'ANteve' channel missing in Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Audiences of the private ANteve television station in the capital got a blank screen on their televisions during all of Wednesday.

An executive at the station said that one of its transmission devices broke down.

"A tube called an inductive output tube went kaput for unidentified reasons," Zoraya Perucha, the corporate communications manager at the station, told The Jakarta Post in the evening.

The trouble started at 5 a.m.

"We received scores of calls due to the problem," said Zoraya."

Zoraya, a former actress, said the nontransmission of the channel occurred only in Jakarta.

"The tube is part of a transmission device which broadcasts the television channel's programs in the Jakarta area only.

"Audiences in areas outside Jakarta receive our broadcasts through satellites, meaning that they're not affected by the damage," she said.

Run by renowned conglomerate Bakrie and Brothers, the television channel coverage includes 10 provinces in Indonesia.

Zoraya said it was the first occurrence of a problem of such magnitude since the private television channel -- famous for its sports and music programs -- was established in 1993.

"We have had difficulties with our transmitters in the past, but this has been the most devastating so far," she said.

As of Wednesday night, the repairing process was still underway in the channel's transmission center in Joglo, West Jakarta.

"We have replaced the old tube with a new one," said Zoraya.

As of 8.50 p.m, the channel was still not able to broadcast.

A source at the channel said the tube cost Rp 400 million.

"The tube can only be purchased in Singapore," he said.(asa)