DJ Ida Arimurti speaks from the heart<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): She kept changing her mind, but then, most kids
\ndo.<\/p>\n
\"As a child, I had many dreams, which changed every time. When
\nI saw a pilot, I wanted to become a pilot. When I could draw a
\nlittle, I wanted to become an architect,\" recalled Ida Arimurti.<\/p>\n
Today she enjoys great fame as one of the most popular radio
\nannouncers in town.<\/p>\n
Ida not only gets flowers from her fans, but also food.<\/p>\n
\"There is a family who often sends me food. Sometimes they
\nprepare it especially for me upon their children's request,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Once she got a surprise call from a woman who demanded to know
\nabout Ida's affair with her husband.<\/p>\n
\"I said I didn't know him, but she didn't believe me. She
\nlater came to the studio and told me that she found my picture in
\nher husband's wallet,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
It turned out that the jealous woman had not asked him about
\nthe picture. Things became clear after Ida told her to call her
\nhusband and talk to him, who explained to her that he was just
\none of Ida's fans.<\/p>\n
Ida, 30, is on Radio Female 102 FM every weekday morning. She
\njoined the station two years ago after cutting her announcers'
\nteeth for 16 years.<\/p>\n
Like most kids, she never thought of a career in radio
\nbroadcasting.<\/p>\n
Little Ida liked dancing. She learned traditional dances from
\nchoreographer Sampan Hismanto when she was an elementary school
\nstudent. Ida was so good that she was asked to teach at a dance
\nschool when she was in junior high school.<\/p>\n
She also liked poetry and drama.<\/p>\n
\"Once I got a leading role in a play performed at Taman Ismail
\nMarzuki,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Artist Renny Djajusman was one of her teachers.<\/p>\n
She got her first taste of broadcasting in 1980, when she was
\na guest announcer at Radio Prambors, then the city's most popular
\nradio station for young people.<\/p>\n
\"I just wanted to try it,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She started to be serious in 1982, working with Radio Amigos.<\/p>\n
In 1984, Radio Prambors hired Ida. Every morning, she and
\nanother broadcaster, Krisna Purwana, were heard in Porsi Kamu
\n(Your Portion) and the Ida and Krisna Show, the radio station's
\nbest selling program. They talked to listeners and interviewed
\npublic figures. People liked her voice, her sense of humor, and,
\nespecially, her loud laughter. She became famous.<\/p>\n
\"Talk naturally. Speak from your heart,\" is the secret of her
\nsuccess.<\/p>\n
Ida and Krisna were going strong when they were offered a new
\nchallenge 10 years later. Radio Prambors set up a new
\nbroadcasting station, Radio Female, and they were asked to come
\nalong.<\/p>\n
\"My boss said I had no more challenges at Prambors. I had been
\nsuccessful in creating my own image, my color, in Porsi Kamu. My
\nboss said that after 10 years, I must want more,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
It was 1994, when Ida was 28 years old. Radio Prambors targets
\n15 to 25 year olds, while Radio Female's audience is women
\nbetween 25 and 35 years old.<\/p>\n
\"So, I guess my boss was right. But my house was in Menteng
\n(Central Jakarta), while the new studio was in Serpong (West
\nJava). That was really far. So I told my boss I would move only
\nif the studio was closer. And they moved the radio station to
\nBintaro (Tangerang, West Java),\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
\"At that time, you can say that there was no commercial in the
\nradio until Krisna and I joined it. And now there is a long queue
\nof commercials. Maybe people are Ida and Krisna fanatics and they
\nlook for us.\"<\/p>\n
The Radio Female program is also called the Ida and Krisna
\nShow.<\/p>\n
Ida and Krisna have their own roles. Ida mostly deals with the
\ninterviews while Krisna jokes a lot. They also have three
\nreporters and a producer. They all make the weekly evaluation and
\nplan together.<\/p>\n
\"I need reporters to find the data about the people I want to
\ninterview. Basically, they give me the raw materials and I make
\nthe questions,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Ida enjoys being at Radio Female even though she has to get up
\nbefore dawn to cook, not only for herself, but also for her
\ncolleagues in the studio.<\/p>\n
\"I bring my breakfast to the studio but how can I eat if my
\ncolleagues don't eat?\" said Ida, who likes cooking and eats hot
\nmeals for breakfast.<\/p>\n
The eldest of eight siblings, Ida now lives in a house in
\nBougenville Garden in Bekasi, with a sister.<\/p>\n
At five in the morning she leaves home. Her show starts a few
\nminutes after the six o'clock news, and ends at 10 a.m. She
\nusually stays until noon, and continues her activities in other
\nplaces.<\/p>\n
Her activities include doing commercial voice overs, teaching
\nat broadcasting schools and working as a emcee and public
\nrelations officer. Sometimes she speaks at seminars.<\/p>\n
Ida likes jogging, aerobics and swimming. At least once a week
\nshe plays golf. She loves traveling and has been to most parts of
\nthe United States and Europe. She also likes music and movies.
\nShe likes listening to Michael Franks, Al Jarrau and Earth, Wind
\nand Fire. Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks and Jodie Foster
\nare her favorite actors.<\/p>\n
\"I like Tom Cruise because he is handsome but I like Robert De
\nNiro and Tom Hanks for their acting,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Her favorite movies are The Sound of Music, Pretty Woman, The
\nLion King and Star Trek movies.<\/p>\n
Ida used to be involved in television. She worked for the
\nstate-owned TVRI from 1988 to 1992.<\/p>\n
\"I resigned not because I failed, but I couldn't concentrate
\non two things at the same time,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She received some offers to sing and play in television
\ndramas, but refused.<\/p>\n
\"It's not because I don't feel I can do it. But I don't want
\npeople to think that I am a person who wants this and that, a
\nperson who wants all,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"I am happy with what I am now. I can play sports, I have time
\nto have fun with my friends. If I have too many activities, how
\ncan I manage my time? And what if my album is not good?<\/p>\n
\"I composed songs. It was a long time ago. I wrote songs for
\nVonnie Sumlang, Irianti Erningpraja, Neno Warisman, Fariz RM and
\nmany others,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Ida said she no longer composes songs because she is never in
\nthe mood.<\/p>\n
A 1992 graduate of the School of Law at the University of
\nPancasila, Ida does not seem to be interested in a legal career.<\/p>\n
Law<\/p>\n
Asked about the government-sponsored broadcasting bill which
\nis still under deliberation by the House of Representatives, Ida
\nsaid she did not follow the issue closely.<\/p>\n
\"But I am sure there are things which are positive and
\nnegative in the bill,\" she reasoned.<\/p>\n
Indonesia does not have a law on broadcasting. Currently,
\nbroadcasters operate under various government regulations, which
\ngive the state-run television network TVRI and its sister RRI a
\nmonopoly which requires private stations to relay their news
\nprogram. The controversial bill, which provides no guarantees on
\nfreedom of expression, justifies the monopoly.<\/p>\n
Ida said the government should give private electronic media a
\nbigger chance to produce their own news, and relax the obligation
\nto rely for news from RRI and TVRI.<\/p>\n
\"Every second is valuable for private broadcasters, especially
\nduring prime time. You know, private broadcasters generate their
\nincome from commercials,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Ida called for more press freedom because Indonesia is a
\ndemocratic country. On the other hand, she said, the press should
\nnot abuse the freedom by reporting sensitive news which might
\nmake people fret.<\/p>\n
Ida is single and will continue to work after she is married
\nonly if her future husband does not mind.<\/p>\n
\"It seems that he will allow me to work,\" she said.<\/p>\n
What if he does not like her working outside the house?<\/p>\n
\"It depends on the reason. If I can accept his reason, why
\nnot? I don't mind being a housewife because my mother is not a
\ncareer woman, either. I think it is a noble duty,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"I have a projection for the future, for my future need,
\nhusband, children. But I don't want to dream high. I don't want
\nto think like that. I am doing what I can do now. I try to be
\nflexible, make adjustments. If the future condition does not fit
\nme, I don't want to force myself. What is certain is that at this
\nmoment I want to go on with my career as a broadcaster. I have to
\nbe committed with my work. I have to produce good a show.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dj-ida-arimurti-speaks-from-the-heart-1447893297",
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