Let’s decide who is the “strongest female news analyst” in Reiwa!

The trend of announcers emerging from variety shows to become the station’s signature announcers, such as NTV’s Asami Miura (37), TV Asahi’s Ayaka Hironaka (33), and TV Tokyo’s Yuka Aiuchi (38), is taking root. At the same time, however, it is also true that many female announcers are active in news programs, which is a royal road for announcers. Female announcers in charge of news programs are required to have the skills to accurately read news scripts and to calmly respond to breaking news. While an increasing number of female announcers are turning into celebrities, the talented female announcers who can be entrusted with news programs with peace of mind are a valuable asset.

To this end, we invited Mr. A, a veteran producer who is well versed in news programs, Mr. B, a mid-level director, Mr. C, a key station programming manager, and Mr. D, a production company staff member who has been in charge of news programs for over 20 years, to have a thorough discussion on who is the “strongest female news announcer” in Reiwa.

The ace behind TV Asahi’s news coverage

Mr. A: The ace behind “Good Morning” and “News Station! It is no exaggeration to say that TV Asahi’s news coverage, which includes highly rated news programs such as “Morning” and “News Station,” is supported by Minami Moriyama, 26, and Chiharu Saito, 27. TV Asahi’s current ace is Hironaka, but she has not experienced a news program since she joined the company. Hironaka’s talent is superb, but her skills as an announcer, such as reading manuscripts, are not that high.

Mr. B Which announcer is more highly rated within the station, Moriyama or Saito?

Mr. A: Moriyama. She has been performing on stage as a child actor since elementary school, and she has a reputation among the staff for her good vocalization. When she was in charge of the “Shinichi Hatori Morning Show,” Shinichi Hatori, 53, commented, “Moriyama’s reading of the scripts is so clear that the content comes right into my head. I remember how disappointed Hatori was when Moriyama left the “Morning Show.

Saito, who joined TV Asahi with a bang from the Nogizaka46 group, has been a star since he was a newcomer. On the day of her entrance ceremony, she made her first sound on the “Morning Show,” and was treated exceptionally well. However, the upper management of the station is troubled by Saito’s romantic nature. Saito’s relationship with a TBS announcer was reported in ’21, and in April of this year, his love affair with Kazuki Himeno (30), a member of the Japanese national rugby team, was revealed. The station is afraid that Saito will be exposed to a new scandal. Unlike variety shows, news programs cannot make scandals into stories. ……

Mr. C.Misaki Hayashi, 34, who holds the title of professional mahjong player, is also a very talented announcer. Although she was often overshadowed by her colleague Hironaka, it was a common perception within TV Asahi that “Hayashi is better than Hironaka in terms of announcing skills. He was a very serious person, reading the script until the very last minute before the broadcast. Even when breaking news comes in, he reads it smoothly without chewing. However, considering their age and potential, I think Moriyama and Saito are the better choice.

TBS and Nippon TV are putting more effort into their news divisions

Mr. D: TBS, which used to be known as “TBS of news reporting,” is also putting more effort into its news division. I am particularly impressed with Maine Sasaki, 26, who appears on “THE TIME’.

Mr. B. That’s surprising. I have the impression that Sasaki has a natural side and is suited for variety shows. ……

Mr. D. Her fluffy character is only for the public. In fact, she is quite a studious person. If she doesn’t understand something at least a little in a meeting, she doesn’t stop asking questions until she is satisfied. A staff member working with her was surprised to hear that “her script was filled with notes. When I asked her about it, she said matter-of-factly, “I don’t like it when there are things I don’t know. In a positive sense, she is both sides of the coin. Her soft and easy-going character has caused some of the female staff to criticize her for “playing the cute girl,” but she is extremely popular among the male staff. She is considered to be the most promising female announcer of her generation.

Mr. A Conversely, Ai Eto (39) is a woman with no hidden motives. A director who worked with her said, “This is the first time I’ve seen a female announcer who doesn’t get angry at all when the AD makes a mistake. The reason why she is often in charge of live broadcasts such as “Hiruobi” and “THE TIME'” is because the executives of the station trust her and say, “Eto can handle live broadcasts. He is not fazed by forgetting to put out a cue or by disruptions in the live broadcasts, and his mild-mannered personality has earned him the trust of the staff. If Sasaki is the hope of TBS’s news reporting, Eto will be the mainstay.

Mr. C: Compared to TV Asahi and TBS, I have the impression that Nippon TV has not developed its young news reporters very well.

Mr. D: Because Mizuto is the reigning queen of Nippon TV, she tends to be underestimated in comparison. There are some promising candidates. For stability, Reina Ichikirena (28) is excellent.

Ichiki used to be a member of Nogizaka46, but was instructed by upper management to avoid showing idol-like elements as much as possible, so she has spent her career on news programs. It worked out well. She hardly bites when reading manuscripts, and she is just very serious. More than one or two station staff members have witnessed her studying vocalization while looking at a Japanese accent dictionary during breaks. Currently in charge of “Hirunan desu! but Nippon TV is considering appointing her to “ZIP!” in the future to make her the face of the morning show.

Mr. B.Miyu Kuroda, 25, is also good. Ryota Yamasato (47), the main MC who co-hosts “DayDay.” also appreciates her, saying, “She is a masterful speaker despite her young age.

Mr. A. I think she is indeed a hope. Her cheerful character neutralizes Yamazato’s venom. However, just one month after the program went on the air, she was reported to have a passionate affair with the director of the same program. I have to say that she was not very good at keeping her side of the story. Since female TV announcers are in the popular business, viewership tends to drop when reports of a passionate love affair appear. It seems that she wants to put her family first in the future, and there are rumors that she will quit Nippon TV at the time of her marriage. As the station’s upper management, of course, they cannot oppose this, so it is a headache.

Fuji Aims to Revive the Announcer Kingdom

Mr. C. What do you think of Fuji Television Network?

Mr. D. The first one would be Inoue Seika (29), who is in her 20s and has been appointed as the main anchor of “Mezamashi TV”. Since Inoue’s appointment, “Mezamashi TV” has maintained the No. 1 annual viewer rating in the same time slot. She has proven that she can get the numbers. She has been seen practicing reading manuscripts with her junior colleagues at the station, and is trusted by her colleagues. Fuji is now trying to regain the prestige it once had as “the kingdom of female TV announcers,” and it is entrusting this to Inoue.

Mr. A. Slightly above Inoue is Ai Miyashi, who is in charge of “Live News It! (Live News It!)” a little above Inoue is Miyaji Aimi (33), who is in charge of “Live News It!

Mr. B. He reads the scripts accurately and does not let up even when the camera is not rolling, never losing facial expressions. He has a high level of professionalism, and if the staff does not do enough research in a meeting, he points out, “I think you should do a little more research here. I once encountered a Miyashi announcer walking down a corridor at Fuji Television while reading a manuscript. Some staff members have voiced their concern that she might collapse from working too diligently. However, since she announced her marriage in October, she may save her work from now on. In terms of future prospects, Inoue’s points are higher than Miyaji’s.

Who is next after Hitomi Tanaka?

Mr. C. TV TOKYO’s proud ace, Hitomi Tanaka, 28, announced her marriage in November. Even so, her popularity shows no sign of waning at all, which is to be expected.

Mr. D. Like Eto, Tanaka is also the type of person whose reputation among both viewers and TV staff is unchanging and without any hidden motives. At first, she let slip that she was not confident in her economic reporting due to her lack of knowledge, but her attitude of studying by reading economic newspapers in between her programs has been highly appreciated by the upper management. She is the only one at TV TOKYO today who can compete with the ace-level announcers at each station, such as Moriyama, Kuroda, and Inoue.

Mr. B. The question for TV TOKYO is who will be next after Tanaka?

Mr. D: I am focusing on Minami Nakahara (25). She appeared on “BS Fuji NEWS” for about 10 months as a student anchor, so even though she is young, she is well versed in the field. Recently, she has been appearing in “Dekago! Admachi Tengoku” and other variety programs, but she has let slip that she would like to gain more experience in news programs. If she can hone her skills on live news programs, she could be the “post Hitomi Tanaka” of our dreams.

The best news female announcer is ……

Mr. A, it’s time to decide who is the number one female news analyst. I would nominate Moriyama of TV Asahi, whom I mentioned at the beginning. She has ability and potential, and is highly rated within the station. I have the impression that TV Asahi has a new high-profile announcer for the first time in a long time.

Mr. D. It’s a tough call, but I would have to go with either Inoue or Moriyama. Not to mention their achievements, both of them are very popular among the staff.

Mr. C: Of the two, I think it would be Moriyama. Moriyama is likely to be the main person in charge of “News Station” in the future.

Mr. B: I also think it will be Moriyama. Hatori’s endorsement will be a strong backing for Moriyama.

As a result of the discussion, it was decided that the “strongest news female announcer” in Reiwa at this time is Ana Moriyama. The table above shows the top 10 female news anchors as determined by the four panelists, with Inoue and Sasaki following Moriyama at No. 1. Of course, the other female announcers in the bottom half of the list have the potential to become the face of news reporting at their respective stations.

The battle for the best female news anchor will continue.

From the December 13-20, 2024 issue of FRIDAY