Last Tuesday, Sonia Ito is busy with household chores in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture. Early evening she leaves husband Yuta with 2-year old daughter Julia and catches the train for Tokyo. By 7:30 p.m. she's seated on a purple "zabuton" in Fuji TV's headquarters at O-Daiba, recording the soccer program "Football CX."
As Sonia explains: " 'Football CX' is broadcast on Thursdays at 1:30 a.m. It gets 6 percent viewer ratings, which is good for a program shown at such a time. It's surprising how many people are still awake, mostly salarymen who get home late and want time to themselves. Personally I'm always asleep."
This second season of "Football CX" again has four presenters -- Liverpool fan Tony Crosbie, Italian "talento" Girolamo, TV announcer Kyoko Ushida and Sonia -- discussing news, pointers and gossip in the world of international soccer. "Fuji is into European football. I provide the Portuguese angle, what Japan calls plus-alpha -- the gray area that spices up what is already known." For example, she will describe Ronaldo's wedding plans (to a "well-proportioned" Brazilian model): a big reception in Paris, with U2's Bono offering entertainment.