Indonesia needs strong TV stations
Indonesia needs strong TV stations
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and other developing countries need to
build a strong television industry to counter the foreign
broadcasts which are influencing national viewers, Minister of
Information Harmoko said yesterday.
Harmoko acknowledged that the development of satellite
technology has made it impossible for Indonesia to prevent
foreign stations from beaming their programs into Indonesia.
"Broadcasters in this part of the world must be strengthened
so that they can counter the foreign programs, many of which tend
to be violent," Harmoko was quoted by the Antara news agency as
saying.
He made the remarks in the keynote address to a seminar on the
growth of television in the Asia-Pacific which opened yesterday.
The minister, whose portfolio includes supervising the
operation of local television networks, said that while Indonesia
could not avoid the "trans-nationalization" of television
programs, it could reduce their impact.
He said foreign networks come from a different socio-cultural
setting yet they have full control over what to broadcast to
other nations. Given that satellite television is a booming
industry, their presence is sure to intensify.
Harmoko reminded seminar participants that broadcasters have
an unwritten social contract to convey values which are
informative, educative and beneficial to viewers and listeners
alike.
Local broadcasters must strengthen their technical and
financial capabilities, improve the quality of their programs,
and offer better alternatives for their viewers, he added.
On a separate occasion, mass communication expert Marwah Daud
Ibrahim threw caution on the plan to revamp the state network
TVRI from a government agency into a full-fledged private
enterprise.
Marwah, speaking at another seminar about the broadcasting
industry on Wednesday at the House of Representatives, implored
the government not to abandon TVRI's chief mission, which is to
unite the nation.
"The risk is too high to drop that mission," she was quoted as
saying by Antara.
TVRI, by far the oldest television station in Indonesia, has
been under serious pressure with the emergence of the more
aggressive commercial networks like RCTI, SCTV, TPI and ANteve,
that the government is now considering revamping its management
to make it more professional.
Marwah said however that TVRI was established with certain
missions which include uniting the nation, disseminating models
of development, promoting national and regional cultures and
setting trends in society.
TVRI, in competing with the private networks, should not vie
for ratings without any clear mission, she said.
Marwah suggested that the government allow TVRI to run
advertisements, though with certain restrictions. "The ads should
be limited only to products related to people's primary needs and
not their secondary needs," she said.
TVRI's finances currently come from government subsidies,
funds raised through television ownership licenses and royalties
from the private networks. (emb)