"Morning Yard" and "TV Show Jinpum Jinpum" meet with viewers continuously without changing the MC.
On March 3, the KBS Documentary Center instructed producers that, for "strengthening KBS competitiveness," "maintaining the identity of the documentary program that pursues change," and "discovering young hosts and providing opportunities for future generations," MCs of programs that have been running for over 5 years must be changed by the KBS founding anniversary (March 3).
According to the KBS Producer Association, programs that meet this criterion include KBS1 "Morning Yard," "6 o'clock My Hometown," and "TV Show Jinpum Jinpum," which are representative KBS documentary programs, and names such as announcer Kim Jae-won ("Morning Yard"), announcer Yoon In-goo ("6 o'clock My Hometown"), and announcer Kang Seung-hwa ("TV Show Jinpum Jinpum") have been mentioned.
The PDs of the respective programs conveyed to the CP and Director General that they have no intention of changing the current MC, and through a statement from the KBS Producer Association, they noted, "Changing an MC for a program is a significant matter that can influence the program's competitiveness. However, the programs under consideration for MC replacement have not experienced competitiveness issues recently. On the contrary, ratings are on the rise and are overwhelming rival broadcasts at the same time. In this situation, it is hard to find any reason for suddenly needing to change the MC."
In particular, they expressed, "The reason the PDs are confused lies in the 'criteria.' Must an announcer leave a program if they have been there for 5 years, no matter how well they host? If there is an announcer with 4 and a half years of hosting experience, will we change that MC under the same criteria in 6 months? Please retract the MC change and unilateral orders now. Moreover, if there is a desire to change the program, the production team should meet directly to gather opinions as a priority. Then, present a concrete vision for improving the program."
In response, the announcers of the respective programs also voiced their opinions. On the 27th, announcer Kang Seung-hwa, who serves as the MC for "TV Show Jinpum Jinpum," criticized the directive. He has been the MC of "TV Show Jinpum Jinpum" since 2019 and is a candidate for replacement according to the directive.
Announcer Kang Seung-hwa stated during a press conference, "It is hard to accept the logic that a host must be replaced just because they have been there for a long time. I do not want to step down for that reason while I am hosting. I can leave whenever I am not performing as well as before, or if the program needs change. However, it is difficult to step down due to numbers or reasons hard for viewers to accept; that is my personal opinion."
Following announcer Kang Seung-hwa, announcer Kim Jae-won also voiced his opinion. On the 28th broadcast of "Morning Yard," he commented, "It's already the end of February. When March comes, I can gather my thoughts again; there is nothing more important than keeping my place. Don't worry. I will maintain my position in March."
[OSEN = Reporter Jang Woo-young]