MBC's 'Radio Star' Faces Record Low Ratings Amidst Controversy

In an era of content overload, Tena Asia's reporter Taeyuna becomes your 'entertainment guide,' unraveling the hottest issues, key points, main characters, and behind-the-scenes stories to enhance your viewing experience.

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MBC's variety show 'Radio Star' has received its worst ratings ever. Despite the growing controversy over a cast member's family, the decision to proceed with the broadcast resulted in a decline in viewership. As a long-running show of 19 years, it faces criticism for its lack of crisis management skills.

The episode aired on the 1st of this month, marking the 959th episode of 'Radio Star,' recorded a nationwide household rating of 2.0%. This is 0.2% lower than the previous lowest rating of 2.2% recorded on November 4, 2020 (episode 693), making it the lowest in the show's history.

The episode was already controversial before it aired. On September 23, allegations of infidelity involving Jo Gap-kyung's son, Mr. B, spread. According to the ex-daughter-in-law, Ms. A, and court documents, Mr. B committed adultery while his wife was pregnant, which the court recognized as a major cause of the breakdown of their common-law marriage, ordering him to pay 30 million won in damages and 800,000 won monthly in child support.

Ms. A claimed that Mr. B, while working as a temporary teacher, entered into a common-law marriage with her but committed adultery just a month into her pregnancy. On the 28th, Hong Seo-beom and Jo Gap-kyung acknowledged the discrepancies between the information they received from their son and the court documents, expressing regret for not closely monitoring their son's faults. They stated, "Although the appeal is ongoing, we will strictly guide our son to fulfill his obligations according to the first trial's ruling, including child support and damages."

Ms. A's criticism of Jo Gap-kyung's appearance on the show via social media further fueled public outrage. She accused the in-laws of ignoring her pleas for help, stating, "While the victim suffers, they appear on TV as if nothing happened."

The production team's response to the controversy was deemed irresponsible. Until the day before the broadcast, they only stated they were "assessing the situation" without providing a clear stance on editing. However, they removed Jo Gap-kyung's content from the press release distributed before the broadcast, seemingly acknowledging the controversy.

In the actual broadcast, Jo Gap-kyung's screen time was significantly reduced, except for early episodes. She shared stories of her popularity during her 'military president' days and showcased gifts and 'photo cards' from fans over the years, but did not mention her family. The production team attempted to adjust the segment by reducing her comments and quickly transitioning scenes, but it was insufficient to regain viewer empathy.

The drop in ratings is particularly painful as there were no external factors like major sports broadcasts or national issues to blame. The 2.0% rating is ultimately seen as a failure of the production team to understand viewer sentiment.

Attempts to mitigate the situation with belated segment reductions backfired, as the indecisive approach to the controversy only worsened the situation. Once a national variety show commanding over 10% ratings, 'Radio Star' now faces the challenge of staying above 1%.