'The Plaza', the show that 'must go on'<\/p>\n
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Claimed to be the most difficult variety show ever to produce in
\nIndonesia, The Plaza, aired by private television station Metro
\nTV, has survived for four years.<\/p>\n
Aired live from La Moda Cafe at upmarket Plaza Indonesia on
\nJl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, every Saturday night, The Plaza
\ntargets viewers from the middle- and upper-income bracket.<\/p>\n
As the show is a live outside broadcast, the crew has to work
\nvery well together as a team and be prepared for anything to go
\nwrong at the last minute, live on-air.<\/p>\n
With four year's experience behind it, the team seems to work
\nlike a well-oiled machine, at least to most of the audience
\nwatching from the plaza.<\/p>\n
There have been instances, though, when the lights have gone
\nout, but fortunately it was not for long and the program was able
\nto continue broadcasting after a short break.<\/p>\n
\"We see our targets as A\/B plus viewers, like the visitors to
\nthe shopping center and viewers of the station,\" The Plaza's
\nproducer and director, Toni Syah Indra, told The Jakarta Post on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Toni said the show was initiated by the top leaders of the
\nstation and the center four years ago as entertainment for
\nvisitors, and a promotion medium for some of the shops at Plaza
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
He said the station had collaborated with Citibank for the
\nlast two years to manage the variety show and promote the bank's
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, The Plaza is now the only program funded by Citibank on
\ntelevision. It concentrates on lifestyle,\" Creative Director of
\nAdmaker Communications, the bank's media consultant, Markus R.A.
\n\"Kepra\" Prasetyo told the Post.<\/p>\n
Kepra refused to mention the amount of money provided by the
\nbank for the program, but said the viewers and the visitors were
\nthe targeted customers of the bank.<\/p>\n
Toni said the production cost of the one-hour-long show was
\nabout Rp 170 million (US$18,888), including the fees for the
\nsingers, dancers and models but excluding the costs of 25 crew
\nmembers who prepare the program.<\/p>\n
He said the singers' fees ranged from Rp 6 million to Rp 20
\nmillion per show.<\/p>\n
Due to the type of viewers and visitors, preparation for an
\nhour-long The Plaza is more complicated than for other variety
\nshows on television that are recorded inside studios.<\/p>\n
\"The Plaza is the only variety show that is aired live outside
\nthe studio,\" said Toni, who is also a lecturer in broadcasting
\nstudies at a private university in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The difficulties can be seen in the efforts of the lighting
\ncrew to accommodate the ambient lighting from the shops adjacent
\nto the stage, as well as in setting up the sound system and
\ncontrol room.<\/p>\n
Hundred of meters of cables have to be spanned along the cafe
\nin the atrium on the first floor to the control room on the
\nsecond floor and connected to the Satellite News Gathering van,
\nwhich is parked near the west gate of the shopping center.<\/p>\n
Other problems can arise from personnel.<\/p>\n
The singers for the variety show are especially chosen for
\ntheir professionalism and ability to adjust to fast-changing
\nsituations quickly.<\/p>\n
Due to the current trend in celebrity gossip, there is a talk
\nshow between the program host and the featured singer in the
\nmiddle of the program.<\/p>\n
\"The talk show is about the positive side of the artist. It
\nshould be refreshing, instead of just cheap gossip. This is in
\nline with our viewers taste,\" The Plaza's script writer Deny
\nSecaatmadja told the Post.<\/p>\n
Host Ivy Batuta, who wears a traditional judge's robe,
\ninterviews the artist in a space designed to look like a
\ncourtroom set up in front of the cafe.<\/p>\n
Dozens of visitors who stand along the railings of the atrium
\non the first, second and third floors often applaud and smile
\nupon listening to the songs and talk between the host and the
\nartist.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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