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The Japan News Network (JNN; Japanese: ジャパン・ニュース・ネットワーク, romanized:Japan Nyūsu Nettowāku) is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television, owned by TBS Holdings (which is a part of the Mitsui Groupkeiretsu and highly cooperating with the Mainichi Shimbun despite the lack of the latter's shareholding in TBS Holdings). The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. Its affiliate stations also broadcast non-news programs originating from TBS Television. Founded on 1 August 1959,[1]:150–151 JNN is made up of 28 full-time affiliates.
In 1956, when there were only four commercial television stations in Japan (Nippon Television, Tokyo Radio and Television (hereinafter referred to as KRT), Osaka Television Broadcasting, and Chubu Nippon Broadcasting), the television network was quite loose. Nippon Television and KRT in Tokyo had to sell their programs to the two commercial stations (Osaka TV Broadcasting and Chubu Nippon Broadcasting) outside of Tokyo as much as possible in order to recoup their production costs and meet the needs of advertisers. This puts the two stations in an advantageous position by allowing them to freely choose the programs they want to syndicate.[3]:100[4]:7On 15 November 1956, four commercial television stations signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Television Broadcasting Program Exchange among Four Companies, which specifically stipulated matters related to the syndication of programs.[4]:11–12Later, Hokkaido Broadcasting and RKB Mainichi Broadcasting joined the agreement, and the four-company agreement was expanded to a six-company agreement. There were no major changes in the contents of the agreement at that time.[4]:12
The agreement later expanded into 10 member stations as Sanyo Broadcasting, Nishinippon Broadcasting, Yomiuri TV, and Television Nishinippon joined into the agreement. With that, the contents of the agreement were drastically changed, centering on special contributions.[4]:12–13In October 1957, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued licenses for 34 commercial TV broadcasters as it became the period of rapid expansion of commercial broadcasters in Japan.[4]:18–19 The opening of commercial television outside the metropolitan area meant that the importance of interconnection was increasing.[4]:22–23During this period, only a limited number of frequencies available were allocated to few broadcasters, resulting in limited affiliation options for the succeeding broadcasters.[4]:23–24
In October 1958, Osaka Television Broadcasting, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, and Sanyo Broadcasting were explicitly part of the same syndication as KRT, while the Nippon Television syndication consisted of Yomiuri TV, Television Nishinippon, and Nishinippon Broadcasting, and the other three were cross-networked with a slight advantage for KRT.[4]:23
At that time, Nippon Television, which had its own highlight programs such as baseball broadcasts, was trying to expand its network through the broadcasting rights of sports events.[4]:24 In response to the increasing competition with the broadcaster at that time, it then aired drama and news programming.[4]:24The lack of nationwide coverage for commercial broadcasting in Japan makes it even more crucial for local operators to work together while gathering news.[4]:24–25In June 1958, KRT, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting System, Osaka Television Broadcasting, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, and Hokkaido Broadcasting began to exchange news materials through a network agreement.[4]:25
Establishment of Japan News Network
The broadcast of the wedding of Crown Prince Akihito (later the 125th Emperor, now Emperor Emeritus) and Crown Princess Michiko (now Empress Emerita) on 1 April 1959, played an important role in bringing about the final signing of the news agreement.[4]:33–36 On 1 August 1959, with the signing of the new news agreement, the first true national commercial TV network in the country - Japan News Network - was formally established.[4]:1
TBS and the member affiliates of the JNN network agreed, upon the creation of JNN, to share news information between the networks while providing both national content for JNN programming produced by TBS and regional news items for their respective programs within their broadcast markets
TBS' non-news programming are to be aired on the JNN network as well
TBS prohibited the regional members from airing programming, including news, from its competitor stations
In the early days, each station was free to replace the title of the news program, but on 31 March 1975, after the affiliation change in Kansai from Asahi Broadcasting TV to Mainichi Broadcasting, all network member stations' news branding was unified on the JNN system, with TBS-produced newscasts airing on the regional stations while regional broadcasters provided local content and reporters and news crews for the national programs.[4]:149–152
Until 1992 (when i-Television in Ehime became the last broadcaster to be affiliated with JNN), multiple broadcasters either dropped their affiliation with JNN (such as Nihonkai Telecasting when Broadcasting System of San-in started broadcasting[4]:38) or have joined JNN upon their establishment (such as Iwate Broadcasting Company,[4]:38Ryukyu Broadcasting,[4]:38 and Aomori Television[4]:153–156). At present, it consists of 28 full-time stations. There are no JNN member stations in Akita, Fukui, Tokushima, and Saga prefectures.
On April 21, 2025, the JNN Park at Akasaka Park Tower opened, centralizing the operations of the Tokyo branch offices of 11 JNN affiliates into one floor. The area includes shared spaces such as conference rooms, phone booths and concentration booths.[5]
↑Affiliated with JNN from 1 June 1971 to 31 March 1983. Owing to network decisions, it changed networks to FNN/FNS. JNN programming returned to Fukushima in December of that year when TUF launched.[6]:30
↑Affiliated with JNN from 1 August 1959 to 30 March 1975. Swapped networks with MBS, which at the time was with ANN, owing to shareholder issues with the network.[7]:105, 125, 201–206
↑Affiliated with JNN from 1 August 1959 to 14 December 1959. Changed networks to NTV when BSS started broadcasting and took TBS's programming.[8]:30
Initially, it was assumed that KNB would become an affiliate with Radio Tokyo Television (now TBS Television) due to its network agreement with the neighboring JNN stations. However, KNB ultimately decided to prioritize affiliating with Nippon TV, driven by factors such as the station's strong sales performance during broadcasts and its existing contracts to air professional baseball games.[10]
Initially, the decision was made to affiliate with Nippon Television due to its higher popularity at the time of the station's opening and technical-related issues. In 1970, after resolving the issues, the second commercial broadcasting station was supposed to be affiliated with Fuji TV (TV Kochi). However, the relationship between the company and Fuji TV deteriorated, prompting consideration of a switch to TBS, which would have involved leaving the NNN network and joining JNN. Fortunately, TV Kochi, the second station, joined JNN just before the new station launched, rendering the affiliation change unnecessary.[11]:256, 258-259, 279
It started as a Fuji TV affiliated station, but in the early 1970s, an affiliation change to the TBS system was planned with the help of Nagasaki Broadcasting.[12] As a result, it did not materialize, and the Kaneko family, the proponent who is said to have planned the affiliate change, was forced out of business by Fuji Television and TV Nishinippon.
References
12TBS50年史.[50 Years of TBS] (in Japanese). Tōkyō Broadcasting System. 2002. OCLC835030477. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
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