Maho Kuwako and Mayuko Wakuda, NHK’s “Retention Maneuver” Behind NHK’s Big Move

On February 9 this year, NHK announced major program revisions for this spring. Various speculations ran through the entertainment media over the assignment of a new announcer in charge of the program.

The “program revision” announced at the Director-General’s press conference on that day was the largest scale since the start of digital terrestrial broadcasting in 2003. The news program “Saturday Watch 9,” the first Saturday night news program on weekends, and the popular news program “Close-Up Today” (Kurogen) were lined up in the prime time slot for the first time in six years.

The program’s announcers were also surprisingly shuffled, with 101 of the total 174 announcers being newly assigned to the program. The replacement rate was 58%, far higher than last year’s 35%,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Among them, NHK’s “W aces,” Maho Kuwako and Mayuko Wakuda, attracted the most attention. As you already know, Kuwako is in charge of anchoring the flagship program “Kurogen,” while Wakuda has been in the spotlight for the past several years as the anchor of “Kurogen.

“I will be in charge of feature programs and narration programs.

The entertainment media was in an uproar when it was announced that the company was going to be a “new” company.

The entertainment press was in an uproar when it was announced that the new positions were to be “light” and “dark.

NHK insiders laughingly remarked, “I’m not sure how much of a difference it would make.

Kuwako was written all over the news, ‘retaking her ace’ and ‘going to the top’ and so on. Some of the articles were even suggesting that Kuwako was a shrewd and evil woman, but that’s not true. The upper management had been listening to the requests of the female announcers, including Kuwako, since last fall].

While the “program revision” would normally be announced by the end of January, one of the reasons for the delay until February 9 was “work style reform” and “gender equality,” he said.

Japan ranks high in the ratio of men to women in the labor force, but low in the ratio of men to women in managerial, technical, and professional positions, ranking below 100. As a public broadcaster, NHK is only required to correct this situation as soon as possible to set an example, so we have a policy of valuing their ‘career plans’ after marriage and childbirth. For example, one such consideration is that ‘an early morning program might be too much for newlyweds.’ Even in the case of transfers, the women’s requests are given priority, and there is no relationship between reassignment and ranks as the press has made it out to be (laugh).

Indeed, Wakuda, who married a man in February 2007, was transferred from “Ohayo Nippon” to “News 9” in the 2008 reorganization. Kuwako also remarried last September to Yukiyoshi Ozawa.

She said, “Even though it’s a morning signature program, it’s tough for a newlywed to come into the station at 2 a.m. (laughs). Of course, I think it is a special consideration for the two W aces to keep them together…” (NHK insider)

They are one year apart in seniority and are both in charge of coverage of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. They are both nationally known as “signature announcers,” having hosted the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White singing contest) several times.

There was another reason for the delay in the announcement. It is ‘Kurogen. Last fall, there was a dispute over the program, as evidenced by the news that it had been terminated. As the decision was made to continue the program, it was naturally difficult to select a new anchor, but as explained at the press conference, “We want to create a new Close-Up Today program that encourages everyone to think about social issues,” Kuwako, who is the type of person who can honestly say, “I don’t know,” or “I’ve never heard of this before,” was given the white feather.

Kuwako said she was confused because she had just received an unofficial announcement, but this was amusing. She must have already been approached. When Kuwako was at the Hiroshima office, she confessed that she had admired Hiroko Kuniya of Kurogen,” said a reporter from a sports newspaper.

Although “Kurogen,” which started in 1993, has been lost in recent years, it is a signature program and the centerpiece of this revision.

I hope that the program will get back on track, so I think that behind the selection of Kuwako is not only a retention of her but also consideration for the Ozawa family.

NHK seems to have given the utmost consideration to the treatment of Wakuda and Kuwako, both of whom have been in the news for their “independence” in the past, but let’s not forget to make programs that meet the expectations of the public….