FM802 "MUSIC FREAKS" wins Encouragement Award in the 63rd Galaxy Awards Radio Division!

FM802 announced that the episode of "MUSIC FREAKS" aired on Sunday, January 4, 2026, from 22:00 to 24:00, hosted by Sora Hokimoto (Bialystocks), won the Encouragement Award in the Radio Division at the 63rd Galaxy Awards.

The Galaxy Awards were established in 1963 by the Japan Council for Better Radio and Television to honor outstanding programs, individuals, and organizations with the goal of improving the quality of Japanese broadcasting culture. It consists of four divisions: Television, Radio, Commercials, and News Activities.

"MUSIC FREAKS" is a long-running program on FM802 that began in October 1998, featuring artists as DJs. Every October, two young artists particularly noticed by FM802 are selected to take turns hosting the show biweekly for one year.

Sora Hokimoto, who serves as a DJ, is active not only in music with Bialystocks but also as a film director and novelist. He was selected to start his DJ tenure in October 2025 to share his unique words and musical selections with Osaka listeners.

Except for listener requests, all songs played during the weekly broadcasts are selected by Hokimoto himself, and his unique choices have received a great response from listeners every week.

To communicate with listeners, the program features two regular segments: "Kansai Secret Base," where listeners share hidden spots in the Kansai region, and a segment introducing field recording audio captured by listeners.

The field recording segment in particular provides listeners with a new experience of paying attention to and recording everyday sounds or ambient noises, even if there is nothing special about them.

The award-winning January 4 broadcast was the seventh episode since its start in October.

While the program is usually live, this specific episode was scheduled to be pre-recorded. Leveraging the possibilities of a recorded session, Hokimoto invited musician and filmmaker Kensuke Ide as a guest for a broadcast centered on their studio live performance.

The program opened with the radio premiere of the new song "Kotodzute," which was to be released the following day. Most of the episode was conducted with Kensuke Ide, featuring studio live performances of their own songs as well as covers.

In this broadcast, the "Kansai Secret Base" and field recording segments were combined. It featured recordings of Hokimoto and Ide visiting a secret base in Kansai recommended by a listener to conduct field recordings. A mishap occurred during recording, which was included in the broadcast as it was.

Furthermore, field recordings submitted by listeners in the past were impressively used, such as the sound of a family playing Rock-Paper-Scissors ("In-jan-hoi") and a grandfather singing "Happy Birthday" to his grandchild.

As mentioned in the program, a listener had previously brought a recording of Hokimoto's mother singing during a stage greeting at the movie theater "Cine Nouveau" in Osaka. This recording had been played in a previous broadcast.

In the award-winning January 4 episode, during the studio live performance of "My Way," Hokimoto sang along with his mother's recorded voice. The part where his voice overlapped with his late mother's singing was striking from the moment of recording and received a massive response upon airing.

FM802 "MUSIC FREAKS" hosted by Sora Hokimoto will continue to air biweekly until September 27, 2026 (Sunday).

◆Program Information
FM802 "MUSIC FREAKS"
Broadcast Date/Time: Sunday, January 4, 2026, 22:00-24:00
DJ: Sora Hokimoto (Bialystocks)
Guest: Kensuke Ide
Program URL: https://funky802.com/service/homepage/index/1722
*Sora Hokimoto (Bialystocks) and Natori take turns as DJs every other week from Oct 2025 to Sept 2026.

◆About Galaxy Awards
Hosted by the Japan Council for Better Radio and Television and established in 1963, the awards honor excellent programs, individuals, and organizations. While many award systems outsource their operations, the Galaxy Awards maintain independence by having members, primarily broadcast critics, conduct the judging themselves, making it one of the most prestigious awards in the Japanese broadcasting industry.