Big-name talent is joining the ranks! Local Stations “Strike Back”: The Amazing Inside Story

Iwakura, 31, of the comedy duo “Frog Tei,” will start his own TV show “Yokatoko Hakken!　Frog Tei Iwakura Mission: Ito, Obesity, Cider, and More” will begin.

In January, his partner Shuhei Nakano (31) started “Frog Tei no Kaeru Tengoku” on RSK Sanyo Broadcasting, a station in Okayama, his hometown, making this his second regular show on a local station. The first two are the first two. In the past, talent whose popularity had waned would drift to local stations, but in recent years, seasonal talent has been aggressively entering the market, and it has become a battle for the pie,” said a TV magazine editor.

The Kamaitachi, which has 16 regular programs including pin jobs, has been running a series titled “Kamaitachi no Yakuwari” since 2008 on TSK Sanin Chuo Television in Shimane Prefecture, the hometown of Kenji Yamauchi (41). The program is currently being broadcast.

The free distribution site “TVer” has taken root, and now viewers nationwide can watch programs on local stations, which has drastically reduced the disadvantages. It’s a great way to sell your name in a way that is comparable to being on a nationally broadcast program. Moreover, local programs are often filmed in batches of a month’s worth, so even if the fee per program is low, the time commitment is short and the cost is high.

Local stations can also expect to earn off-broadcast income by selling programs to network stations or making DVDs of programs that feature nationally known talent. It’s a win-win situation. Kamaitachi no Shoritsu” is also broadcast on Kantele and Tokai TV, so it is treated no differently than a program produced by a semi-key station.

On March 4, Koji Higashino (54) will serve as MC for the special program “Worry Consultation Farm: Koji Higashino’s Chickchukubamba! was broadcast on TV Kanazawa.

The show co-starred such comedians as “Bunbun Bowl,” a live-in comedian from Ishikawa Prefecture, and others. Higashino is the co-host of “Cheeky’,” a community-based information video channel created by the Japan Post Kinki Branch and Yoshimoto. s channel. He has been involved with many local comedians, including serving as MC. Yoshimoto’s goal is to strengthen its pipeline with local stations and local governments to secure a stable source of income. This time, Higashino’s special program for TV Kanazawa was accepted for a very reasonable fee. It is likely that he sold his gratitude in anticipation of the future.

Last year, TSK Sanin Chuo TV aired a mini-drama about regional development, “Shimane ga Drama ni Natta Natta! was produced by Shimane Prefecture and budgeted by the prefecture, and a young actress from a major entertainment agency played the lead role. The future is bright for the local region,” said an advertising agency official.

A broadcaster points out that “the recent situation at TV stations also has a lot to do with the background of nationally popular people moving into local stations.

In January, “Mirai wo Tsukuru Shima Hotel,” produced by BSS San’in Broadcasting and navigated by Matsumoto Jun (38), was shown on a local TV station. Symbolic of this is the fact that the program was broadcast on 28 TBS-affiliated stations. In order to cut production costs, more and more programs produced by affiliated local stations are being aired on key stations. One of the few hit programs since the Corona disaster, “Human Commentary Omo Umai Ten” was also produced by Chukyo TV, and the barriers between key stations and local stations may disappear in the future.

In the not-too-distant future, a nationally popular program originating from a local station will be born.

From the March 25, 2022 issue of FRIDAY