NHK World-Japan wears the BBC's discarded crown
It's the best source for unpolluted news, entertainment, and educational programming
Public broadcasting represents the best hope of undoing the damage wrought by Murdoch-driven media conglomerates. Imagine a media landscape without celebrity news presenters, no horse-race political coverage, and sitcoms that don't run for years beyond their logical conclusion?
For those of us in the US, this is a distant progressive dream, like socialized medicine and universal basic income. Our efforts at public broadcasting (NPR, PBS) are noble, but weak and limping. Public broadcasting has been opposed and (literally) impoverished by the Republican Party since its inception.
* Which means you, comrade, are duty-bound to contribute to NPR and PBS. It's right there in your Liberal/Progressive/Groomer/Satanist/Prius Owner's handbook.
Up until recently the BBC was the prime exemplar of quality public broadcasting. Nowadays it is a global, market-hungry behemoth that serves the Disney corporation more attentively than it serves its UK license holders. Sure, Doctor Who has gorgeous new production values, but at what price?!?
If you want to see the promise of public TV in action, don't watch the BBC, check out NHK World-Japan. NHK is "one of the most autonomous public broadcasting networks in the world," according to openDemocracy.
NHK World Japan offers many items on a thinking person's media wishlist:
News and political coverage that informs without sensation or spin? Check.
To illustrate, here is a full screenshot of today's NHK World-Japan News section. Note who and what is not mentioned:
Rotating news anchors who eschew celebrity and have no discernible political stance? Check.
Interview format that allows experts to give nuanced, uninterrupted answers, however long that takes? Check.
Oddball, engaging documentary programming throughout the day? Check, check, check, etc. (check times ∞).
Culinary topics and cooking? Check.
Sumo? Hell YEAH, Sumo-sized check! NHK is literally the only place to go if you're into watching this ancient sport (AND YOU SHOULD BE).
NHK World-Japan also beats the BBC at the genre most associated with the Beeb: train shows. Railway Journal Japan is a weekly review that treats its subject with the obsessive passion of an eccentric English trainspotter.
NHK World-Japan always informs without being abrasive or needlessly controversial. It's like a Sesame Street for adults; a refreshing alternative to the sensationalism, conflict, and ignorance of major media
Watch NHK World-Japan shows on demand, or stream the network live. It's probably available through your Smart TV provider as well.