<figure id="attachment_232012" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 661px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-232012"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="93c3b880"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/2008022900179.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-232012" class="wp-caption-text">NHK&#8217;s &#8220;Gatten,&#8221; which ran for 27 years, came to an end in February, and MC Shinosuke Tachikawa was furious at the sudden termination&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
 Toshio Ishikawa, entertainment reporter, tells us what&#8217;s going on behind the scenes in the entertainment industry: &#8230;&#8230;
 Not even NHK!
The popular long-running TV program &#8220;Gatten! The issue of the termination of the broadcasting of The program, which covered familiar topics such as health and daily life, was loved and supported by the tea house audience and lasted for 27 years.
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The program disappeared at the beginning of February, unlike the March and September seasons, when the program is revamped. It was one of the major reforms of Chairman Kohshin Maeda, who took office in 2008.
Commercial broadcasters have also started making programs several years ago targeting young men and women with purchasing power due to sponsorship. However, NHK, despite the fact that it charges subscription fees and that many of its subscribers are said to be middle-aged or older, is still not able to provide programs that appeal to the young men and women who have the purchasing power.
 &#8220;Are we going to neglect the elderly to get ratings?&#8221;
This is a problem.
NHK can and has made programs without sponsorship. Therefore, NHK is in an environment where it can make many programs for the elderly without worrying about ratings or sponsors.
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Of course, it would be nice if they could please men and women of all ages and get viewer ratings, but it is not going to work out that way. Even the Kohaku Uta Gassen, a year-end program for the elderly, has fewer and fewer songs and enka (traditional Japanese ballads), which are at the core of the Japanese culture.
The reality is that the Internet, including social networking services, has become the mainstream, and there are whispers that young people are turning away from television, and the reality is that young people are not watching much television. It is mostly the elderly who look forward to TV as their greatest source of entertainment.
This is why we want NHK to take care of the elderly.
However, under the current system, NHK has begun to make programs like commercial broadcasters, which make programs according to the wishes of their sponsors.
 Gatten! The reason why the &#8220;Mere Old Man&#8221; seems to have ended halfway is because of its relationship with the Beijing Winter Olympics: even if it is decided to end in March, the Olympics will be broadcast live. So they decided to end the program early.
One NHK station staffer said, &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure if this is a good idea or not. The decision to discontinue the program appears to have been made by the current NHK chairman.
The chairman of NHK&#8217;s management committee
 He has a track record of making major reforms at megabanks. He has the ability to bring people together and promote reform.
Mr. Maeda became chairman based on his recommendation. He is said to be a fan of the Yomiuri Giants and singer Michiya Mihashi, so he seems to be someone who understands the feelings of the elderly.
The chairman of the board of directors is the same person who wrote &#8220;Gatten! The story goes that he was the person responsible for terminating the The aforementioned NHK station staffer said
 It takes at least six months to terminate a long-lived program. We discuss with the writers and producers many times and come to a conclusion. Then, in order to avoid any trouble, the program is scheduled for March or September, when it is time to revamp the program.
 But this time, &#8220;Gatten! The news of the termination reached MC Shinosuke Tachikawa&#8217;s ears at the end of last November. The sudden termination of the program was apparently decided last fall by several executives, including the chairman. I hear that Shinosuke&#8217;s anger was quite great when he was told of the decision.
That chairman sent out a message to all employees in November of last year, the same time he decided to terminate the program.
 In order to rebirth NHK, we must change the minds and actions of our employees and free them from their existing thinking and behavior.
He blurted out. And
 He added, &#8220;From now on, we will not permit any exercise of personnel rights by the so-called &#8216;tate line.&#8217; (omission) I will make the final decision on personnel transfers, and I will appoint the right person to the right position.&#8221;
He even went so far as to say.
Some bureau members voiced strong opposition. At a press conference held in February of this year, he was asked about a second term next year.
 There is no such thing. （I will be over 77 years old (next time), so if I don&#8217;t reform firmly (during my term of office), there will be no future for me. It would be regrettable to quit halfway through my term, so I would like to tackle everything.&#8221;
He stated. The staff seems to be horrified by this statement.
At the chairman&#8217;s regular press conference in February
 I like this program very much, and now it&#8217;s over?　I was surprised.&#8221;
He was talking about it as if it were a secret, but he is the one who makes the final decision behind the scenes.
So, by the time a new chairman is appointed next year, the elderly people&#8217;s favorite program will disappear again&#8230;&#8230;.

 Born in Tokyo in 1946. He has a unique career path from Shochiku's Advertising Department to a reporter for a women's magazine to an entertainment reporter. He has appeared on "The Wide" and "Information Live Miyaneya" (both on Nippon Television Network Corporation), and currently appears regularly on "Mentai Wide" (Fukuoka Broadcasting System), "Su Matan" (Yomiuri TV), and Rainbow Town FM.

 Toshio Ishikawa, Entertainment Reporter

 Kyodo News

 In February, NHK's long-running 27-year-old program "Gatten! was terminated. It is said that MC Shinosuke Tachikawa was furious at the sudden termination. The chairman, who came from a mega-bank, is promoting the "rejuvenation" of the TV station...

By strict order of the chairman, “Gatten! NHK staff members are fearful of the rejuvenating measures.

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