'ANteve' offers Rp 1b in penalty contest

JAKARTA (JP): A penalty kick which hits the target will be worth Rp 1 billion (US$100,000) to the lucky shooter in a contest organized by private ANteve television station.

Catch is there will be only one contestant for the once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to be held on July 13.

It will be the luck of the draw as the shooter will be picked from applicants on July 8. He or she will have to slam the ball into a 45-centimeter diameter hole from a distance of 11 meters to take home the money.

The hole will be made in a goal cover, a difficult target even for a professional soccer player.

ANteve's corporate communications manager Zoraya Perucha said yesterday that all were welcome to take part in the contest, including soccer professionals.

"We will provide a coach to train the selected shooter on how to convert a penalty," Zoraya told a media conference. The coach will be picked later, she added.

The contest, to be held at the Senayan Stadium during the World Cup final, will cap the channel's broadcast package of the four-yearly tournament, which will include live broadcasts of 15 matches.

Those interested should send personal data to P.0. Box 6064 JKP MT 10310 or join the channel's telephone quiz on 08091099800.

The country's oldest private TV station, RCTI, will kick off an off-air program with viewers at cafes, restaurants, hotels and remote villages today.

The station's pool supervisor, Linda Wahyudi, said yesterday the company would cooperate with the National Family Planning Board to arrange live broadcasts in 300 regencies nationwide.

RCTI crews will present short films on the family planning program for villagers before a live broadcast of a match.

Television stations will turn the World Cup finals into a month-long soccer extravaganza, with an estimated audience of more than 37 billion. (emf/lnt)