Expert: Research key to understanding TV viewers
Expert: Research key to understanding TV viewers
JAKARTA (JP): Mass communications expert M. Budyatna said
yesterday that comprehensive audience research should be done to
understand Indonesians' televisions preferences.
Television programs, especially talk shows and sinetron
serials, have caused public complaints and objections recently.
The new Minister of Information, R. Hartono, said recently he
was concerned by talk shows on private television stations which
openly discussed subjects like prostitution and extramarital
affairs.
Budyatna, also dean of the University of Indonesia's school of
social and political science, said the cost of the research could
be shared by social scientists and the ministry.
He did not say how much the research would cost.
He said research would provide a more accurate picture of what
was acceptable to Indonesians and their cultural, social and
economic backgrounds.
The research would aim to produce facts, not just assumptions,
to help the government understand people's needs, he said.
"Television programs cannot be evaluated on an individual
basis because people's tastes vary," Budyatna said.
Besides the research, he said a governing body consisting of
religious figures, housewives, psychological and medical experts
and others was needed to evaluate the acceptability of television
programs before they were aired.
Budyatna said talk shows showed that the world was getting
smaller and that these shows reflect the reality of life today.
He said they were okay provided the sources' names were not
disclosed.
He said television's strong impact could be beneficial. He
said the media should also focus on criminals and not just
victims as it did now.
Hopefully, "this would show the criminal's errors and make
other criminals think twice," he said.
Budyatna said television programs were too contrived and that
too many stations just showed foreign films and serials which
showed a lack of creativity and put quality at risk.
Indosiar's public relations manager, Andreas Ambesi, agreed
with Hartono's criticism.
Andreas said Indonesians got their news from the print media
and watched television for entertainment.
"Television without news can grow in Indonesia," he said,
The print media and television do not necessarily complement
each other here, he said.
Television stations RCTI, SCTV and TPI were unavailable for
comment on how they controlled the content of talk shows and
sinetrons. (01)