Call for better children's TV program hailed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An expert has hailed Minister of Information R.
\nHartono's statement of concern over the quality of television
\nprogramming, and said that young people are watching
\ninappropriate programs.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Child Welfare Foundation's director of children
\nand television studies, B. Guntarto, said Wednesday that it was
\nhard to control young people's television viewing.<\/p>\n
Guntarto cited programming as part of the problem. Many
\ntelevision stations air programs which are targeted at adults
\nafter 3 p.m., the time when many young people and children watch
\ntelevision.<\/p>\n
His foundation's May 1996 survey found that the favorite
\nprograms of 95 surveyed youths, aged between seven and 15, were
\nSi Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel Goes to School), the Latin American
\nsoap opera Maria Cinta yang Hilang (Maria's Lost Love), the
\nChinese serial Pendekar Harum (Fragrance Warrior) and the
\nchildren's show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.<\/p>\n
Guntarto recommended a rating system to inform viewers about
\nthe type of programs being broadcast. His foundation runs
\neducation programs for parents to help them make informed choices
\non suitable viewing.<\/p>\n
He said the foundation planned to launch in September its
\nthird edition of a parents' guide to television viewing.
\nPrevious editions had been published in 1995 and 1996, he said.<\/p>\n
He said that television was a source of education for children
\ndespite negative public perceptions.<\/p>\n
\"Television must be balanced and entertaining as well as
\neducational,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He hailed the efforts of some stations to air programs like
\nAnak Islam Remaja and Krucil for young people, but on the whole
\nGuntarto found programming for this segment too formal, rigid and
\nconventional.<\/p>\n
Talk shows<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Hartono called on private television stations to
\nrestrict the broadcast of talk shows and sinetron television
\nserials because they needed further evaluation.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's private stations are RCTI, SCTV, TPI, Indosiar and
\nANteve.<\/p>\n
Hartono said he had been concerned about the quality of these
\ntelevision shows since his tenure as Army chief of staff. He
\nraised these concerns at Bina Graha before a cabinet meeting on
\npoverty alleviation.<\/p>\n
\"When I was army chief, I used to be embarrassed by such
\nprograms. How could the television stations have allowed such
\nbroadcasts? \" Hartono said.<\/p>\n
Hartono said he had recently received a complaint from a
\nretired police officer about the use of needles for morphine
\ninjections shown on television. \"This could give others a bad
\nexample,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that his ministry had received public complaints and
\nobjections about programs broadcast on television.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Information would assess problems and
\ngrievances over television shows to determine which parties could
\nbe held morally and academically accountable, he said. (01)<\/p>",
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