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)