Former employees of `Tempo' plan new magazine<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former journalists and employees of the defunct
\nTempo weekly yesterday formally applied for a new publishing
\nlicense, or SIUPP, for a weekly they plan to call Opini.<\/p>\n
Bambang Bujono, Chairman of Tempo's Employees' Welfare
\nFoundation, told a press conference at Tempo's office in
\nKuningan, South Jakarta, that the application was submitted
\nyesterday morning to the Ministry of Information -- who has the
\nauthority to issue the SIUPP -- as well as to the Jakarta and
\nnational chapters of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI)
\nand the Union of Newspaper Publishers (SPS).<\/p>\n
"I went through each legal step of the process to get the
\npaperwork done," Bambang said.<\/p>\n
The government banned the Tempo, DeTik and Editor weeklies in
\nJune for what it considered administrative and substantial
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
Bambang explained that the proposal was made not only by the
\nrequest of former Tempo employees who desperately needed a job,
\nbut was also a response to the call of several ministers,
\nincluding Minister of Information Harmoko and Coordinating
\nMinister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman,
\nwho guaranteed the employees would have no trouble obtaining a
\nnew license.<\/p>\n
Bambang believed, however, that the Foundation, which is made
\nup of Tempo's 74 journalists and some 200 non-editorial staff,
\nonly have a five-percent chance of obtaining the new SIUPP.<\/p>\n
"Being a pessimistic person, I believe we must always prepare
\nfor the worst. So I tell the other employees our chance is very
\nsmall, which is better than raising their expectations too high."<\/p>\n
A previous SIUPP proposal presented earlier to the Ministry of
\nInformation, which listed him as chief editor, was rejected on
\nthe grounds that he was not a member of PWI -- although he had
\nworked for 15 years at Tempo -- he said.<\/p>\n
PWI is the only association of journalists the government
\nrecognizes in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Voting<\/p>\n
Candidates for Opini's management, chosen by voting, include
\nYusril Djalinus as General Manager and Chief Editor and Bambang
\nHalintar as director.<\/p>\n
Bambang Bujono had actually obtained 174, or 69 percent, of
\nthe total votes for chief editor, far more than the 100 Djalinus
\nreceived.<\/p>\n
Bambang acknowledged that any negotiations with the ministry
\nwould "only go as far as discussing the license and other such
\nmatters" but if a certain official of the ministry insists on
\nbecoming the magazine's patron, an approval would have to be
\nobtained from the employees.<\/p>\n
Capital for the new magazine will be obtained from the 20
\npercent of shares the employees had in PT Grafiti Pers, Tempo's
\nformer publishing company. The new magazine will therefore be
\nowned 100 percent by its employees.<\/p>\n
Bambang said Grafiti Pers had agreed to cash the shares, which
\nreached some Rp 4 billion (US$1.84 million).<\/p>\n
"SPS is confident about the new magazine and says this money
\nis more than enough to start the weekly -- considering the human
\nresources we have -- so we don't feel we need any additional
\ninvestment from outsiders," he said.<\/p>\n
A number of tycoons, including timber baron Mohammad (Bob)
\nHasan, have been rumored to be linked with the plan to start a
\nnew magazine employing former Tempo journalists.<\/p>\n
Bambang said Opini would resemble Tempo in many ways with a
\nfew additions and reductions, but "we expect it to be even better
\nthan Tempo". Fifty thousand issues of its first edition is
\nexpected to be launched this month if it is given a license."<\/p>\n
Costing Rp 4,500 per issue, the foundation intends to gain a
\nprofit of about Rp 4 million for each edition, or some Rp 200
\nmillion a year.(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-employees-of-tempo-plan-new-magazine-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}