Favorite Female Announcer Ranking: Mako Tamura No.1 and Ai Eto No.2 – TBS Dominates

Who would have thought that an era would come where TBS takes the top two spots.

On December 6, Oricon announced its annual “Favorite Female Announcer Ranking.” For the first time, Mako Tamura (28) of TBS claimed the top spot, making a significant leap from 4th place last year. In second place was Ai Eto (39), also of TBS, marking her second consecutive year in the position. A television magazine writer commented:

“Although the induction of NTV’s Asami Mitoh (37) and TV Asahi’s Ayaka Hiro naka (33) into the Hall of Fame was a big deal, who would have thought an era would come where TBS would occupy the top two spots?”

The writer couldn’t hide their surprise. After speaking with male staff from various television stations, many expressed similar astonishment. However, they were convinced by Mako Tamura’s first-place finish.

“There were many comments like, ‘I’ve actually been a fan,’ ‘Her personality is charming,’ ‘She’s so soothing every morning.’ So it’s a well-deserved first place. As for Ai Eto in second place, she has been extremely busy in 2024, appearing on early morning shows, lunchtime information programs, music shows, the Olympics, and the World Athletics Championships. She’s been called the hardest-working female announcer, and there’s a lot of respect for her, with many saying, ‘It’s truly impressive that she’s continued to host live shows without taking a break for so many years.’ It could also be seen as a lifetime achievement award.”

Tamura was born into a political family. When she first joined TBS, she was known for her news reading skills, but her father, Norihisa Tamura, a member of the House of Representatives and former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare and State Minister for Education, was frequently involved in political television programs. This made it difficult for her to remain with news and information shows.

Mako Tamura was in the same cohort as Minami Tanaka and had her share of struggles.

Later, Tamura became the host of Lavit and was initially unsure about standing next to comedian Akira Kawashima (45) from the comedy duo Kirin. The show, which featured many regular comedians sitting on the panel and included penalty-game-like segments from the morning, was a challenging environment. Despite this, she worked hard to assert control of the show and earn the comedians’ approval.

As a result, she became quick to handle unexpected situations. During a cooking segment in the studio, she boldly made comments like, “There are fruit flies in the kitchen, so I can’t cook,” which was an unusual thing for a female announcer to say. Her ability to interact smoothly with comedians helped raise her popularity significantly.

As for Ai Eto, the second-place winner, she is now often referred to as the female version of Shinichiro Azumi (51).

“Eto, who was in the same cohort as Minami Tanaka (38), initially struggled with her work being overshadowed by Tanaka. However, because there were times when work was scarce, Eto started accepting every offer without hesitation. With her veteran career, she’s now entrusted with a wide range of shows, including the Olympics, the World Athletics Championships, morning and afternoon variety shows, and music programs.

In fact, CDTV Live! Live! is seen as a reward for Eto, who had long expressed a desire to work on a music program. By the way, in this year’s Favorite Female Announcer Ranking, Minami Tanaka came in 10th, so Eto’s fans were likely pleased with the results.”

TBS is also seeing a shift, as Hiroko Ogura (50), a former announcer from the same cohort as Shinichiro Azumi, will leave the network at the end of 2024. Additionally, Risa Uchinouchi (33) of Akko ni Omakase! will be leaving the network at the end of this fiscal year. However, many industry insiders believe that thanks to Tamura and Eto, “TBS’s announcer department will remain stable for a while.”

This was the 21st ranking announcement, but it was the first time that TBS took the top two spots. Incidentally, in the Favorite Male Announcer Ranking announced on December 13, three mid-career TBS announcers made the list: Masatoshi Nanba (36) in second place, Ayumu Akaogi (43) in sixth place, and Shinya Sugiyama (41) in tenth place.

The golden age of TBS announcers has arrived.