KBS announcer Um Ji-in expressed her feelings about the revamp of 'Morning Yard'.
KBS held a press conference for KBS 1TV's 'Morning Yard' at the KBS headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. Present were the show's two MCs, Um Ji-in and announcer Park Cheol-gyu, newly joined panel comedian Jung Tae-ho, singers Na Sang-do and Yoon Su-hyun, and director Kim Dae-hyun, who spoke with domestic reporters about the program's revamp.
'Morning Yard' first aired on May 20, 1991, and this year marks its 35th anniversary on the air. As a long-running program beloved as one of Korea's representative long-running shows, 'Morning Yard' is undergoing a revamp after more than 35 years on the air under the banners of "viewer participation," "fun," and "digital expansion." KBS began implementing the revamp plan on the 30th, introducing day-specific specialized formats and strengthening digital content.
Regarding this, Um Ji-in, the show's main presenter, said, "It has been three years since I restarted 'Morning Yard.' I did it 10 years ago as well, but I returned to it. I have been with the company for 20 years. The fact that KBS's cultural affairs department's flagship program 'Morning Yard' holds press conferences this often is itself a sign of change. The very attempt to talk with you, reporters, seems to come from a greater desire to speak with viewers and meet them more closely. As the times change and trends shift, I felt that 'Morning Yard' is changing too."
He also added, "Today's first broadcast of the revamp aired. A special episode aired, but it is not a program that causes a sense of alienation. It didn't change completely; the reason viewers like 'Morning Yard' is that it is always there at 8:30 in that same slot, and that is why the show has lasted until now. That spirit and meaning do not change, but we wanted to get closer to the elements of fun and topics that the current moment demands as the times change, so we thought a lot about how to communicate with viewers, and this time we decided to take a bold approach to the revamp."
To that end, Um Ji-in will even deploy her alter ego "Eom Young-ja" to present YouTube content. She explained the concept, saying, "Even 10 years ago, the amazing guests who appeared on 'Morning Yard' had so many stories that it felt too regrettable to have them speak for only one hour on live broadcast. We do pre-interviews, and there are so many interesting episodes that we can't fully reveal on live air. I thought it would be good to have a channel to share behind-the-scenes stories."
She went on, "These stories always existed, and the head of team agreed to try something new and took the lead. You might say, 'Isn't YouTube easy?' but because securing guests was not easy, attempts weren't made before; this time, seeing viewers enjoy the 'Eom Young-ja' alter ego, I thought, why not approach it from a completely different dimension. I thought it might create a channel different from 'Morning Yard.'"
She joked, "Through the YouTube content channel, I want to share behind-the-scenes stories or the things I've personally wanted to try that I couldn't do on live public broadcasting — like openly saying I want to go to Starbucks, asking why Jung Tae-ho appeared, or saying harsh things to Park Cheol-gyu."
'Morning Yard' airs every Monday through Friday at 8:25 a.m.
[Photo] Provided by KBS.
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