No More English Sumo on NHK

[Babaryutaikai 1]

Murray Johnson posted on the ML yesterday that the bi-lingual (read English) broadcast might be intai after this basho. There seems to be a website in Japanese where we can write to the Kyokai, but I think it must be NHK, so if anyone has the address, please post so that we can complain.

What a fine way to increase interest in the sport. NOT! Stupid (Censored) s.

[Zuikakuyama 1]

OH NOOOOOOO!!! I will miss Mr. Pancake man.

[Dale 0]

Murray Johnson posted on the ML yesterday that the bi-lingual (read English) broadcast might be intai after this basho.

Actually, he said after Haru basho. Do you really think NHK would listen to us? We're just silly gaijin.

Very sad,

Dale

[ilovesumo 12]

Do you really think NHK would listen to us? We're just silly gaijin.

Very sad,

Dale

But who else has the interest? We silly gaijin have to become active...

(Eating...)

[Dale 0]

Do you really think NHK would listen to us? We're just silly gaijin.

Very sad,

Dale

But who else has the interest? We silly gaijin have to become active...

(Eating...)

And I send them 36,000 yen each year via TV Japan. Maybe a petition

would impress them more than a smattering of e-mails?

On the other hand, NHK is essentially a business, and they will just do

what seems to be the most profitable thing. Serving English-speaking

sumo fans is way down the list of priorities, I'm afraid.

Dale

[Babaryutaikai 1]

Murray Johnson posted on the ML yesterday that the bi-lingual (read English) broadcast might be intai after this basho.

Actually, he said after Haru basho. Do you really think NHK would listen to us? We're just silly gaijin.

Very sad,

Dale

Oooh, sorry. I misread (or rather, just gut-reacted) to Murray's message. Anyway, TV Japan IS NHK, so maybe those of us who subscribe can write to TV Japan as well.

[YukataNinja 0]

Email? Where's the email?! (Annoyed...)

Edited November 17, 2005 by YukataNinja

[Kathy 0]

Email? Where's the email?! (In a state of confusion...)

tvjapan@tvjapan.net (New York) 1-877-885-2726

tvjwest@tvjapan.net (Los Angeles) 1-877-885-9378

What a loss if they actually do discontinue the English translation of the Basho.

Kathy

[karlsmom 0]

I'm a TV Japan subscriber too, but I noticed that their English website for TV programs has already disappeared!!! (Showing respect...)

Murray Johnson posted on the ML yesterday that the bi-lingual (read English) broadcast might be intai after this basho.

Actually, he said after Haru basho. Do you really think NHK would listen to us? We're just silly gaijin.

Very sad,

Dale

Oooh, sorry. I misread (or rather, just gut-reacted) to Murray's message. Anyway, TV Japan IS NHK, so maybe those of us who subscribe can write to TV Japan as well.

[Jonosuke 28]

I'm a TV Japan subscriber too, but I noticed that their English website for TV programs has already disappeared!!! (Showing respect...)

Go to this page:

http://www.tvjapan.net/eng/index.html

You need to download the weekly program guide files.

On the right side, you see three PDF icons, you put your mouse over whichever file you want and click your right mouse button. Select "Save Target As.." and click. You should get the file downloaded on you machine.

They just changed things around the website - though they still say sumo broadcast is bilingual which it is at this point in time.

[Kathy 0]

Murray Johnson posted on the ML yesterday that the bi-lingual (read English) broadcast might be intai after this basho. There seems to be a website in Japanese where we can write to the Kyokai, but I think it must be NHK, so if anyone has the address, please post so that we can complain.

What a fine way to increase interest in the sport. NOT! Stupid (Censored) s.

We wrote to TV Japan and this is the response we received:

Dear Mr.& Mrs. DeShong,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We contacted NHK in Japan regarding bilingual broadcast for Grand Sumo

tournaments after receiving your inquiry, and they told us that there

was no such decision made by NHK and they would continue to add English

audio to the Sumo tournaments. We also forwarded your comments to NHK

in Japan to let them know how important the English audio is to

non-Japanese speakers who enjoy watching Sumo every other month.

If you have any further questions, please contact us again.

Thank you for your subscription,

TV JAPAN Customer Service

1-877-885-2726

M-F 9am-5pm (EST)

1-877-885-9378

7days 10am-6pm (PST)

----- Original Message -----

From: Doug <mailto:rawhide@ezL.com>

To: TV JAPAN <mailto:tvjapan@tvjapan.net> ; TVJWEST@tvjapan.net

<mailto:TVJWEST@tvjapan.net>

Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 12:32 AM

Subject: English Audio For Sumo Broadcasts

Ladies/Gentlemen:

I read a posting by Mr. Murray Johnson, who I believe is one of

the English broadcasters for NHK,

that the Sumo English Audio Broadcasts for may be discontinued?

My wife and I spoke to TVJapan representatives while recently

attending the Sumo Matches in Las Vegas ,NV. We were under the

impression TVJapan was considering extending the broadcasts to

include more matches and the traditional ceremonies. While I

observed the TVJapan people surveying individuals from the crowd

entering the arena, I felt this was an almost unanimous request of

those individuals

being questioned. Also, there was much support for "The Pancake

Man", your own Mr. Dave Wiggins.

Needless to say, the only way anyone knows about Mr. Wiggins is from

listening to the English audio version of the Sumo broadcasts.

Not only is he well known among Sumo watchers in the United States,

I was surprised to talk to a gentleman from Hong Kong who was

in Las Vegas for the Sumo who asked "if the Pancake Man was doing

the announcements" for the Las Vegas matches.

With all due respect, I must be honest with you. The sole reason I

subscribe to TVJapan is for the English audio broadcasts of the Sumo

Basho's held throughout Japan every other month. It would be most

questionable for our household to pay the TVJapan subscription fee

were the English audio discontinued.

Sumo is just now beginning to catch on and is gaining in popularity

in the United States. THe discontinuation of the English broadcasts

would

would deal a severe blow to popularity of Sumo & make further

expansion of viewers in the United States literally impossible.

I cannot urge you strongly enough to please continue the English

broadcasts. We also enjoy Mr. Dave Wiggins the most of any announcer.

Best Regards,

Douglas DeShong

Kathleen DeShong

Brighton, Illinois. USA

[sekitori 492]

We wrote to TV Japan and this is the response we received:

Dear Mr.& Mrs. DeShong,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We contacted NHK in Japan regarding bilingual broadcast for Grand Sumo

tournaments after receiving your inquiry, and they told us that there

was no such decision made by NHK and they would continue to add English

audio to the Sumo tournaments. We also forwarded your comments to NHK

in Japan to let them know how important the English audio is to

non-Japanese speakers who enjoy watching Sumo every other month.

If you have any further questions, please contact us again.

Thank you for your subscription,

TV JAPAN Customer Service

1-877-885-2726

M-F 9am-5pm (EST)

1-877-885-9378

7days 10am-6pm (PST)

Thanks for writing to TV Japan and informing us of their reply. I appreciate your efforts very much and I'm sure that other forum members interested in bilingual broadcasts also do. Their answer sounds encouraging and I hope that they really mean what they say. We'll see.

[Kintamayama 44,646]

A lot of banter on this on the Sumo Mailing List today-it seems Mr. Johnson and the NHK have denied this. In her first post, Barbara specifically writes "might", and that got lost somewhere and became reality. At this stage, as I understand it, NHK has no intention of discontinuing the English broadcasts.

Maybe someone with more authority can shed some light on the actual situation as it stands today.

[Babaryutaikai 1]

A lot of banter on this on the Sumo Mailing List today-it seems Mr. Johnson and the NHK have denied this. In her first post, Barbara specifically writes "might", and that got lost somewhere and became reality. At this stage, as I understand it, NHK has no intention of discontinuing the English broadcasts.

Maybe someone with more authority can shed some light on the actual situation as it stands today.

I wrote "might", Murray wrote "may" in his post to the ML. NHK denied it, period.

[Kasugaran 0]

I have noticed that with this tournament they have cut the days with two commentators. They are generally making do with one now.... Cost cutting?

[Mark Buckton 1]

They are generally making do with one now.... Cost cutting?

correctomonzo sadly - think the media mentioned 1500 jobs to go over the next 'X' months / years. Time will tell I guess.

[Araiguma_Rascal 0]

NHK recently had a scandal (or a few) with some employees embezzling funds, and recently another employee committed arson. Some subscribers responded to this by unilaterally deciding not to pay their NHK fees as a protest. Although its technically a requirement, NHK cannot actually compel anyone to pay if they are stubborn enough.

So for this reason NHK money is probably down. Personally, I prefer NHK over all the other fare on Japanese TV, so I am happy to pay my subscription and I consider it reasonable. I often listen to the English announcers, although I can understand the Japanese well enough that I would be OK without them.

[Kasugaran 0]

Oh! I hate NHK, it is soooo boring. What's with the alarmist "Don't Go to This Country This Week" show? However, I do love the English commentary. The Japanese commentary suffers from the same thing that many news and sports shows do all over East Asia; just too damn serious...

[Shomishuu 0]

Oh! I hate NHK, it is soooo boring. What's with the alarmist "Don't Go to This Country This Week" show? However, I do love the English commentary. The Japanese commentary suffers from the same thing that many news and sports shows do all over East Asia; just too damn serious...

I can't understand the Japanese commentary so I can't get too in depth on this issue. But I do wonder...if the Japanese commentary treated sumo more lightly and the public followed and the rikishi followed: Would it still look like sumo??

[Jonosuke 28]

Oh! I hate NHK, it is soooo boring. What's with the alarmist "Don't Go to This Country This Week" show?

I have a bias, I just love public broadcasters wherever they are - whether PBS in the States, BBC in UK or CBC in Canada (sorry I cannot comment on Australia or NZ as I don't know enough to make a comment). I love them all. What NHK offers in Japan far surpasses what put up by all the other commercial broadcasters in Japan. Simply no comparison. You can talk forever about "NHK Special" or their high quality drama series as well as their "Silk Road" series. They simply provide the best and most informative programs in Japan. They may have had some problems with their employees but what they produce for on air is just superb.

As for that "Alarm" program, it is meant for Japanese tourists and ex-pats as they may not be as familar with local happenings and it does have its place. If you look at government web sites of Foreign Department, you will find similar information like the US State Department often posts the same type of information for American tourists and business people travelling abroad. For instance if you are travelling for weeks and happen to drop by to Ghana, you may not know there is a national election and there may be demonstrations that likely to have clashes with the police. It just tries to get you a proper precaution.