After 15 Years, Su-matan Ends — Yomiuri TV’s Series of Cancellations Reflects Internal Pressures

A popular program featuring a dual MC lineup of Jirō Shinbō and announcer Takeshi Mori.

The problem of people turning away from TV is becoming increasingly serious, forcing commercial broadcasters to make major overhauls. In Kansai, Yomiuri TV—a semi-key station affiliated with Nippon TV—has decided to end its morning information program Su-Matan! at the end of September.

“It’s been running since 2010 for 15 years, but it seems it will finally be canceled. Initially, the show gained popularity with the dual MCs, Jirō Shinbō (69) and announcer Takeshi Mori (65), along with announcer Hiromi Kawata (42) chiming in from the side with sharp retorts. Depending on the time slot, it even surpassed Kansai’s staple Ohayo Asahi Desu (Asahi Broadcasting) in ratings,” said a Yomiuri TV insider.

However, ratings began to gradually decline after Shinbō left the show at the end of March 2019. The program struggled without being able to implement effective countermeasures.

“It’s likely a decision that they had no choice but to dismantle the show once. Starting in October, they plan to air ZIP! (a Nippon TV program) and broadcast just 15 minutes from a studio in Osaka. What comes after that is undecided, but it seems they’re considering launching an entirely new show from scratch,” the same source said.

When FRIDAY contacted Yomiuri TV to confirm the cancellation of Su-Matan! they responded:

“We do not comment on matters related to programming decisions.”

Incidentally, Yomiuri TV has already canceled several long-running popular shows this year. At the end of March, it ended Wake Up! after 34 years, Asapara! after 29 years, and Imada Koji no Netabare MTG after 12 and a half years (all durations include renewal periods). And in June, Downtown DX, which had been airing for 31 years and 8 months, also came to an end.

Another Yomiuri TV employee commented:

“Under the current leadership of Chairman Yoshimitsu Ohashi and President Yōzō Matsuda, the station has earned a reputation as a program crusher. Their policy is to end even long-running shows and reinvent them. Wake Up! was reborn as Saturday LIVE News Zigzag, a daytime program hosted by actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa (51).

Although the program is made by mostly the same staff from Wake Up! the time slot change caused its existing audience to drift away, and it’s not performing well in terms of ratings. There’s widespread speculation that this show might get canceled quickly too. Despite starting in April, harassment by a program executive was revealed through a survey in June. That person was transferred to another department. It’s an incredibly rocky start—adding insult to injury.”

Canceling long-running programs is, in a sense, a gamble. It’s uncertain whether longtime fans of the original shows will follow the new ones, and it can take time for a new format to gain acceptance.

The successor to Downtown DX is Mitori-zu no Madori-zu Mystery, which started on July 10. Given that DX was a popular show where high-profile guests engaged in crosstalk with Downtown, the pressure on Mitori-zu is likely to be considerable.

The major transformation that began in April on the Nippon TV network

Although past specials were well-received, the new variety show is entirely different in tone from DX, so whether viewers will accept it remains to be seen.

A Nippon TV insider says there are circumstances behind Yomiuri TV taking the risk of canceling its popular long-running programs. The key lies in Yomiuri Chukyo FS Holdings, a holding company established this April by four major regional Nippon TV affiliates: Sapporo TV (Sapporo), Chukyo TV (Nagoya), Yomiuri TV (Osaka), and Fukuoka Broadcasting (Fukuoka).

“These four stations came under the umbrella of the holding company, which is over 20% funded by Nippon Television Holdings and over 15% funded by the Yomiuri Shimbun Group. It’s seen as the first step toward a centralized control system led by Nippon TV.

With advertising revenue declining, production costs have become a heavy burden for local stations. Reducing original local programming and instead broadcasting shows produced by Nippon TV or other key stations is likely a cost-cutting measure for the entire group. Going forward, we can expect fewer programs that reflect local character and more standardized content produced by central key stations.”

Once viewers drift away, it’s hard to win them back. Still, Yomiuri TV is pushing forward with this wave of cancellations—revealing behind it the internal circumstances of the larger Nippon TV group.