Fuji’s Yurika Mita & Asahi’s Ayumi Hirodo & TV TOKYO’s Kasumi Mori…popular female announcers leaving the company: “Too cruel a future clarity”.

The outflow of mainstay announcers at each station is unstoppable.

This year, Fuji Television’s signature announcer Yurika Mita (35) and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation’s ace announcer Ayumi Hirodo (31) announced their departures. In addition, TV Tokyo announcer Kasumi Mori (27), who has been called a candidate for the next ace, is also expected to leave the company this spring.

The TV industry today has lost a lot of influence and financial power. With the rise of the Internet, TV culture itself is in decline. In addition, due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis, sponsors’ advertising fees have been drastically reduced. The continuing exodus of talent is probably due to the fact that there is no longer any hope for the future of the industry. If salaries are not expected to increase due to funding cuts at all stations, it will be very difficult to maintain motivation,” said an entertainment desk reporter at a sports newspaper.

All three have played central roles at the station. Therefore, they are expected to perform spectacularly in their new locations, but they have “three different futures” in store for them. Mita, who boasts the longest career of the three, has a solid plan for the future.

She has carried the station’s expectations as an ace announcer ever since she joined the company, and with her 35th birthday coming up and childbirth and childcare on the horizon, it was the perfect time for her to call it quits. There is no doubt that she has been a longtime supporter of Fuji Television, which has been in the doldrums, and she is very well known.

Although she has not stated her future plans, if she were to become a freelance announcer, there would be many people who would be interested in her. His annual income, which is currently said to be around 12 million yen, is expected to increase significantly. She is probably thinking of her family first, but no matter what path she chooses, she will be safe in the future,” said an advertising agency official.

Another who also has a guaranteed future is Hirodo, who has announced that he will be going freelance. He has been a member of a wide range of programs from “Nekuto Koshien” and “Entertainer Ratings Check” to the information program “Sunday LIVE! She has been active in a wide range of genres, from “Nekotsu Koshien” and “Entertainer Ratings Check” to the information program “Sunday LIVE!

Her ability, vigor, and popularity now surpass those of female announcers at other key stations in Tokyo. She has gained the trust of a wide range of people, from such big-name celebrities as Downtown’s Hamada (Masanori Hamada, 59) and Higashiyama (Noriyuki Higashiyama, 56) to people in the baseball world, including the Hanshin Tigers baseball team and high school baseball. Her reason for leaving the company was clear: she wanted to work in a variety of fields in addition to announcing, and she will be working freelance in the future.

On the other hand, there is concern about Mori at TV Tokyo. After leaving the station, it is believed that he will use his ability to send out information to his more than 380,000 followers on Instagram to engage in influencer-like activities on social networking sites.

She said, “Although having more than 380,000 followers on Instagram is impressive, it is only because I had the signboard of being an announcer at TV TOKYO. She has not made any major achievements like Ms. Mita and Mr. Hirodo, and I wonder how many people in the industry are willing to actively use her…. How much influence will she be able to maintain amidst the loss of exposure? It will be a year of competition.

There is a strong possibility that the “leaked backstage audio” reported in the Weekly Bunshun in September 2020, which is said to belong to Mori, will also have a negative impact.

He said, “‘Get some skills. Get married and join some kind of office. “I’m going to work only on Saturdays and Sundays. I’m trying to make a track record at TV TOKYO for that,'” and other negative content, which greatly affected his reputation and popularity within the company. That image remains today and may affect my future work. In any case, it will be a tough start.

The three have been ace performers at their respective stations. However, it seems that the future of the three will be very different.