Private company

Kitanihon Broadcasting

Logo: Kitanihon Broadcasting Co., Ltd., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Television station in Toyama Prefecture, Japan

Kitanihon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (北日本放送株式会社, Kitanihon Hōsō Kabushiki-gaisha), also known as KNB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with Nippon News Network (NNN) and Nippon Television Network System (NNS). Their headquarters are located in Toyama Prefecture.2 It is part of The Kitanippon Shimbun.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Mar 14, 1952Founded1
Kitanihon Broadcasting Main office
Photo: ほぶ, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons5

Kitanihon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (北日本放送株式会社, Kitanihon Hōsō Kabushiki-gaisha), also known as KNB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with Nippon News Network (NNN) and Nippon Television Network System (NNS). Their headquarters are located in Toyama Prefecture.2

The story

With the promulgation of the Three Radio Laws, it was initially expected in 1948 that Toyama would be the target area of a radio station from Ishikawa as Hokuriku Cultural Broadcasting (the later Hokuriku Broadcasting Company). Teru Nakayama, editor-in-chief of the Kitanihon Shimbun, who felt a sense of crisis about this, advised the top management to apply for a license for a private radio station. At this time, no one listened, but this was the trigger that later led to the opening of Kitanihon Broadcasting.

Kitanihon Broadcasting applied for a license on February 15, 1951 and issued its preliminary license on April 21 the same year.

The young network opened its radio service on March 14, 1952, with television broadcasts debuting in the summer.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kitanihon Broadcasting, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

  • The Kitanippon Shimbun

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Mar 14, 1952Founded Founded1