Okayama Broadcasting

Okayama Broadcasting Co., Ltd., commonly known as OHK, is a commercial television broadcaster serving the combined Okayama–Kagawa television market in Japan. The station operates from Okayama Prefecture and broadcasts to viewers in both Okayama and Kagawa prefectures. Its corporate name is represented in romanized Japanese as Okayama Hōsō, which accounts for the OHK abbreviation. The station’s television callsign is JOOH-TV. OHK was created during the expansion of Japan’s UHF commercial-television system. The company was founded in November 1967 to make use of a newly available UHF frequency in Okayama, with the company formally established on March 26, 1968. Regular television transmission began on April 1, 1969, when the station operated under the name TV Okayama. From launch, it was primarily affiliated with the Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System, commonly abbreviated FNN and FNS. It also initially maintained a secondary relationship with the NET/ANN network, giving it access to programming from more than one national commercial network during the early years of operation. The station’s service area changed significantly in 1979. Before that point, Okayama and Kagawa were treated as separate television markets, with OHK primarily serving Okayama and KSB serving northern Kagawa as a NET/ANN affiliate. On April 1, 1979, the two markets were combined. OHK consequently became capable of serving both prefectures and ended its secondary ANN affiliation. The transition was marked by a special broadcast from four locations: Takamatsu Mitsukoshi, Takamatsu Port Pier, Uno Port Pier, and the OHK studios. The broadcast also coincided with the station’s tenth anniversary. OHK later completed the transition from analog to digital terrestrial television. Digital broadcasts began on December 1, 2006, while analog transmissions ended on July 24, 2011, in line with Japan’s nationwide digital switchover. Its principal business remains terrestrial television broadcasting, including network programming supplied through FNN and FNS as well as locally produced news, information, and other regional content. Through its dual-prefecture coverage area, the station functions as a regional media outlet connecting communities on both sides of the Seto Inland Sea. The brand is therefore best understood as a regional broadcast-station brand rather than a national consumer brand. Its distinctiveness comes from its role in the Okayama–Kagawa media market, its long-standing Fuji network affiliation, and its evolution from a single-prefecture UHF station into a broadcaster serving a merged regional television area.

Okayama Broadcasting emerged from Japan’s expansion of commercial UHF television licensing in the late 1960s. The company was founded on November 1, 1967, with the purpose of developing an available UHF frequency in Okayama. It was formally established on March 26, 1968, and began regular television broadcasts on April 1, 1969. At launch, the station used the name TV Okayama and served as a primary affiliate of the Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System. It also carried a secondary affiliation with the NET/ANN network, reflecting the structure of Japan’s commercial television market at the time. For its first decade, OHK operated primarily within the Okayama television market. KSB began broadcasting on the same day as OHK as the principal NET/ANN station for northern Kagawa, meaning that the two neighboring prefectures initially had separate commercial television arrangements. This structure changed on April 1, 1979, when the Okayama and Kagawa television markets were merged. The merger allowed OHK to extend its service across both prefectures and removed the need for its secondary ANN affiliation. A commemorative special program was broadcast from four locations—Takamatsu Mitsukoshi, Takamatsu Port Pier, Uno Port Pier, and the OHK studios—to mark the market change and the station’s tenth anniversary. The station subsequently modernized its transmission infrastructure as Japan moved toward digital terrestrial television. OHK commenced digital broadcasting on December 1, 2006. Its analog service ended on July 24, 2011, completing the station’s transition to digital transmission. Throughout these changes, the broadcaster retained its role as an FNN/FNS regional affiliate and continued to serve audiences in the combined Okayama–Kagawa market. OHK’s history reflects the development of regional television in Japan: the introduction of UHF broadcasting, the consolidation of neighboring media markets, and the replacement of analog transmission with digital television. Its business identity remains centered on local broadcasting rather than nationwide distribution, with the station combining locally relevant content with programming from its Fuji network affiliations.

• 2011

  Analog broadcasting ends

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The station terminated analog transmissions on July 24, 2011, completing its transition to digital broadcasting.

• 2006

  Digital broadcasting begins

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  OHK started digital terrestrial television broadcasting on December 1, 2006.

• 1979

  Okayama and Kagawa television markets merge

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The two prefectures became a combined television market on April 1, 1979. OHK expanded its service area to both prefectures and ended its secondary ANN affiliation.

• 1969

  Television broadcasting begins as TV Okayama

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Regular broadcasts began on April 1, 1969, under the TV Okayama name. The station launched as a primary FNN/FNS affiliate and a secondary NET/ANN affiliate.

• 1968

  Company formally established

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The broadcaster was formally established on March 26, 1968.

• 1967

  Company founded to develop a UHF television frequency

  [1]Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Okayama Broadcasting was founded on November 1, 1967, in connection with the allocation of a new UHF television frequency in Okayama.

A regional commercial television broadcaster focused on news, information, entertainment, and network programming for viewers in Okayama and Kagawa prefectures.

• Broadcast television · 1969

  OHK terrestrial television service

  The station’s core offering is a commercial terrestrial television service for Okayama and Kagawa prefectures. It carries programming from the Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System while also providing locally relevant broadcasts for the combined regional market.

• Regional television programming

  Local news and information programming

  OHK produces or broadcasts regional news, information, and other locally oriented television content for audiences in Okayama and Kagawa. These programs support the station’s role as a prefectural and regional media outlet.

1. 1Okayama Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Okayama Broadcasting official websiteohk.co.jp