‘National Singing Contest’ new host Nam Hee-seok’s microphone is getting heavier

Comedian Nam Hee-seok, the host of KBS1‘s “National Singing Contest”. Courtesy of KBS

Comedian Nam Hee-seok has been the host of KBS1‘s “National Singing Contest” for over a month, but the TV program is struggling with poor ratings. Nam’s microphone is getting heavier and heavier as KBS replaced its former host, Kim Shin-young, under the pretext of low ratings.

According to Nielsen Korea, Nam started with a 5.5 percent viewership rating on March 31 when he first appeared on the show as the new host. The ratings rose slightly to 6.0 percent on April 7, 5.9 percent on April 14, and 6.8 percent on April 21, but dropped to 5.1 percent on April 28. The 5.1 percent was the lowest compared to other episodes by Kim this year.

The average viewership rating for the five weeks that Nam hosted the show was 5.8 percent. It is significantly lower than the average viewership rating of the late Song-hae, who was the original show host. It is higher than Kim‘s average viewership of 4.9 percent over the past year and a half, but there is no significant difference as the viewership has been around 5to 6 percent this year. Some interpret that the upward trend has been dampened as the convention effect (a phenomenon in which attention is focused on a specific event) of the replacement of the host has disappeared. However, the broadcaster abruptly notified Kim of her replacement last month, only after a year and five months of working as a host. As viewers complained, KBS cited low ratings. "Contrary to the increase in popularity of the show, viewership ratings have declined. Regardless of the quality of the show, it is necessary for each program to select a host based on its characteristics and main audience." For this reason, Nam Hee-seok, a man in his 50s, was chosen as the new host.

If Kim was the “Sunday’s youngest daughter,” Nam is attempting to expand his contact with local residents with his unique affinity by promoting the image of "Sunday's Hahoe Mask." In the episode of Daejeon aired on April 21, he participated as a host even in the preliminary round, on top of the main stage. Nam appeared on KBS1 News 9 last month and said, "I've probably grabbed the heaviest microphone in the world," adding, "It's a place with that much tension and pressure."

As OTT (online video services), including Netflix grow, some criticize that only show hosts cannot be blamed for the overall decline in viewership ratings at a time when terrestrial broadcasting ratings are generally stagnant. Jung Deok-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "’The National Singing Contest’ is based on a similar format from 1980 to the present, but KBS's judgment that the ratings will rebound if the host changes is wrong. The fundamental cause of the low ratings is the broadcasting company’s inability to meet the increased expectations of the audience.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.