Senior broadcaster involves listeners in current issues<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): You may know their voices well, but you don't
\nreally know who they are. Most radio broadcasters are indeed a
\nmystery to their fans because, unlike TV presenters, their faces
\nare hidden from listeners.<\/p>\n
Even though they are not as popular as their colleagues in
\ntelevision, radio broadcasters are indeed not less important. And
\nit is not easy to be a good one. A nice voice helps a lot, but
\nwithout broad knowledge and wide horizons, this is nothing. The
\nskill of interviewing people is especially required for hosts of
\ntalk shows, which can be heard every weekday morning on many
\nradio stations.<\/p>\n
\"We must fully understand the issue, we must be keen and have
\nthe ability to ask the right questions and dig out information
\nfrom the sources,\" said Zain Marasabessy, a veteran broadcaster.<\/p>\n
Even though he has been in the business for 25 years, his name
\nmight be unknown to many young people. Zain, 56, is host of Delta
\nMorning Show, one of the most popular programs at Delta (99.5FM),
\na radio station whose target audience is people over 35 years
\nold.<\/p>\n
Zain, who reads a lot to help him keep up with current issues,
\nis on the air everyday, from Monday to Friday, in the morning
\nafter the 6 o'clock news until 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
\"Some people think that we know better than them, which might
\nnot be true ... Well, I feel proud but I am also afraid that the
\ngood image around me would be torn apart if I say something
\nwrong,\" he said. \"As human beings, we can make mistakes.\"<\/p>\n
During the show, he reads excerpts of selected items of
\ncertain newspapers, comments on hot issues and interviews experts
\nto discuss them thoroughly. Now and then old songs -- Delta calls
\nitself a \"favorite oldies\" station -- are heard. Listeners are
\nalso invited to call in, just to say hello, or to join the talk
\nshow.<\/p>\n
\"There is a big response from the audience if the topic deals
\nwith topics of public interest, like corruption, the increase of
\nroad tolls, or narcotics. Political issues receives less
\nresponse,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Zain, the radio receives about 30 callers every
\nmorning, four of which have never called before.<\/p>\n
Not all of them, however, get the chance to express their
\nideas in the talk show. Zain explained that a reporter is
\nassigned to screen the calls and then call them back if the
\ncallers are considered appropriate for the show.<\/p>\n
\"We do not mean to censor their opinion. No. But it is just a
\nmatter of limited time and we have to make sure that they
\nunderstand the issue,\" Zain said.<\/p>\n
Like other radio stations in this reform era, Delta now enjoys
\nmore editorial freedom.<\/p>\n
\"In the past, we would not criticize the government openly.
\nBut now we can even mention names, like (Armed Forces Commander)
\nWiranto or (President) Habibie, for example when we talked about
\ntheir policy to impose martial law in East Timor,\" Zain said.<\/p>\n
He related that before president Soeharto stepped down, when
\nhe wanted to criticize the government he would use words like
\n\"certain parties\", or \"certain people\".<\/p>\n
Zain was born in 1943 in Ambon. He went to the School of Law
\nand Social Sciences at the University of Indonesia, majoring in
\nsocial sciences. In 1965 and 1966, he joined the mass student
\ndemonstrations against the government. He later dropped out.<\/p>\n
He had worked as a public relations officer at a private
\ncompany and as a junior high school teacher for years before he
\ndecided to become a broadcaster.<\/p>\n
\"You see, a teacher, a PR officer and a broadcaster have
\nsomething in common: all have a lot to do with communication,\"
\nsaid Zain, who married a former student and now has four children
\nand one grandchild.<\/p>\n
In 1971, when private radio stations started to multiply, with
\na few friends, Zain established Kora99. But the radio station
\nsurvived for only three years. From 1974 to 1980 he worked at
\nAgustina, a radio station in North Jakarta which targets a lower
\nincome audience. He quit because he felt that there was little
\nroom for him to develop, and then worked in the public relations
\nsector again. He was there for two years and later joined Bahana.<\/p>\n
In 1994 he was transferred to Delta. Bahana and Delta are two
\nof the eight radio stations under the management of Masima
\nCorporation.<\/p>\n
Unlike Agustina, Delta and Bahama target higher income
\nbrackets.<\/p>\n
\"It is easier to communicate with people from the middle class
\nbecause they are more critical and logical. When you talk to
\nthose from the other group, even though you could give them a
\n'lecture', it is difficult to convey the information if they are
\nalready oriented with certain ideas,\" said Zain, who is also a
\ndai (Muslim preacher).<\/p>\n
Delta has had this talk show program since 1993. At that time
\nit was hosted by Nuim Khayat, a former Radio Australia
\nbroadcaster. But he received warnings from the Directorate
\nGeneral of Radio, Television and Film at the Ministry of
\nInformation, which said he was too critical. Nuim decided to
\nreturn to Australia and Zain was asked to replace him.<\/p>\n
In 1995, Delta received a warning from the information
\nministry because of Zain's interview with soothsayer Permadi
\nabout the succession issue. \"Permadi wondered why people were so
\nangry about what he said, when they did not protest (Minister of
\nInformation) Harmoko, who actively campaigned for Golkar long
\nbefore the election,\" Zain said.<\/p>\n
He received another warning, this time from the police, when
\nhe quoted a newspaper about a riot in Irian Jaya that allegedly
\ninvolved a policewoman, who was an Irian Jaya native.<\/p>\n
\"I had tried to contact the police, but to no avail. I said
\nthen that if the report was true, the police had to clarify
\nthis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Things have improved a lot. Zain now does not have to worry
\nabout warnings from the police or the government.<\/p>\n
\"Now that we have more freedom, the media can be more
\nambitious and broadcasters can be more expressive,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But one thing still bothers him: the government's ruling on
\nthe obligation of private stations to relay the news from state
\nradio RRI three times a day. \"The stipulation must be revoked,\"
\nhe said. (sim)<\/p>",
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