 , more commonly known as simply kÅhaku, is an annual music show on new year's eve produced by japanese public broadcaster nhk and broadcast on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the nhk network and by some overseas (mainly cable) broadcasters who buy the program. the show ends shortly before midnight. literally "red and white song battle," the program divides the most popular music artists of the year into competing teams of red and white. the "red" team or  is composed of all female artists (or groups with female vocals), while the "white" team or  is all male (or groups with male vocals). the honor of performing on kÅhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful singing acts in the japanese entertainment industry can perform. in addition to the actual music performances, the costumes, hair-styles, makeup, dancing, and lighting are important. even today, a performance on kÅhaku is said to be a big highlight in a singer's career because of the show's wide reach. ==song selection process== the songs and performers are examined by a selection committee put together by nhk. the basis for selection are record sales and adaptability to the edition's theme. at the same time, a demographic survey is conducted regarding the most popular singers for each and what kind of music people want to hear. this and the song selection explain the amalgamation of the musical genres and its artists. there are, however, exceptions to the process. momoe yamaguchi chose to sing her favorite song "hito natsu no keiken" (ã²ã¨å¤ã®çµé¨) with its suggestive lyrics during the 25th edition, despite nhk's pick of a different song. ==show== thumb|right|the competitors of the 4th kÅhaku uta gassen (1953) when the show was first broadcast on radio in 1951, each team had a few performers, all of whom would perform within an hour. since 1989, the program goes on for at least four hours as both teams, each having at least 25 performers, perform their songs. at the end of the show, the audience and a panel of judges&mdash;notable celebrities who may or may not have a connection to the music industry&mdash;vote to
1953_Japanese_television_series_debuts Annual_television_programs Japanese_music_television_series Japanese_television_specials Music_competitions_in_Japan New_Year\'s_on_television