Readers’ Choice: The Most Beloved Female Announcer Across Networks Revealed in 1,000-Person Survey
Special Entertainment Program Part 1
Who will win the showdown between the top stars of each network?
Who is currently the most popular female announcer? To tackle this question head-on, FRIDAY conducted a large-scale survey. The target group was exactly 1,000 readers of the magazine, both men and women aged 20 and above. They were asked to name their top three favorite female announcers from all the announcers at commercial key TV networks.
Votes were counted by assigning 5 points for a first-place vote, 3 points for second place, and 1 point for third place. From this, a ranking of the top 100 announcers by total points was created. Let’s take a look at who the female announcers genuinely loved by readers turned out to be.
An Overwhelmingly Dominant No.1
With an overwhelming strength, leading by a margin of 600 points over 2nd place, the No.1 spot was claimed by Nippon TV’s Asami Miura (38).
“She’s always smiling, genuine, and easy to like. Seeing her on TV in the morning naturally lifts my spirits.” (Housewife in her 40s)
“She looks adorable and her unpretentious attitude is wonderful. Her banter with comedians is funny, and you never get bored watching her — that’s her charm.” (Male company employee in his 50s)
“In a good way, she’s not your typical female announcer. The way she eats delicious-looking meals makes her seem like she has the same sensibilities as the rest of us, and it makes me want to cheer her on.” (Female company employee in her 30s)
This kind of universal support from both men and women of all ages is the queen’s greatest strength.
Following the reigning queen was Fuji TV’s Seika Inoue (30).
“A calm presence and an elegant way of speaking leave a very good impression. Whether it’s a news program or a variety show, she has the flexibility to adapt to the situation, and she’s someone I can always watch with peace of mind,” commented a man in his 30s working for a company.
A man in his 50s, also a company employee, shared this impression of Inoue:
“Her clean, fresh look and the impression of being modest yet possessing firm inner strength are very appealing. Even though she’s a popular announcer, she remains humble — and that’s another reason I like her.”
From third place onward, a lineup of each network’s signature faces followed — such as TV Asahi’s Yoko Oshita (55, 3rd), TBS’s Mako Tamura (29, 4th), and TV Tokyo’s Hitomi Tanaka (28, 7th).
“Oshita has been a familiar veteran announcer for years, and her reliability on ‘Yoko Oshita Wide! Scramble’ is something neither young nor mid-career announcers can match,” noted a man in his 50s, also a company employee.
“When Oshita appears on screen, it brings a sense of reassurance. While many female announcers have increasingly become like TV personalities, she continues to embody the traditional image of a female announcer, and I find that so admirable,” said an unemployed woman in her 60s.
“Tamura has a brisk and pleasant way of speaking. Even though she’s from a privileged background, she never comes off as arrogant, and her skill in keeping up with the wild comedians on ‘Love It!’ is impressive. I’d love to see her in more programs,” shared a housewife in her 50s.
“As for Tanaka, she can go from playing comical roles with the duo Summers on ‘Moyamoya Summers 2’ to seriously delivering news on current affairs programs. It’s hard to believe she’s still in her 20s. Her refined mannerisms give off an air of elegance, and I can’t help but want to root for her,” commented a man in his 40s working for a company.
It seems clear that what these ace announcers have in common is stability, a reassuring presence, and polished skills — qualities consistently valued by viewers.
The strength of variety show exposure
Female announcer critic Daijiro Maruyama analyzed this ranking as follows:
“I think the lineup of the top 10 is as expected. It gives the impression that each network’s popular personalities are gathered. However, I was surprised that Tamura Ana ranked lower than I anticipated. Last year, she topped the Oricon Favorite Female Announcer Ranking for the first time, yet here she’s below Fuji’s Inoue Ana, who was sixth in the same ranking. Tamura Ana is strongly associated — for better or worse — with Love it!. As a result, she probably hasn’t gained many fans outside the show’s audience.”
Broadcast writer Mihoko Yamada also noted, “The ranking of Fuji’s Reimi Tsutsumi Ana (31, ranked 9th) was a pleasantly unexpected result.”
“Tsutsumi Ana occasionally appears on Zenryoku! Datsuryoku Times playing a villainous woman envious of the main newscaster. The show’s main character is Minami Sakuma Ana (27, ranked 24th), yet in this survey, Tsutsumi Ana ranked higher. She’s built experience on information and news shows like Mezamashi 8 and Live News α, and perhaps viewers find it refreshing to see her handle variety shows effortlessly.”
In fact, readers who voted for Tsutsumi Ana commented, “I like how she maintains her announcer sensibility while occasionally lightening the mood with jokes,” and “I enjoy how she goes along with comedians’ wild prompts.” Variety show appearances were a frequent reason cited.
Maruyama added, “To place high in this ranking, appearing on variety shows may have been essential.”
“For instance, Fuji TV’s Manami Miyaji Ana (33), currently the main caster for Live News It!, has some of the best announcing skills at Fuji. But her ranking stalled at 16th. Viewership for evening news has been declining year by year, making it harder for announcers to gain widespread recognition. It used to be standard for announcers to rise to popularity from a network’s flagship news program, but that route seems to be changing.”
Other highly skilled announcers within their stations also struggled in the rankings. Entertainment critic Takeshi Misugi pointed to TV Asahi’s Chiharu Saito Ana (28) as one example.
“Saito Ana, a former Nogizaka46 member who joined TV Asahi, has not only her looks and neat image but also outstanding announcing skills. Having attended an announcing school while still a busy idol, she rarely stumbles over scripts.
From her first day at the network, she was appointed the second-generation assistant on Shinichi Hatori’s Morning Show, and within the station, she’s regarded as the next ace following Ayaka Hironaka Ana (34, ranked 5th). Given her ability, it wouldn’t have been surprising for her to crack the top 10, so 17th place was unexpected. But she’s still in her 20s, and I think as her talent becomes more widely recognized among viewers, her ranking will climb.”
From “FRIDAY” June 6-13, 2025
PHOTO： Kumataro Arai (Tanaka) Keisuke Nishi (Hironaka) Sankei Shimbun (Oshita)
