'Sinetron' popular despite cynical view<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
Some love it, others call it garbage. The fact is, Indonesian
\nsinetrons have been able to capture large TV audiences, both here
\nand in several neighboring countries. The following story
\nexamines the booming sinetron industry: its history, its problems
\nand its future. More stories on Page 7.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): They are tacky, low-standard products. They are
\nvulgar. They have no artistic or social value. They are garbage.<\/p>\n
In spite of all these, Indonesian television dramas, locally
\nknown as sinetron, are extremely popular among local viewers.<\/p>\n
Despite the negative general view, local TV stations air many
\nsinetron during prime time, attracting large audiences and lots
\nof advertising. Current TV ratings even reveal that the sinetron
\nmay challenge the dominance of action-packed Hollywood films and
\ntelenovelas (Latin soap operas) as the most popular TV programs.<\/p>\n
Anita Haryadi, a mother of two, says she always browses
\nthrough all TV programs in newspapers and tabloids to read the
\nsummaries of the sinetron screened on TV.<\/p>\n
\"I will not miss my favorite sinetron such as Si Doel Anak
\nSekolahan (Doel, The School Boy), Buku Harian (Diary) or Warisan
\n(Inheritance). Even my maids know exactly where and when these
\nsinetron are screened,\" Anita said.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people share Anita's enthusiasm for these light
\nand easy-to-digest programs.<\/p>\n
Agus Suharyadi, a young banker, says he watches sinetron to
\nrelieve stress. \"It is fun, although sometimes the stories are
\nsilly. But most sinetron actresses are young and beautiful. It is
\nreally refreshing,\" he said with an apologetic smile.<\/p>\n
Marina, a university student, says she watches sinetron
\nbecause they are free. \"There are hardly any good Indonesian
\nfilms in movie theaters nowadays. Sinetrons are the best
\nalternative. We just turn on our TV sets and we can choose any
\nprogram we like. Sometimes I get fed up with western films, so I
\nwatch sinetron,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Sinetron came at the right time when Indonesians were looking
\nfor something that could fill the gap left by a dying film
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Undoubtedly, the growing sinetron industry is strongly linked
\nto the successful launchings of the five private stations,
\nRajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI) in l989, Surya Citra
\nTelevisi (SCTV) in l991, and most recently Televisi Pendidikan
\nIndonesia (TPI), Andalas Televisi (ANteve) and Indo Visual
\nMandiri (Indosiar) in l994.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, it was the state-owned TVRI which
\ninitially introduced the sinetron, previously known as
\ntelevision drama. In the early l970s, TVRI screened works by
\nTeguh Karya's Teater Populer, Putu Wijaya's Teater Mandiri,
\nSanggar Prativi, etc. The works produced in this period were set
\nin TV studios under the stage concept. A decade later, a number
\nof directors experimented with outdoor-setting TV dramas for such
\nworks as Tuanku Tambusai (My Master Tambusai) by the late
\nIrwinsyah and Rumah Masa Depan (Future Home) by Ali Shahab. The
\nnew idea became a hit.<\/p>\n
The dawning of a new era in private television has resulted in
\nsoaring demand for local television dramas. Sinetron production
\ndramatically increased from less than 100 in the l980s to around
\n1,000 in l994. Between August 1994 and August 1995, about 2,970
\ntelevision drama episodes were aired on state-owned TVRI and the
\nfive private stations. This boom is also linked to the government
\nrequirement that 80 percent of the programs aired by local TV
\nstations are locally made.<\/p>\n
Starting last year, RCTI has been producing a daily sinetron
\nprogram. The station also has a special program called mega
\nsinetron every Saturday night during prime time. In l994, TPI ran
\n991 sinetron with a duration of between 30 to 60 minutes, while
\nSCTV aired 364; AN-Teve and Indosiar also screened a large number
\nof sinetron. (see diagram on Page 7)<\/p>\n
A number of popular sinetron managed to stay at the top
\nratings spots for months. Flamboyan 108 screened by Indosiar
\nVisual Mandiri every Saturday night has the highest ratings
\nthrough last month and this month. Gara Gara, Bella Vista and
\nSenja Makin Merah, all aired by RCTI, are also drawing
\nconsiderable number of fans.<\/p>\n
Polling by Tiara lifestyle monthly magazine last April shows
\nthat a majority of respondents enjoy sinetron. The magazine drew
\n114 respondents: professionals, businessmen, students and
\nhousewives. The polling reveals that 60 percent of respondents
\nsay that the booming sinetron industry is a good thing. About
\n59.9 percent like sinetron because of their original story lines.
\nMore than 50 percent say they watch sinetron because of the
\nartists.<\/p>\n
The fact that sinetron have attracted huge audiences has made
\ntheir production more complicated. The production of a sinetron
\ninvolves many different parties, including production houses,
\ninvestors, TV broadcasters, audiences, the media and ratings
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
Ashadi Siregar, a communications expert from the University of
\nGadjah Mada, said in a seminar on sinetron in Yogyakarta early
\nthis month that sinetron have become gold mines for film workers,
\nTV broadcasters and businessmen.<\/p>\n
A number of large-scale film producers such as PT Parkit Film
\nand PT Soraya Intercine have turned to producing sinetron. Movie
\nartists, directors, cameramen, screenwriters and many others also
\nbenefit from the sinetron boom.<\/p>\n
Top movie artists like Marissa Haque, Meriem Belina, Roy
\nMarten, Lidya Kandow and Rano Karno see sinetron as a promising
\nventure. Marisa has been successful both as an artist and
\nproducer. Her film company, Ratna Artha Mulia, has produced good
\nsinetron such as Masih Ada Kapal Ke Padang, (There is still a
\nship for Padang), Salah Asoehan (Poor Upbringing). The latter won
\nbest television drama, best director and best art director awards
\nat the National Sinetron Festival last year. Rano Karno with
\nKarno's Film produced the most popular sinetron Si Doel Anak
\nSekolahan (Doel, the graduate) which grossed a profit of around
\nRp 13 billion (US$6.2 million) during the repeats of the 1994
\nseries this year.<\/p>\n
For TV broadcasters, high-rating sinetron mean lucrative
\ncommercials. In 1993, for example, RCTI charged between Rp 8
\nmillion and Rp 10 million for a 30-second commercial; TPI went
\neven higher at Rp 18 million while SCTV at between Rp 6 million
\nand Rp 8 million. Each station allocates 12 minutes of
\nadvertising time for a 60-minute sinetron. Each episode may
\nattract around Rp 80 million to Rp 120 million worth of
\ncommercials, while the production cost of each sinetron only
\nrange from Rp 25 million to Rp 50 million.<\/p>\n
Such high profits have attracted many production houses to
\nfocus on sinetron.<\/p>\n
The rush to join the sinetron business has resulted in poor
\nproducts. Garin Nugroho, a young and talented director, says that
\nmost sinetron are rubbish.<\/p>\n
Ali Shahab, a producer and director, adds that the Indonesian
\nsinetron has nowhere to go. \"There are no proper rules for the
\ngame. Anyone can produce a sinetron purely for the money,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite the recent harsh criticism, there have been good
\nsinetron. In the 1980s, TVRI ran a number of high-quality TV
\ndramas such as Losmen (Hostel) by the late Wahyu Sihombing and
\nhis wife Tatiek Maliyati, as well as Aksara Tanpa Kata (Words
\nwith no letters) and Sayekti dan Hanafi (Sayekti and Hanafi) by
\nthe late Irwinsyah.<\/p>\n
There are also efforts underway to improve the quality of
\nsinetron. One is the annual sinetron festival which started last
\nyear. Aside from selecting high-quality television productions,
\nit also tries to set establish standards for sinetron production.
\nLast year, 500 sinetron were selected for the festival. This
\nyear, the number has increased to 600. Many top film figures
\nquestion the validity of this festival, but for some, it is a
\nstart towards paving the right path for the Indonesian sinetron.<\/p>",
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