Indonesian political talkshows get hotter<\/p>\n
By Agni Amorita<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a country like Indonesia where the credo
\n\"silence is gold\" is still prevalent, with Vice President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri as its faithful follower, having an open,
\nspontaneous and dynamic talk show used to be a rare luxury.
\nPeople talked behind your back instead of discussing the real
\nproblems comprehensively. There was even a cynical expression
\ndebat kusir (debate of the coachmen) directed towards those who
\nembarked on heated discussion. In a still feudalistic society,
\nhorsecart drivers are considered uneducated people who debate
\nwithout any supporting arguments. For about three decades, people
\nhave been deprived of their freedom of speech in almost all
\npublic mediums. Including local television.<\/p>\n
The only talkshow allowed to be shown was in the form of a
\nboring guided conversation which was very predictable and mostly
\nsilly. That was why people reacted positively when Ishadi SK, who
\nwas then chairman of state television TVRI Yogyakarta, introduced
\nhis spontaneous and modern teen talkshow Tanah Merdeka (Land of
\nLiberty) in the 1980s. Due to the huge support from its viewers,
\nTanah Merdeka was soon being aired nationally from Yogyakarta.
\nBut Ishadi was left alone because nobody else had dared to create
\nsuch an impressive and smart program. In 1994 Wimar Witoelar came
\nout with his phenomenal program Perspektif (The Perspective), on
\nSCTV.<\/p>\n
It was in December 1993 when Wimar Witoelar, known as the
\nPresident Director of management consulting company PT
\nIntermatrix, talked to Djoko B. Soemantri, one of SCTV's
\nprincipals. He said SCTV would be seen as an Indonesian CNN if it
\nhad its own Larry King Live. \"And who will be its host?\" Djoko
\nasked. Wimar volunteered himself. \"Half joking and half
\ndreaming,\" Wimar recalled that moment in his book Perspektif
\nBersama Wimar Witoelar (Yayasan Obor Indonesia, 1995). Then the
\ndream came true. The show was a big hit because it introduced a
\nnew approach to Indonesian audiences; it was friendly,
\nspontaneous, smart and never treated the viewers as if they were
\ntoo uneducated to receive such a comprehensive show. Interview
\ntranscripts from the show were printed in newspapers and later in
\nthe book mentioned previously and an audio version was also
\nbroadcasted on various radio stations.<\/p>\n
From the very beginning, Wimar has been receiving letters of
\nsupport from his viewers. His appreciation towards the viewers
\nand their letters is another cause for his success. People would
\nalways remember the moment in one of Perspektif's early episodes
\nwhen Wimar Witoelar sat at his modest desk, without his famous
\ntailored suit. Before starting the show he said to the viewers,
\n\"Thanks for your letters, and now I am doing one of those things
\nthat was suggested. I will no longer be wearing a suit in order
\nto get closer to the viewers and establish a more friendly
\nsituation.\"<\/p>\n
With a variety of guests, from now Coordinating Minister of
\nEconomics Rizal Ramli to feminist Julia Suryakusuma, Wimar gave
\nhis audience a very important new perspective. And the result was
\namazing. Wimar -- thanks to that letter -- is now more often seen
\nin his checkered shirt and almost never wears his forgotten
\ntailored suit. And he has gained a loyal audience. They followed
\nhis talkshow when it was banned by the Soeharto regime and had to
\nbe changed to an audio program. Then Wimar launched numerous live
\nshows in separate places all over the archipelago. Perspektif was
\ngiven a new name, Perspektif Baru (A New Perspective), and was
\nthen aired by Indosiar for two years, having just ended recently.<\/p>\n
\"The reception was quite good,\" explained Gufroni Sakaril,
\nPublic Relations Manager of Indosiar. \"Of course the talkshow has
\nless viewers than the family programs such as the local soap
\noperas but the show is very segmented and has potential, so it is
\nnot difficult to get ads,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Following the success, Indosiar decided to broaden its
\npolitical talkshow program with three other weekly programs
\nnamely Saksi (Witness), Gardu (Post) with Yogyakarta's artist
\nEmha Ainun Nadjib as its host and Dinamika (Dynamics) which
\ndiscusses newspaper headlines, hosted by a young scholar from the
\nBandung Institute of Technology, Fajrul Rochmad.<\/p>\n
\"Since the reform era, there is a high demand for political
\ntalkshows,\" explained Gufroni, whose station also airs
\ninfotainment talkshows such as Talk Life and Kiss.<\/p>\n
The same opinion is stated by Budi Dharmawan, PR Manager of
\nSCTV whose station is famous for its frequent unscheduled
\ntalkshows. \"The political turmoil lately has led some Indonesian
\nviewers to show more concern about our social political issues,\"
\nBudi said. \"We used to believe that talkshows had a limited
\naudience because public debate is not a familiar thing here.\"<\/p>\n
To attract the viewers, SCTV also produces fully entertaining
\ntalkshows such as Dunia Bintang (The World of Stars) and Ngobras
\n(Ngobrol Bareng Indra Safera- Chatting With Indra Safera).<\/p>\n
ANTeve also has more serious talkshows hosted by Ekky
\nSyachrudin for the weekly program and a monthly version hosted by
\nformer minister Fahmy Idris. The latest is Siasat (Tactics) by
\nHermawan Kertajaya.<\/p>\n
Discussing economics with various Indonesian business
\npersonalities, Hermawan successfully combines the art of talkshow
\nwith lessons in management. It has to be admitted that Siasat is
\none of the best interactive talkshows around. Unfortunately, its
\npromotion and the program's packaging is still in a poor
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
RCTI as the first state-owned TV station still airs its Aneka
\nDialog (Various Dialogs) talkshow every Monday evening. TPI can
\nnot be ignored because it has the Jaya Suprana Show, which has
\nconducted exclusive interviews with the palace members. Jaya has
\nappeared five times with the first family as its guests since the
\nday President Wahid was elected. TPI also has its reform-spirited
\ntalkshows: Pro & Contra hosted by Tiurmaida Tampubolon and
\nPartai-Partai (The Parties) with Harris Jauhari.<\/p>\n
With so many hard topics on serious talkshows, some shows
\nseems to have gone in another direction. Last month, TPI
\nintroduced Midnight Affair, a talkshow about love lives with a
\nparanormal as host. RCTI also launched Angin Malam (The Night
\nBreeze) which airs every Saturday night.<\/p>",
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