Fans protest over radio's closure

JAKARTA: A community group comprising Jakarta News FM listeners has urged the House of Representatives, the government and the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to intervene and find a solution to the internal conflict at the privately owned radio station.

"We have lost one of our sources of information after the radio station stopped operating on May 15, 2005," group member Lintang explained during a news conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The group, consisting of its former listeners, also demanded that all parties involved in the dispute, particularly the company's shareholders and employees, immediately settle their case, either through legal action or in a more amicable way.

The group said the conflict had also affected the employees of the radio station (97.5 Mhz), who were now in limbo.

Retno Widarsi, a regular listener and an herbal medicine trader, said she lost one of her sources to get information that she used to depend on, as a result of the closure of the radio station.

"The radio does not only offer commercial programs, but also provides knowledge of democracy, freedom, fairness and clean governance," she said.

Lintang and Muslim cleric Nuril Arifin vowed that they would organize a protest at the House, if the radio owners could not find a solution.

The conflict among the shareholders forced the radio to stop broadcasting. --Antara