Viking to Cut Expenses and Select Local Announcers as MCs

It was announced that “Viking MORE” will be terminated at the end of March next year due to the departure of Shinobu Sakagami, the long-time “daytime face” of Fuji Television. It seems that the new program will be different from the one in which Sakagami slashes entertainment scandals and political topics.

The chief producer and producer of “Mezamashi 8” and the general director have been transferred from “Mezamashi TV. The new program will not be a hard-hitting program like the one when Ms. Sakagami was there, but more like “Non-Stop” which deals with current affairs but in a relaxed manner.

(Fuji TV insider) However, the search for a host who will be the “face” of the program is reportedly proving difficult.

However, it has been difficult to find a host who will be the “face” of the show. “It’s not easy to find someone who wants to do a three-hour program from Monday to Friday. If you are an actor, you have no choice but to turn down work for serial dramas or stage performances, and if you are a comedian, you may have to drop other programs. So, if you want to book a successful person, you will probably have to pay a very high fee to compensate for it.

According to one theory, the amount of money paid to Sakagami for “Viking” was said to be 200 million yen a year. If you want to book a high-profile celebrity, you naturally have to offer more than “100 million yen.

However, this is not the case at Fuji TV today. On the 25th of last month, the company called for voluntary retirement of employees who have been with the company for more than 10 years and are over 50 years old. The current number of employees is about 1,300, and the number of eligible employees will be around 300.

In any case, it seems that the front line will be required to cut costs drastically. I’ve heard that the management has strictly ordered the new chief producer and others to cut costs by 40% compared to “Viking”. So, some people are saying that the main MC should be a station announcer who does not need to spend a lot of money.

Thank you, “Tokudane! which was popular among a wide range of people. It is likely that she will be the center of the show, and other celebrities will serve as MCs on a daily basis.

Thinking about it, after 31 years of “Laugh It Up! which had been running for 31 years, “Laugh and Iitomo” ended and “Viking,” which started with a bang, initially had a “daily host system. However, the ratings did not go up, so they fixed Sakagami Shinobu as the main host, and the show started its rapid progress.

I wonder what kind of “noon” Fuji TV will show us.