Is television going the way of other obsolete media?

Has television had its day? Will it soon go the way of the clay tablet, the town crier and other obsolete media? It’s hard to believe that so seemingly irreplaceable a fixture in our daily lives for the past 60 years, prized and damned with equal passion, could be fading into irrelevance, but that seems to be the case, Weekly Playboy (April 13) fears.

Recently, Fuji TV marked its 50th anniversary with a speech from the chairman that was less than celebratory. “I would like,” he told the broadcaster’s assembled employees, “to hand out a cash envelope to each one of you—or maybe it’s more appropriate to say I would like to receive a cash envelope from each of you. In plain language, we are out of money.”

Crowded by the Internet, deserted by sponsors, television, that quintessential 20th-century medium, struggles to find a place for itself in the post-20th-century world. Fuji TV’s money worries are shared across the board, Weekly Playboy finds.

“Our drama division is in a real bind,” laments a Nihon TV staffer. “Every time we produce a drama, we have to negotiate a fee reduction with the actors.”

At TV Tokyo, economic measures seem to be wearing everyone down. “It extends to little things,” grouses an employee. “Like stationery. We used to have ballpoint pens with the TV Tokyo logo, costing about 200 yen. Ever since the Lehman shock [in September], we’ve switched to cheap pens with no logo.”

That in itself is no tragedy. The question is, can quality programming coexist with financial austerity? The evidence lately suggests it may not be possible. “It’s a fin-de-siecle situation,” sums up a TV Asahi staffer.

Take TV drama, once the “flower” of the medium. “Even the top TV stations,” Weekly Playboy hears from one industry insider, “are finding that nowadays fewer and fewer viewers are tuning in to dramas. In the old days we’d polish the script over and over, we’d agonize over the actors, the location…. That’s finished now. TV stations today just want to maximize ratings with as little trouble as possible—anything that’ll draw sponsors. As a result, we’re presenting sponsors with the same stuff over and over again, and bringing in the same proven actors. It’s very discouraging.”

“We all long for the glittering dramas of old,” says a producer. “But it’s impossible. In the current climate, we can no longer spend money like water, as we used to. Now the first thought on our minds has to be the budget. You can’t turn out original work that way. So you settle for conventional stuff—popular manga, popular novels.”

Those for whom “idiot box” has always been an apt synonym for TV will retort, “So, what else is new?” But if even good television represented a cultural dumbing down, imagine the nefarious influence of bad television!

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Latest 15 of 34 Total Comments Show All

bdiego at 02:32 PM JST - 5th April

Yeah, and the internet is going the way of the papyrus. Nevermind we watch TV and use the internet ten times longer than we call our parents or walk in the park.
onewrldoneppl at 09:31 PM JST - 5th April

many predicted the end of radio with the advent of television but yet, radio still continues to exist. even internet radio now exists. television may evolve, as will print media, but there is still enough room at the table for all forms of media. especially when one considers that the majority of the worlds population still lives in the 4th world where radio/print media continue to dominate. 75% of the world's population has never even heard of the internet ... ha ha ha. some people have never even heard of television. this discussion is really only for the privilged few. like arguing about which mercedes will make which BMW obsolete.
KaptainKichigai at 10:48 PM JST - 5th April

"b" "o" "o" - "h" "o" "o"
gyouza at 11:00 PM JST - 5th April

How long will TV last in its present form? We will have access to online/downloadable programming soon, so how will variety shows last?

All a good thing - but how the industry reshapes itself will be very interesting!
Den Den at 09:20 AM JST - 7th April

TV will go, but the ads will stay.
Richard_III at 09:37 AM JST - 7th April

Am I the only one thinking that something must surely be done to protect this important international cultural heritage?

For surely the World will be a miserable, dark and ill-begotten place without the cultural contributions made to humanity and civilisation by Japanese talents' and comedians.

We may never know again whether some ramen is oishii or not; the implications of which must be sending shivers of fear down the spines of all high minded and culturally aware people in Japan.
memyselfI at 10:33 AM JST - 7th April

Japanese Televison is obsolete It's boring !!!! It's predictable !!! It's lame !!!! I only watch Smap Smap Bistro Show

That's it !!! I can't the difference between bad white rice and good white rice

Sorry !!!!
Richard_the_First at 05:52 PM JST - 7th April

> We may never know again whether some ramen is oishii or not; the implications of which must be sending shivers of fear down the spines of all high minded and culturally aware people in Japan. >

But we already know that its oishii..............ha,ha.ha

I wish just for once, a talent would be honest and say that some dish is okay but not their favourite. But no, it is always umai or oishii, or even kawaii. Possibly sugoi, too. Ehhhhhhh
tokyocrawler at 06:35 PM JST - 7th April

Management is what the bloody problem is ! he admitted himself they were spending cash like no tommoroow....hello! Mr .biggie working in a space ship silver ball that glows at night over tokyo bay!....extravagance!

hopefully it`ll be restructured and improve efficiency...get rid of the top hierarchy ...not just getting cheaper pens...

Asian markets love the Japanese TV shows so get more outa that..tourists are flocking here to see that aspect of Japan...actors mangement agencies are bloody crooks too so they need to get a dose of reality

Japanese TV is nutty but see how US and UK shows are now copying their crazy antics!.....gambatte Fuji, bringa us more action sports and more TV...we are addicts
jinjapan at 03:44 PM JST - 8th April

one can only hope so.
spudman at 06:14 PM JST - 8th April

I'll drink to that! I get my thrills from JT. Thank you JT.
jonnyboy at 11:56 AM JST - 9th April

We may never know again whether some ramen is oishii or not

your statement implies that there has been non-oishii ramen on japanese tv. i find this highly unlikely
Osakadaz at 09:17 AM JST - 13th April

I got sick of banal broadcasts,watching fat-cat tarento stuffing faces with food the most of us will never have the cash to eat,and the endless 'yagarase' of money being paid to set up stories,interviews and the like. Haven't had a TV for 3 years now and I don't miss it.
JeromeInJapan at 07:07 PM JST - 26th April

Yes it will. Youtube is taking over dayo!
mareo2 at 08:16 PM JST - 26th April

I dont watch TV for years, is not wort the visit of NHK anyway. Internet is my source of free news and entertainment.