Yumiko Arido, Shinichi Takeda, Maho Kuwako’s name is also on the list… NHK announcers are moving to Nippon TV one after another, “special relationship in the background.

Rumors are rife within Japanese TV stations that two big-name NHK announcers may be transferring to Nippon TV. The two are Maho Kuwako, 35, an ace announcer, and Minoru Aoi, 42, who recently announced her secret marriage to Yuka Aiuchi, 37, an announcer from TV Tokyo.

In fact, there are examples of announcers who were the face of NHK and are now active in Nippon TV’s flagship programs. A representative example is Yumiko Arido, 53, who is well known for her work on “news zero. Shinichi Takeda, 55, has also been selected as MC for “DayDay. The background is the history of the two broadcasters, which opened in the same year (1953).

In 2013, on the occasion of the station’s 60th anniversary, Arifumi and Nippon TV co-produced the NHK x Nippon TV 60th show, in which she appeared alongside NHK’s Toko Takeuchi as a selected NHK announcer.

Furthermore, in 2018, Takeda was selected by NHK for the “65 Years of TV Broadcasting: NHK x Nippon TV Collaboration Day,” which was co-produced at the time of the station’s 65th anniversary. Both NHK and Takeda had established a relationship with Nippon TV through special programs during the anniversary year,” said an NHK staffer.

Selected for a special program to commemorate the 70th anniversary

Kuwako and Aoi are said to be following in the same footsteps as Ariyuki and Takeda.

‘Actually, Kuwako was also chosen to be NHK’s representative announcer for the 65th anniversary special in 2018. But at the time, she had just divorced her first husband. It seems that there was a bad time for her to move on. She is now remarried to actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa and has no disabilities.

NHK and Nippon TV are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, and are planning to jointly produce a special program “70 Years of TV Broadcasting: NHK x Nippon TV Collaboration Week” for the third anniversary.

Will Kuwako and Aoi be transferred to Nippon TV as a result of the special program?

There is a good possibility,” said Aoi. But even if it were to happen, it would not be immediately. Both Arikata and Takeda moved to Nippon TV five years after the anniversary year special. Even if Kuwako and Aoi were willing to move, it would take time for negotiations. Like the Arido and Takeda announcers, it would probably be five years later, around the year 28,” said a Nippon TV employee.

It is well known in the industry that NHK and NTV have had a close relationship for some time. Top creators representing both stations have appeared on each other’s programs, and AXON, a subsidiary of Nippon TV, has been contracted to produce NHK’s variety programs and dramas.

The two stations have a good relationship; NHK wants information from commercial broadcasters. NHK wants information from commercial broadcasters, while Nippon TV has a lot to learn from NHK’s technical capabilities. It is a win-win situation.

There is talk that Nippon TV and NHK will work together in the future in areas such as distribution. The moves of announcers from both stations may change the power map of the TV world.