Tokai Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (THK, 東海テレビ放送株式会社, often called Tokai TV (東海テレビ)) is a Japanese television station affiliated with Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS), based in Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture. It is also known as Tokai Hoso Kaikan.
Offices
Headquarters - 14-27, Higashi-Sakura Itchome, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan Tokyo Branch Office - Hibiya Chunichi Building, 1-4, Uchisaiwaicho Nichome, Chiyoda, Tokyo Osaka Branch Office - Breeze Tower, 4-9, Umeda Nichome, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
History
1957-1964: founding and early broadcasts
In 1957, around the application for the third television broadcasting licence in the Tokai region seven companies, namely Tokai Broadcasting, Tokai TV, Tokai Radio, Kinki Tokai Broadcasting, Nippon Color TV, Nagoya Broadcasting and Nippon Television launched their bids. Then, the four companies of Tokai Broadcasting, Tokai TV, Tokai Radio, and Kinki Tokai Broadcasting merged into "New Tokai Television" and obtained a TV broadcasting license on October 22, 1957.
The channel number for broadcasting was anticipated to be channel 1 in the Tokai region, although there were voices in the postal office who believed that channel 1 should be used by CBC as it was the first to broadcast. CBC was willing to continue to use channel 5, as its frequency was widely known, and its number was located in the center of the TV channel switching dial at that time, thus, Tokai TV was going to use channel 1.
On December 1 of the same year, New Tokai TV set up an office in the North Hall of the New Nagoya Building, and began preparations for broadcasting. On January 20 of the following year, New Tokai Television established its headquarters in Higashishincho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya City, and on February 17 changed its name to Tokai Television, referred to as THK.
On December 18, 1958, Tokai TV began airing test signals, and began trial broadcasting on the 21st of the same month. At 11:15 on December 25, Tokai TV officially started broadcasting, becoming the 17th private TV station in Japan. At the beginning of the broadcast, Tokai TV and Kansai TV established a network relationship. In 1959, with the launch of Fuji TV, Tokai TV joined the network with Fuji TV as the flagship station, but also broadcast some programs from both Nippon TV and NET TV. In 1961, Tokai TV abolished the off-air period in the afternoon and started broadcasting uninterruptedly from morning to evening. With the launch of Nagoya TV in 1962, Tokai TV stopped broadcasting programs from Nippon TV and NET TV, and became a member of the Fuji TV network. In 1964, Tokai TV broadcast a color program for the first time (the British series Stingray), which was being networked by Fuji TV). Four years later, Tokai TV's self-produced programs were now produced in color. The first self-produced color program was Kazuo Hasegawa's Masterpiece Series.
1965-1987: growth and success
In 1965, Tokai TV launched its current logo. The logo is designed with the concept of "gazing at the modern eye". In 1968, in order to adapt to the arrival of the color TV era, Tokai Television changed the color of the central circular part of the logo from black to blue. On May 18 of the same year, Masahiko Harada's match against Ed Geoffrey, broadcast by Tokai TV, set a record rating of 68%, making the boxing broadcast a signature program of the Fuji TV series. In 1967, as part of the local contribution business, Tokai Television donated a fountain to the Nagoya City Government, which was set up in Sakae Park. Tokai TV has produced many commemorative special programs on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, among which the TV series Hida Koshito was affirmed by the Meiji Centennial Art Festival. This period was also the first viewing peak of Tokai TV. In 1967 and 1968, Tokai TV won the triple crown of ratings for two consecutive years. In 1970, Tokai TV became the first company in the Japanese TV industry to have a two-day weekend. In 1977, Tokai TV's pre-tax profit exceeded 10 billion yen for the first time.