My first reaction was NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~~~~
Fuji TV announced that popular music program “HEY! HEY! HEY!”, which is hosted by comedic duo Downtown, will be having its final show by the end of this year.
The program first aired in October 1994 and has had an average rating of 13.9% since then. During those 18 years, the show has gained popularity and has accomplished its goal as a long-running program. Fuji TV will be reorganizing their programs in October and plans to finish the show by the end of the year. The final episode date and future program are currently being discussed.
HEY! HEY! HEY!’s highest rating was on June 21, 1999 with 28.5%, but it has taken a fall in ratings as of late. On August 20, it had a rating of 7.2%, but Maeda Atsuko’s live AKB48 graduation performance on August 27, brought the ratings up to 14.7%.
Makes me feel so sad and nostalgic. More than 10 years ago, HEYx3 was the only japanese show I could watch in an international channel back home. It introduced me to most of the J-pop I knew and it was on one of their special shows that I fell for Morning Musume. Downtown was so entertaining always too~ I will miss it, but they can definitely feel proud for their successful and outstanding long run.