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)