As digital transformation, political pressure, and audience fragmentation reshape contemporary media environments, public service media face growing challenges in maintaining their democratic role. This talk examines how these pressures are reflected in everyday editorial choices by focusing on changes in television news at NHK, one of the world’s largest public broadcasters. Taking NHK’s flagship evening news programme as its starting point, the talk looks at how television news has changed over time at the level of topics, narrative styles, and the portrayal of political and social actors. It asks how developments in routine news content and representation relate to broader shifts in Japan’s political system, media environment, and public expectations of journalism. The talk then considers why such changes take place, situating micro-level developments in news production within a wider set of influences, including institutional constraints, political pressure, journalistic routines, and competition for audiences. By linking changes in everyday news content to macro-level transformations in Japan’s politico-media environment, the talk contributes to broader debates on the evolving democratic role of public service media in the digital age.