TV schedules slowly return back to normal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State-run TVRI and the five commercial
\ntelevision stations will resume their regular schedules after two
\ndays of covering the death of First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto and
\nher funeral to the exclusion of all else.<\/p>\n
TV executives however said that in observance of the seven
\ndays of national mourning, they will continue to air special
\nprograms relating to the death of Mrs. Tien in between their
\nregular programs.<\/p>\n
They are also cutting down or even eliminating some of their
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
\"We're not airing any comedies,\" Erwin Ario Darma, RCTI's
\nspokesman told The Jakarta Post yesterday.<\/p>\n
RCTI will also perform special programs related to Mrs. Tien
\nSoeharto, Erwin said.<\/p>\n
Since Sunday afternoon until last night, the six commercial
\nstations -- TVRI, RCTI, SCTV, TPI, ANteve and
\nIndosiar have been broadcasting only news of Mrs. Tien's death
\nand her elaborate state funeral in Surakarta yesterday.<\/p>\n
Led by RCTI, the six stations pooled their reporters,
\nnewscasters and resources to bring up-to-date news to millions of
\nviewers across the archipelago.<\/p>\n
The stations won praise for their very extensive coverage
\nalthough there was criticism of the poor quality of some of the
\nbroadcasts.<\/p>\n
\"This is a very important national event,\" Eduard Depari, RCTI
\npublic relations manager, told the Post.<\/p>\n
The coverage involved 22 newscasters and 16 reporters in all,
\nDepari said.<\/p>\n
He admitted that RCTI suffered huge financial losses as it had
\nscrapped all ads over the past two days. \"The losses were quite
\nlarge but this important national event overrides all commercial
\nconsiderations,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
RCTI is owned by businessman Bambang Trihatmodjo, the son of
\nPresident Soeharto. TPI is owned by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the
\nPresident's daughter.<\/p>\n
This is the second time that the country's television stations
\nhave coordinated their coverage in spite of stiff competition for
\nrating and advertising revenues. The first came during the summit
\nof the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bogor in November
\n1994.<\/p>\n
Competition will resume today as the stations begin
\nbroadcasting their normal programs although most have said they
\nwould continue to run programs about Mrs. Tien.<\/p>\n
\"We are preparing the programs now,\" Erwin of RCTI said.<\/p>\n
Indosiar also plans to show programs related to the death in
\nthe remaining mourning days. \"One of them is the presentation of
\ncondolence messages which have been pouring in to our office by
\ntelephone and facsimile,\" spokesman Andreas Ambesa said.<\/p>\n
SCTV said it plans to run short films of Mrs. Tien's
\nactivities in between its regular programs. \"The news came so
\nsuddenly we were not prepared,\" spokesman Budi Darmawan said.<\/p>\n
TPI will delay airing its regular programs during the mourning
\ndays ordered by the state secretariat. Instead it will run
\nspecial programs such as obituaries and profiles of Mrs. Tien,
\nand talk shows about Mrs. Tien.<\/p>\n
\"This is TPI's policy, \" spokesman Farid Poniman said.<\/p>\n
The stations all said the decision to concentrate exclusively
\non this event all Sunday and Monday and to run programs about
\nMrs. Tien over the next days was taken on their own initiative
\nand insisted that this had not been ordered by the Ministry of
\nInformation.<\/p>\n
\"This is our way of showing respect to Mrs. Tien, who is a
\nnational heroine,\" Andreas said. (01)<\/p>",
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