Encouraged by timely letters Oct. 30, may this resident of over 50 years register his rage at some of the recent behavior of NHK with the hope of some kind of rectification?
I refer to NHK's practice for the past several months of frequently substituting (without announcement, explanation or apology) baseball games for regularly scheduled programs such as ABC's 9:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. news programs; George Stephanopolis' This Week (Monday at 1:15 p.m.); Jim Lehrer's News Hour; as well as other substitutions at other times, including portions of Diet sessions, etc.
There is so much to praise about the splendid social and nature documentaries offered: Consider the enlightening Sunday Art Museum, Kuniya Horoko's Close-Up Gendai, the all too infrequent presentations of traditional Japanese theater and overseas productions of opera, and, of course, plenty of soccer, newscasts, and occasional coverage of festivals and special events.
There are matters to wish away as well, especially those tedious announcers and their ventriloquist dummies who spoil programs by jawboning away much of the time better spent with the subject at hand -- a concert of classical music, a museum or landscape tour, foreign travel and reportage, Japanese traditional arts and crafts, and other worthwhile subjects. And do we really need three channels simultaneously telecasting the activities and passivities of politicians in the Diet?
Due to my wife's entreaties, I probably won't instruct my bank to discontinue those annual payments of over ¥25,000 until I see reform. But, on the other hand . . .
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