Saga Television Station

Saga Television Station Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社サガテレビ
Kabushikigaisha Sagaterebi
FormerlySaga Broadcasting Corporation (1 November 1967 – 27 May 1968)
FoundedNovember 1, 1967; 56 years ago (1967-11-01)
Headquarters1-6-10, Jonai, ,
Japan
Key people
  • Shunzo Yoshimura (President and Representative Director)
  • Toshihiko Izumi (Chairman and Representative Director)
Number of employees
61 (2021)
Footnotes / references
Data from its Corporate History and Profile
JOSH-DTV
CitySaga City
Channels
BrandingSaga TV
Programming
AffiliationsFuji News Network and Fuji Network System
Ownership
OwnerSaga Television Station Co., Ltd.
History
First air date
1 April 1969
Former call signs
JOSH-TV (1969–2011)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 36 (UHF, 1969–2011)
Call sign meaning
Saga Hōsō (from Saga Hōsō Kabushikigaisha, the broadcaster's initial name prior to its founding[1]: 16 )
Technical information
Licensing authority
MIC
Links
Websitewww.sagatv.co.jp

Saga Television Station Co., Ltd. (株式会社サガテレビ), branded since 2015 as Saga TV, is the only commercial television station broadcasting to Saga. The station is affiliated to Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System since the station launched.

Despite holding a local monopoly in commercial television to the prefecture, commercial television stations from Fukuoka are easily available.

History

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Prior to the opening of the bidding for a new commercial broadcaster in Saga Prefecture, people living in the area tended to listen to radio or watch TV programming with antennas pointing to either Kumamoto or Fukuoka Prefectures, due to the fact that there are no mountains surrounding the nearby mentioned prefectures.[1]: 14  There were multiple attempts to request a broadcast license to open a commercial broadcaster in Saga Prefecture, but all were rejected.[1]: 14–15 It wasn't until 1967 that the Ministry of Post included Saga in the UHF allocation. The three companies that initially applied for a license were consolidated into Saga Broadcasting Corporation, and later obtained the license on 1 November of the same year.[1]: 16 The company name was later changed to Saga Television Station on 28 May 1968.[1]: 17 

Before the broadcaster started its operations, TV sets in Japan were required to have the capability to receive UHF channels. In Saga Prefecture, only 30% of the population had TVs with UHF receivers, which pushed them to promote UHF TVs. The campaign was deemed successful, that 60% already had UHF capable TVs.[1]: 17–18  Since Nishinippon Shimbun had played a role in the founding of Saga TV, the broadcaster then decided to be part of the Fuji News Network, which is funded by the mentioned newspaper and Television Nishinippon Corporation.[1]: 18 

  • 1 April 1969 – STS begins broadcasting on UHF channel 36.
  • 1994 – STS moves their headquarters.
  • 1 December 2006 – Digital broadcasts begin, the station was assigned to channel 44 and the remote control key is channel 3.
  • 24 July 2011 – Analog transmissions cease.
  • 1 January 2015 – The station is rebranded as SAGA TV.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g 地域と共に : サガテレビ・30年史 [Together with the Community: 30 Years of Saga Television] (in Japanese). Saga Television. 1999. OCLC 674823974.
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