Govt demands permit for live TV broadcast
Govt demands permit for live TV broadcast
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information R. Hartono warned
private television stations yesterday against illegal live
broadcasts.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting at the Bina Graha
presidential office, the minister said the newly enacted
Broadcasting Law stipulated that private TV stations ask for
government approval before airing live broadcasts.
He was making his third comment in as many days on a
government decision to ban ANteve and SCTV from broadcasting live
coverage Monday of Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad's address
on the economic reform package at the House of Representatives.
"A private TV station violates the rules if it broadcasts live
coverage without informing the government. This (Monday's case)
should not happen again," Hartono warned.
However, he failed to elaborate on which sections of the
Broadcasting Law stipulate the ban.
"The law clearly states that state-owned TV station TVRI is
the only authorized broadcaster to conduct live coverage of state
events, while private TV stations should relay.
"Is it that difficult for a private station to ask for our
approval if it intends to run live or delayed broadcasts?" he
asked.
Hartono said the law allowed the government to revoke the
license of a TV station which ignored the government's reprimand
three times.
He suggested that a private TV station intending to run a live
broadcast contact the Ministry of Information or TVRI.
"In the case of House plenary meetings, its secretary general
used to lodge a formal request to me and then I ordered TVRI to
cover the meeting," said Hartono.
Regular live broadcasts by both TVRI and private stations were
conducted when President Soeharto delivered the state budget plan
and the state-of-nation speech on the eve of Independence Day.
News
Four House legislators asked yesterday the Ministry of
Information's secretary general, Tonny Soekarton, about the ban.
Not until the end of the almost seven-hour meeting, however,
did Tonny manage to satisfy the legislators' queries.
Tonny told House Commission I on security, defense, law and
information affairs, that Monday's plenary House meeting was
considered a news program and therefore was subject to government
approval if a private TV station intended to broadcast it live.
He was referring to a 1982 ministerial decree which classifies
TV programs as news and entertainment. The decree says live news
coverage must be conducted by TVRI.
"The Minister of Finance's address was categorized as a news
program because it informed the public," Tonny said.
He admitted the government directives for live TV coverage
were only now being drawn up. But the Broadcasting Law suggested
that, pending the issuance of new directives, the government
apply related old regulations as long as they did not contradict
the new law.
"It's clear now that the problem is not why a live coverage is
banned... (but) who will take responsibility if something goes
wrong during or after the live broadcast," Tonny said.
He regretted that the two private TV stations had already
advertised the live coverage without learning the rules
beforehand. "The public who had eagerly waited for the program
fell victim to the false ad," he said.
Also during the hearing, director of TVRI Aziz Husein said he
was considering a live broadcast of Mar'ie's second meeting with
the House next Tuesday. (prb/amd)