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The story
The YouTube show “The Location-Scouting Show, Starring Watabe,” led by Anjash’s Ken Watabe (54), is set to air on terrestrial broadcast TV via Akita TV, in Akita Prefecture — the hometown of his wife, Nozomi Sasaki. The news was announced on the show’s official X account on October 3, and Watabe himself reacted with surprise and delight in the video, exclaiming, “Seriously? Whoa!” On 5ch, though, the dominant reaction wasn’t celebration — it was debate over whether this really counts as a “return to terrestrial TV.” Commenters repeatedly pointed out that Akita TV, as a network affiliate station, occupies a different standing than an independent UHF station like Chiba TV, sparking a broader argument about how regional stations should be classified.
Watabe Ken set for a terrestrial TV comeback in Akita Prefecture with “Watabe Location Scouting” — in wife Sasaki Nozomi’s hometown, calling it “one big, important step”
The YouTube channel starring comedy duo Anjash’s Ken Watabe (54), titled “The Show Where Anjash’s Watabe Location-Scouts While Dreaming of One Day Appearing on a Terrestrial Food Show,” updated its official X account on the 3rd. Watabe announced, “I’m finally back on terrestrial TV.”
The official X account posted, “Anjash’s Watabe — finally back on terrestrial TV,” alongside a video over a minute long. When staff told him, “It’s been decided that ‘Watabe Location Scouting’ will air on terrestrial TV in Akita,” Watabe clapped for himself in delight, exclaiming, “Seriously? Whoa!”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Shiro-Kuro is actually funny. He really is good at talk segments.
Isn't there a difference between a legacy independent UHF station like Chiba TV and a key-station affiliate, though?
I mean, Watanabe Nagisa gets to appear on it, so… (that tells you the bar).
Wait, Watabe hadn't already made his terrestrial TV comeback? Matsumoto already called himself 'back on terrestrial' just from doing that Takasu Clinic commercial.
He could still land a late-night slot — no sponsors to worry about and compliance is way looser there.
Late-night's already got the reliable duo of Anmika and Kuwabata holding it down anyway.
Probably through some connection to the original 'King of Comedy,' who's from Akita.
The definition of 'terrestrial' gets pretty loose in cases like this, but yeah — a regional station tied to a key-station network does feel a notch above an independent station.
Background and Key Points of Debate
Ever since his affair was reported in 2020, Ken Watabe has stepped away from regular TV programs and built his career mainly around YouTube — which is the context that made this “terrestrial broadcast” news notable. That said, this isn’t a nationwide network airing but a single-station deal limited to Akita TV, and that’s exactly what split opinion in the thread: can this really be called a “terrestrial comeback”? At the root of the disagreement is the distinction between Akita TV, a key-station network affiliate, and independent UHF stations like Chiba TV or TOKYO MX. Affiliate stations run programming slots supplied by the key stations, so they’re more readily seen as “terrestrial,” whereas independent stations source their programming differently — and by convention, some viewers don’t count them as “terrestrial” at all. That ambiguity in definition is what creates the gap between the headline phrase “terrestrial comeback” and the actual scale of the broadcast.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisupo Sokuhou+) thread “[Entertainment] Watabe Ken Set for a Terrestrial TV Comeback in Akita Prefecture with “Watabe Location Scouting” — In Wife Sasaki Nozomi’s Hometown, Calling It “One Big, Important Step”.”
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