2026 Fiscal Year Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards: FM802's '802 BINTANG GARDEN "ACCESS! Utamonogatari"' Wins First Place in Entertainment Category for Kinki Region Radio Judging

FM802's program '802 BINTANG GARDEN "ACCESS! Utamonogatari"' won first place in the entertainment program category at the 2026 Fiscal Year Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards, Kinki Region Radio Judging.

At the "2026 Fiscal Year Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards, Kinki Region Radio Judging" held on July 1, 2026 (Wed), FM802's program '802 BINTANG GARDEN "ACCESS! Utamonogatari"' took first place in the "Entertainment Program Category." Works that win first place in the Kinki region advance to the central judging committee. The results of the judging are scheduled to be announced in September.

"Utamonogatari" is a popular series where FM802 DJ Hiroaki Asai creates original short radio dramas inspired by songs, which are then enjoyed through readings by FM802 DJs.

The broadcast episode that won first place in the "2026 Fiscal Year Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards, Kinki Region Radio Judging, Entertainment Program Category" on March 22, 2026, is themed around the songs from FM802's spring campaign "ACCESS!"

The "ACCESS! Campaign" is a dream project where numerous artists connected with FM802 participate in creating an original campaign song. This original song is exclusively aired on FM802 for a limited time each year. To date, 19 songs have been produced, and they are all memorable tunes for listeners who regularly tune into FM802.

Every year, before the broadcast of the new campaign song begins, a "playback period for past campaign songs" of about two weeks is established. This has become an annual event where listeners can enjoy nostalgic songs that could only be heard on the radio that spring.

This time, to help people re-appreciate the brilliance of each past campaign song during this playback period, FM802 DJ Hiroaki Asai wrote original stories based on the lyrics of past ACCESS! campaign songs.

The program consists of four drama episodes, picking up four songs from past FM802 ACCESS! campaign songs. The readings for each episode were handled by FM802 DJs Hiroaki Asai, Daigo Iimuro, Noe Tanaka, Hiroto Nakajima, and Kazuyo Hayakawa.

While the protagonists and story content differ in each episode, they are structured as interconnected short stories where the characters gradually overlap, with devices to encourage listeners to imagine how the story will connect to the next.

Spring is a season when many people face turning points in their lives. For those embarking on new journeys, those seeing off loved ones, and those taking a step to discover a new self... this one-hour program was designed to accompany everyone's "spring" in its many forms.

【Program Information】

FM802 "802 BINTANG GARDEN "ACCESS! Utamonogatari""

Broadcast Date and Time: March 22, 2026 (Sun) 21:00-22:00

DJs: Hiroaki Asai, Daigo Iimuro, Noe Tanaka, Hiroto Nakajima, Kazuyo Hayakawa

Program HP: https://funky802.com/site/blog/1721

Hiroaki Asai's Comment

My motivation was to create a radio drama that would further enhance the campaign songs that we pour our hearts into broadcasting from 802 every spring. Spring is welcomed by people of various generations and backgrounds with their own feelings. I wrote the script with the hope that listeners would see themselves in one of the characters and face their days ahead with a positive outlook. After the broadcast, I received many wonderful comments, but to be recognized in this way is an unexpected joy. I would like to express my gratitude once again to all the DJs who performed the readings so wonderfully.

Furthermore, FM802 ranked first in the "Video Research Kansai Area Radio Listenership Survey" conducted from December 8 (Mon) to 14 (Sun), 2025, in the all-day average from 6:00 to 24:00, as announced in January 2026.

This marks the 84th consecutive first-place ranking for FM802 among its core target demographic of 16 to 34 years old, dating back to June 1993. In the core target demographic, FM802 holds an 84.7% share among all FM stations in the Osaka area, and a 67.8% share among all radio stations in the Osaka area.

Reference: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000453.000088611.html