NO live broadcast of Nagoya basho

[nonews 0]

1400 people surveyed is called a majority? that is the vocal minority and the silent majority wasn't heard. P you should tell your bosses at nhk to go on the streets and the villages and talk to the regular people. they will find way more votes to show sumo and not to cancel the broadcasts. knee jerk reactions by managers always cause the wrong decision to be made.

no way will my wife pay the tv tax for nhk. she watches 3 shows including sumo when it's on. not worth the money for the garbage they air 99% of the time. the garbage they air is her comment.

[Peterao 3]

1400 people surveyed is called a majority? that is the vocal minority and the silent majority wasn't heard.

You have no proof of that, just as I have no proof of the opposite. But when the chance to raise an opinion was at hand, the vast majority of respondants didn't want the broadcast. And apparently, you said nothing. Will you do the same for the Aki Basho? (I hope so, as you have no right to enter an opinion if you go through with withholding the fee.)

no way will my wife pay the tv tax for nhk. she watches 3 shows including sumo when it's on. not worth the money for the garbage they air 99% of the time. the garbage they air is her comment.

If your wife is Japanese, then I'm 99% sure that the fee will end up being paid, though you'll probably never know about it.

And NHK has some damned fine programming, sir. They have by far the most thorough news coverage (Japanese or English) in Japan, and shows like Kodomo News and Darwin ga Kita are high quality staples of my household that could never be duplicated on any private network.

[Jonosuke 28]

no way will my wife pay the tv tax for nhk. she watches 3 shows including sumo when it's on. not worth the money for the garbage they air 99% of the time. the garbage they air is her comment.

Not to comment on your or your wife's taste but it just shows you are not interested in what most other people are watching as if you are only watching anime and those brain dead commercial network TV wide shows, you will find NHK programs to be garbage.

For instance NHK dominates public affairs shows but then you guys probably don't care about what's happening in your neighborhood or in the world. It probably matters more to watch those mindless quiz or wide shows on Minpo than know what's going on in Futenma or Miyazaki, for instance.

But I suppose once you cancel NHK now, you won't be watching Ozumo at all. The fact of the matter is if there will be Ozumo broadcast, only NHK will air it. You sure don't want one broadcaster exclusively controlling Ozumo so why don't you complain to other broadcasters you so fond of watching why they don't show live Ozumo at all?

Mine Monta is a good friend of Asashoryu and Hakuho so why he won't work on TV networks he is with to show more Ozumo? The answer is simple. For commercial networks it just does not economic sense to show it. They can't get enough sponsors. It's because whether one likes Ozumo or not, they all pay NHK fee. If they don't pay the fee then you won't be getting Ozumo. You have been able to watch Ozumo all these years because others who may not be interested in Ozumo at all pay their fee. That's how public broadcasting works in case you were misled by Shuchisin.

Anyway for your reference from Video Research:

for June 28 - July 4 period:

News and Public Affairs

Out of top 10, NHK had 8.

Educational

Out of top 10, NHK had 3, tied as the most with Nihon TV.

Music

Out of top 10, NHK had 3, tied as the most with Fuji TV.

Drama

Out of top 10, NHK had 2 (the highest and second highest programs, the only program recording over 20%)

Anime

Out of top 10, NHK had none. TV Asahi and TV Tokyo tied as the most with 3.

Sports

As during World Cup, NHK had four while TBS had five in the top 10.

Entertainment

Out of the top 10, NHK had none while Nihon TV had six.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Jonosuke

[Kotoviki 16]

should I add that every person I talked to in the Nagoya gym talks about how mad they are at NHK? They call them all sorts of names and are really angry.

I talked to at least 75 people... all reflecting the same thing, they didn't complain to NHK to SHOW sumo because they like me assumed it would never be cancelled.

The people here are not 100% of the population but I'm just saying....

That's kind of like taking a sample of people from a Roman Polanski fan festival as proof that the guy should be set free...

I think my point is more that the people who DID respond to the polls or who called in were not interested in sumo anyway so it was easy to say they didn't want to watch it. They wouldn't have watched it anyway!!!

[Kotoviki 16]

FWIW I think if nonews stops paying the NHK nothing happens. I've been in Japan for 22 years and I have never paid NHK! I have regular tv antenna and a bs antenna. I never refused them at the door but they have never caught me at home or maybe times when I don't answer the door. I can still watch NHK. Plus you can watch NHK fee free on mobile phones and car navigation TVs so I think it is safe to say that nonews can still watch sumo after the fact....

[nonews 0]

sheesh I didn't realize there were so many nhk employees posting here. I guarentee sir that my wife will never pay the fee. she is Japanese but in the 50 years we have been married she has never paid one bill and didn't know there was a fee for nhk. I pay everything because she doesn't want to get involved with it. I will watch sumo when it is aired again but will never pay again for those old farts at nhk.

I wath the brain dead commercial channells because nhk airs even worse programing. I'm not interested in learning junk information anymore. if I want to watch flowers grow or clothes dry I can do that myself and don't have to watch the inane soccer. I don't know what the survey info means but I will agree that nhk has the best and only news in english. I just go to the newspapers web sites. don't need nhk. if nhk stopped broadcasting todaay very few would miss it. it's the main ptopaganda channel for the government and thaat is their main function. brainwash the public

now I am bored with this entire thing about nhk so no more from me about it. everybody jump and cheer. no more 2 yens worth from nonews. have a happy all

[Kintamayama 47,412]

I guarentee sir that my wife will never pay the fee. she is Japanese but in the 50 years we have been married

Wow, hats off just for that..

now I am bored with this entire thing about nhk so no more from me about it. everybody jump and cheer. no more 2 yens worth from nonews. have a happy all

And I thought nonews is good news..

Anyhow, I'm with you on the NHK thing- I also have never paid them a cent, or sent them a pay, and I guess I never will. I just hope they don't terminate my Darwin ga Kinta and especially those mouth-watering live Diet debates!! Watching people lose weight is almost like watching underarm hair grow.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Orion 431]

I wath the brain dead commercial channells because nhk airs even worse programing. I'm not interested in learning junk information anymore. if I want to watch flowers grow or clothes dry I can do that myself and don't have to watch the inane soccer. I don't know what the survey info means but I will agree that nhk has the best and only news in english. I just go to the newspapers web sites. don't need nhk. if nhk stopped broadcasting todaay very few would miss it. it's the main ptopaganda channel for the government and thaat is their main function. brainwash the public

now I am bored with this entire thing about nhk so no more from me about it. everybody jump and cheer. no more 2 yens worth from nonews. have a happy all

Thank you for your interest. I'm sure that those of use who are devastated by the current situation appreciate your input. Stay well and live long.

Orion

[Kintamayama 47,412]

Thank you for your interest. I'm sure that those of use who are devastated by the current situation appreciate your input. Stay well and live long.

Orion

Do you think you can tell us how you feel about this whole NHK thing? I for one am very interested to hear what you have to say, as an NHK person on the one hand, and as a Sumo fan on the other.

[Jonosuke 28]

FWIW I think if nonews stops paying the NHK nothing happens. I've been in Japan for 22 years and I have never paid NHK! I have regular tv antenna and a bs antenna. I never refused them at the door but they have never caught me at home or maybe times when I don't answer the door. I can still watch NHK. Plus you can watch NHK fee free on mobile phones and car navigation TVs so I think it is safe to say that nonews can still watch sumo after the fact....

I am not implying NHK fee non-paying people will get in trouble or anything as generally that's not how it works but all I am saying is that the reason you can watch Ozumo and other programs on NHK is because there are people who are paying for them so that you too can watch them. I'd say the majority of these people are not sumo fans but they pay NHK fee anyway because they are, shall I say, law abiding citizens. Some people may be proud to say they never pay income taxes or parking tickets but if you look in the book, if you own a TV set and watch NHK, you are required to pay the subscription fee. No ifs and buts.

I know if you go to certain rural areas of Japan, there is a local train line with no ticket seller or collector but you are expected to pay for the ticket. But still you can ride the train free if you choose not to pay as they hardly come around checking you have a ticket. it is all the same principle. No one will force you to follow the honor system but then we all know the train service can continue because the majority of people pay for their ticket but you still can shout to the world, you never pay for the ticket and ride the train free all your life.

The fact that you haven't paid for their service for whatever years is not a reflection on NHK but on you.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Jonosuke

[Fay 1,677]

We have the same system in Germany. All people with TV should pay their fees for the TV-stations under public law (which are not bad at all compared to a lot of private stations). But there are always people who don't pay (and I learned a new word: TV licence dodger (Applauding...) ). As a result the fees rise for all the people who are willing to pay. No reason to be proud of imho.

But I guess this is completely off topic ...

[Jonosuke 28]

if nhk stopped broadcasting todaay very few would miss it. it's the main ptopaganda channel for the government and thaat is their main function. brainwash the public

now I am bored with this entire thing about nhk so no more from me about it. everybody jump and cheer. no more 2 yens worth from nonews.

That's unfortunate, nonews. I'd like guys like you to hang around as I don't get that inspired enough to respond these days so you are kinda special. I guess you read this with your Keitai, right, as why bother using capitals?

Anyway since you inspired me again, let me respond. If NHK stopped broadcasting today, will very few miss it? Well that's not an impression I got from here. Everyone including those not paying their fee is complaining of not having Ozumo. And even you complained of not having Ozumo, so obviously you missed not having NHK.

I guess my point all along was to non-paying people complaining about not having Ozumo on NHK is this - you can complain about service rendered but you have not paid for but you really cannot demand they alter their service if you have not paid for it to begin with. It's like you download a program without paying for it and demanding the programmer changes it to suit your taste. If you haven't paid, there is no service level agreement.

Anyway I hope you stick around. Very few may miss you but you know it's quality that counts (Applauding...)

Edited July 14, 2010 by Jonosuke

[nonews 0]

Jonosuke I had to come back to answer you. I have paid my tv tax for many many years. after all the years of paying it I think I am allowed to vent and complain about them. I stopped when the nhk nerds said they weren't going to televise sumo because of the gambling. nhk is not the boss of sumo. when and what is done by the kyoki isn't nhk's business. they come across as attempting to blackmail the kyoki into listening to them. when they were ingored they kneejerked the broadcasting. nhk seems to think the problem should have been fixed within a week. when nhk had their problems a few years ago was it fixed in just a few days? no.

as far as using capitals I guess you mean caps on what I put down here. I forget. sometimes things are all in caps because I hit the caps key by accident and don't notice it. when I do i'm to lazy to retype whatever is in caps.

I don't know what keitai is.

thanks for your kind comments. normally I am told what an idiot I am for thinking the way I do. i'm not good at putting things in writting. what I think I should say doesn't come out like I want it to.

anyway have a nice day sir and thanks again.

[Peterao 3]

I think we could have many interesting discussions if you would only separate personal opinion from fact. To say that you think that NHK programming isn't worth a damn is something that I personally disagree with, but your reasons are valid for you, so you're perfectly right in saying it. But to say that NOBODY likes NHK despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary just shows that you are incapable of having a rational discussion.

Admittedly, this is something that I need to work on as well...

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

One thing about NHK is that they do receive an operating budget from the government each year. While they claim strict political impartiality, in practice that doesn't seem to be the case.

<snip>The Japanese broadcasting laws make Japan

[Kotoviki 16]

FWIW I think if nonews stops paying the NHK nothing happens. I've been in Japan for 22 years and I have never paid NHK! I have regular tv antenna and a bs antenna. I never refused them at the door but they have never caught me at home or maybe times when I don't answer the door. I can still watch NHK. Plus you can watch NHK fee free on mobile phones and car navigation TVs so I think it is safe to say that nonews can still watch sumo after the fact....

I am not implying NHK fee non-paying people will get in trouble or anything as generally that's not how it works but all I am saying is that the reason you can watch Ozumo and other programs on NHK is because there are people who are paying for them so that you too can watch them. I'd say the majority of these people are not sumo fans but they pay NHK fee anyway because they are, shall I say, law abiding citizens. Some people may be proud to say they never pay income taxes or parking tickets but if you look in the book, if you own a TV set and watch NHK, you are required to pay the subscription fee. No ifs and buts.

I know if you go to certain rural areas of Japan, there is a local train line with no ticket seller or collector but you are expected to pay for the ticket. But still you can ride the train free if you choose not to pay as they hardly come around checking you have a ticket. it is all the same principle. No one will force you to follow the honor system but then we all know the train service can continue because the majority of people pay for their ticket but you still can shout to the world, you never pay for the ticket and ride the train free all your life.

The fact that you haven't paid for their service for whatever years is not a reflection on NHK but on you.

Ok, I got you...

I also have never had NHK come to my door and ask for payment at either of my two houses in Japan.

And in fact I never watched TV at home for many years....

I watched sumo outside in a bar with Akebono's in-laws for many years...

In the beginning I didn't know any Japanese to be able to watch the tv anyway...

At my house I have Satellite TV which I pay for (there is no NHK on Satellite) but I have enough news there and sports (used to have sumo digest on ESPN but they stopped last year) the only things I watch are on the Satellite, programs like Lost & CSI and I am paying a monthly fee to watch it.

I have truly not turned on the TV connected to the NHK antenna since 2005. In fact I haven't turned on the TV in my house since some time in November. (note to self-should cancel the satellite subscription) The only tv I watch is in the car when I drive or sometimes on my mobile phone. I've watched NHK (only sumo) on those tvs a dozen times in the past few years because I am at the tournaments every day.

So... if I had to pay I would let them cut the antenna wire to my house instead...

I know lots of people who don't pay because they don't watch NHK. Realistically they should include it in satellite packages (it may be included with cable tv packages but I have never asked since I've never had cable tv in Japan) Then they could make sure everyone who wants to tune to that station pays. My friend has NHK through BS TV and she has to pay otherwise you don't get the signal. There are many channels associated with the BS and like my CS satellite she pays for what she watches.

I know nothing about this system because I'm not watching tv enough to know..but with the ending of analog tv won't people have to have paid BS antennas or another satellite antenna to be able to watch TV? I'm just assuming or something. I have no idea I just know that my old TV won't be able to show the new digital or HD format or whatever it is.... when I bought my newer of the two tvs the shop told me that I would not be able to see the shows on it without buying a converter later. So at that time I won't be able to watch anything but the CS satellite, I assume???

Ok then speaking of TV I'm sitting in a hotel room with a wide screen HD TV that has 18 channels according to the TV "menu" and I'm still not tempted to turn it on...

[nonews 0]

(Shaking head...) nonews here with news. I know I said I was done posting about this but this is just to good to pass up. :-O it probably doesn't belong here. I just saw a cnn broadcast and they are reporting over 5,000 people arrested for betting on the boring world cup games. Japan played games in the world cup so using nhk's precedent setting logic with peterao's great glee about not showing sumo (Yusho winner...) because of betting that means nhk must cancel all tv broadcasts of soccer. (Neener, neener...) when will it happen? probably never because peterano isn't going to lobby his nhk bosses to cancel the broadcasts. he loves the boring soccer and hates sumo. lets be fair nhk. cancel the soccer. you set the cancelation precedent. the soccer can be replaced with live and rerun broadcast or the diet sessions or with exciting darts matches.

(Applauding...)

[Peterao 3]

(Shaking head...) nonews here with news. I know I said I was done posting about this but this is just to good to pass up. :-O it probably doesn't belong here. I just saw a cnn broadcast and they are reporting over 5,000 people arrested for betting on the boring world cup games. Japan played games in the world cup so using nhk's precedent setting logic with peterao's great glee about not showing sumo (Yusho winner...) because of betting that means nhk must cancel all tv broadcasts of soccer. (Neener, neener...) when will it happen? probably never because peterano isn't going to lobby his nhk bosses to cancel the broadcasts. he loves the boring soccer and hates sumo. lets be fair nhk. cancel the soccer. you set the cancelation precedent. the soccer can be replaced with live and rerun broadcast or the diet sessions or with exciting darts matches.

(Applauding...)

You mean this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/sports/s...r/17soccer.html

Was FIFA involved in the gambling? Or any J-League team member or president?

I agree that every person involved in that gambling scandal should not appear on NHK, though as none of the cases involved a Japanese person, the odds of that are pretty slim to begin with. But please write that letter to NHK for me if you think it important.

[nonews 0]

it's just as important as sumo guys betting on baseball. how do we know no Japanese bet on the world boring cup. has to have been some. probably many. I can't write nhk. my e-mails get returned. I must have the wrong address. more likely they are ignoring people who don't work for them.

[Peterao 3]

The reaction of an unprecedentedly large number of people asking NHK to not cover the basho was not merely in response to gambling rikishi. The gambling rikishi gave rise to many questions about the extent of underground involvement in sumo. The committee investigations were not very probing, and appeared to many to be something to sweep the issue under the rug and go on with sumo without changing anything. By not allowing the coverage to go on as normal, it is a reminder to the Kyokai that people are not satisfied with how they are handling their problems, and that fixing them should be a higher priority than going on with regularly scheduled basho as planned.

At least, that was my thinking in writing my email to NHK. The gambling is not so important to me as is the inability of the Kyokai to recognize the severity of the totality of their problems, and my desire to have sumo be something I can be proud of once more.

And, as I have elaborated on this for what's seems to me like the 112th time now, I promise that this will be the last time I repeat my stance, regardless of whether you or others continue to misconstrue it.

[nonews 0]

my last comment about your comments is BS. you just don't like sumo and have made it known over and over trying to convince others your closed mind isn't closed.

[Peterao 3]

And my last reply was an attempt to avoid pointing out how stupid your example was. Saying that soccer shouldn't be televised because other people bet on it would be analagous to NHK not broadcasting sumo because other people bet on sumo. Which is completely different from large numbers of people within sumo engaging in an illegal activity.

You claimed to be finished responding to me, but I am definitely finished responding to you. Have a good life, sir.

Edited July 17, 2010 by Peterao

[Kotoviki 16]

it's just as important as sumo guys betting on baseball. how do we know no Japanese bet on the world boring cup. has to have been some. probably many. I can't write nhk. my e-mails get returned. I must have the wrong address. more likely they are ignoring people who don't work for them.

I know for a FACT that Japanese were betting on world cup. I also know for a fact that I wasn't!

[Babaryutaikai 1]

Just to join this discussion briefly, I live in the US and willingly pay $30 per month to have TVJAPAN, which is, in reality, NHK, period. No Fuji, no TBS, just NHK. I had thought of canceling my subscription after the decision to not air sumo, since sumo was my original reason for the subscription many, many years ago. However, over the years,I found myself watching more and more regular NHK broadcasting: the news, which twice a day is bilingual; the travel shows, which are photographed beautifully; the occasional Japanese/English language-learning series; and, others. NHK has excellent educational shows for kids, as well. As a non-Japanese speaker, except for some casual conversational ability, I still find the Japanese language broadcasts of NHK informative and helping me to pick up a little of the language here and there. Yes, I do look the pictures, so to speak.

We have Public Broadcasting Stations here in the States, which are free of commercials, if you don't count the acknowledgments of the corporations and foundations which provide funding for the programming. The PBS here is chiefly supported by tax-deductible donations from people like me during drives conducted during certain premium broadcasts, e.g., a recent Carole King/James Taylor reunion concert, or the making of a Broadway show, or some of my favorites (which would be Kinta's too, likely) - the reunions of the oldies but goodies 50s and 60s rock and roll and r&b groups. This helps the PBS programmers to determine which types of shows the supporting public appreciate and want to see more of. They still broadcast non-drive programming like newscasts and daytime morning educational shows for pre-schoolers. I always wondered if such a system would work in Japan, but I understand - maybe incorrectly - from some of my Japanese friends, that charitable or non-profit organization giving is not very popular in Japan.

Just wondering.....

[Kintamayama 47,412]

"Aren't a lot of people saying they 'understand ' NHK for not broadcasting the basho? I don't know if it was the best thing to do, but I think it was a good idea to broadcast the digest,"said NHK chairman Hinata at the regular NHK press conference. Aki basho broadcast? "We are looking closely at the Kyokai and what they are doing. I can't say anything definite yet.." Payment for Nagoya non-broadcast? "We are discussing this with the Kyokai". Since the 6th when the NHK announced its plans not to broadcast the basho, they received 9500 viewer comments. 20% were supportive of the suspension and 5% wanted a broadcast. Does this mean 75% couldn't care less??