100 Years since Start of Broadcasting: TV Stations Bear Heavy Responsibility to Produce Quality Programs

Editorial

14:40 JST, April 16, 2025

The internet is flooded with information of unknown veracity and extreme videos. The very nature of this era makes it a necessity for TV stations that use public airwaves to provide accurate information and programs that can be enjoyed with peace of mind.

It has been 100 years since the Tokyo Broadcasting Station, the predecessor of NHK, started broadcasting on the radio in March 1925. Along with newspapers, broadcasting in Japan has played an important role in informing people about domestic and international movements.

During World War II, broadcasting was used to boost national prestige at the behest of the military. Reflecting on this, Japan aimed for the democratization of broadcasting with an emphasis on freedom of expression after the end of the war.

Commercial radio broadcasting started in 1951, and Japan began broadcasting on TV in 1953. Television has since undergone a remarkable evolution, including color TVs, the start of satellite broadcasting and digitalization. It has impacted society as the “king of entertainment.”

Recently, however, television has reached a turning point. The spread of the internet has caused a shift away from television, especially among young people. According to a survey conducted last year by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, about 40% of respondents in their 20s said that over a one-week period, they did not watch any TV programs while they were airing.

Even so, it cannot be said that the role of television has decreased. Information on the internet is a mixture of fiction and fact. Many overly stimulating videos are posted on the internet to gain views.

Rather than competing on the same stage as the internet, television should strive to create unique programs that the internet cannot offer. It is all about producing sound programs with sincerity.

As for news reporting, correct information should be conveyed promptly. Well-scripted dramas, cultural programs that take viewers on a journey to new worlds, and entertainment programs are also important.

To create such programs, those involved in broadcasting need to be sensitive to the times. Fuji Television Network, Inc.’s problem, which began when sexual violence was committed by a TV personality, was caused by the failure of Fuji Television for a long time to break away from the old industry culture.

Public airwaves, which are the property of the people, are used in the broadcasting business. Unlike the world of the internet, where anyone can freely transmit information, broadcasting is required to be highly public and in the public interest. Broadcasters should be strictly aware of the weight of this responsibility.

In 2003, the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization was established to handle complaints about human rights violations and broadcasting. Still, excessively dramatizing situations and other methods have been a problem in recent years.

While it is understandable that broadcasters want to make their programs interesting, they should be aware that such an attitude will gradually lead to a loss of trust in them.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 16, 2025)