | -- | ||
| NHK BShi | -- |
Notable programs
|
|
Japanese broadcasting networks
- Public broadcasting (TV･AM･FM)
- NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
See also
35°39′55.07″N 139°41′45.41″E / 35.6652972°N 139.6959472°E