Will teleserials' glory days last?<\/p>\n
Day or night, there is always an audience for teleserials.
\nCritics snipe about the shoddy quality and ham acting in the
\nshows, but there is no disputing their hefty ratings points. In
\nconjunction with the Festival Sinetron Indonesia 1997 this
\nThursday, The Jakarta Post talked to the people behind the
\nscenes. More stories on Page 2 and Page 11.<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana and Yogita Tahil Ramani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many local TV viewers are addicted to a daily
\ndose of the intriguing twists and turns of local teleserials,
\npopularly known as sinetron.<\/p>\n
Anna, a secretary, loves Pondok Indah, a barely disguised
\nlocal takeoff of the American soap, Melrose Place. High school
\nstudent Rudy is a faithful fan of Jacky played by teen idol Ari
\nWibowo.<\/p>\n
They will drop everything for a "fix" of their favorite
\nseries, which offer them a fleeting glimpse into a fantasy world
\nof beautiful people, sprawling homes, heady love affairs and
\nterrifying suspense.<\/p>\n
"I like watching sinetron to see beautiful actresses like
\nTamara (Blezinsky) and Dessy Ratnasari, or handsome boys like Ari
\nWibowo and Anjas Asmara," said a teenager.<\/p>\n
"They are gorgeous and trendy."<\/p>\n
Locally produced teleserials -- encompassing melodramas,
\naction-thrillers, sitcoms and slapstick comedies -- have come to
\ndominate the Indonesian TV scene, edging once popular Latin
\ntelenovelas and soapy Indian movies from prime time.<\/p>\n
Specific markets are targeted. Low-income audiences have their
\nown fare of Mat Angin, Si Kabayan, Fatima, and
\nTetangga-Tetangga (Neighbors).<\/p>\n
State-owned television network TVRI made teleserials in the
\n1980s, including Siti Nurbaya, the legendary Losmen and Sengsara
\nMembawa Nikmat (Misery Brings Happiness), but the real boom began
\nwith the coming of private television stations.<\/p>\n
Rajawali Citra Televisi (RCTI) began broadcasting in 1989, and
\nSurya Citra Televisi (SCTV) a year later. They have been joined
\nby Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI),Andalas Televisi (ANteve)
\nand Indosiar Visual Mandiri.<\/p>\n
One of the broadcasting regulations is that locally produced
\nshows must comprise at least 70 percent of a network's schedule,
\na boon for sinetron producers.<\/p>\n
Zoraya Perucha, ANteve corporate communications manager, said
\nher station needs at least 10 teleserial titles daily to meet the
\nrequirement.<\/p>\n
The dawning of private television coincided with a downturn in
\nthe fortunes of the local movie industry, a slump which continues
\nto this day. Former film workers shifted their talents to
\nteleserials.<\/p>\n
Director Ali Shahab has outlined the potential profitability
\nof the series. A producer may spend Rp 50 million to make a good
\nsinetron, but can sell it at double this to a station.<\/p>\n
The rewards to be had is not lost on the business community.
\nLast year, there were no less than 600 production houses, with
\nonly 317 registered firms, focused on teleserials and other
\ntelevision programs.<\/p>\n
A staggering 3,000 teleserials were produced this year.<\/p>\n
But critics argue this increase in quantity has not been
\nmatched by a commensurate rise in quality.<\/p>\n
This was addressed by some members of the committee for the
\n1997 Festival Sinetron Indonesia (FSI), to be held at the Jakarta
\nHilton Convention Center this Thursday night.<\/p>\n
The festival, held annually 1992, has not wavered from its
\nambitious goal to keep television productions on track as
\ncreative and entertaining works, and not just as money-spinners.<\/p>\n
Committee member Wina Armada listed problems of originality,
\nthemes, diversity and artistic elements in the series.<\/p>\n
Some people blame the TV stations for stooping to broadcast
\nlow-quality shows. Zoraya Perucha, also a FSI juror, argued that
\nmost production houses had only a few skilled staff to handle the
\nmaking and promotion of TV vehicles.<\/p>\n
"There is lack of talent, especially scriptwriters who can
\ngenerate fresh, unique concepts and creative ideas to boost both
\nthe TV industry and set the trends," she said.<\/p>\n
Sumita Tobing, general manager of SCTV news show Liputan 6,
\nhas underscored the need to upgrade the skills of TV crews.<\/p>\n
She felt they should experience behind-the-scenes training,
\nranging in scope from artistic to technological skills, from U.S.
\nTV industry workers.<\/p>\n
Zoraya said the available budget also determined the quality
\nof the series.<\/p>\n
A producer needs at least Rp 125 million for a 75-minute made-
\nfor-TV movie. To keep under budget, he may use little-known
\nactors or newcomers with no acting experience.<\/p>\n
"This is also the problem of accommodating good quality within
\na half-hour minute teleserial at Rp 40 million per episode," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Eduard Depari, a communications expert, said many producers
\nchurned out run-of-the-mill stories for surefire ratings success.<\/p>\n
The ultimate determinant of a show's appeal is ratings,
\ndetermined in Indonesia by Survey Research Indonesia (SRI).<\/p>\n
Bimonthly ratings surveys are made based on simple
\nquestionnaires of TV viewing habits submitted to selected
\nhouseholds.<\/p>\n
Poor ratings can break a teleserial.<\/p>\n
Some charge the pursuit of high ratings points has left no
\nplace for quality teleserials in a market craving simplistic,
\nfeel-good storylines.<\/p>\n
Monopolistic and unhealthy business practices are another
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
The largest production house, PT Tripar Multivision Plus,
\nproduces 90 percent of all teleserials. Smaller firms must fight
\nover the rest.<\/p>\n
"Most local production houses are placed in a weak bargaining
\nposition when it comes to setting up business contracts with TV
\nstations," industry observer Rakaryan S. wrote in an article in
\nthe Kompas daily.<\/p>\n
The stations, he said, dictate the terms of deals, often
\ndemanding all rights to the productions.<\/p>\n
Producers are often left out in the cold when it comes to
\nprofits. This discouraging business situation has left some
\npondering whether the glory days of teleserials may be numbered.<\/p>",
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