Infotainment shows fails to give tasteful entertainment

Joko E.H. Anwar Contributor Jakarta

We often heard about how hard it is for journalists in other countries such as in the U.S. to dig stories about personal life of celebrities.

Such stories could be worth a lot of money if being sold to the media since most celebrities would likely try hard to keep their personal life to themselves.

However, it is very different in this country where public figures who work in the entertainment industry seem to be more than willing to tell everything about their personal issues to the media.

Gossips on celebrities can be interesting stories.

If the local gossip shows, which called themselves as infotainment programs, only manage to feature those who do not have interesting life or personalities, the programs would become very dull.

The high number of so-called infotainment shows on television covering lives of so-called local celebrities is a proof that both parties really enjoy their mutualism.

There is not a single day here without infotainment shows. In fact, some TV stations including RCTI and SCTV could have more than one infotainment show in a day.

RCTI has Intips (an acronym of Information and Tips which can also be translated as take a peak) Cek dan Ricek (Check and Re- check), Kabar-Kabari (Telling News), and Buletin Sinetron.

SCTV has Bibir Plus (literally Lips Plus), Hot Shot, Poster, and Halo Selebriti (Hello Celebrities).

Go Show (Gossip Show) and Selebrita are aired by TPI and KISS (stands for Kisah-kisah Seputar Selebriti or Stories of Celebrities)by Indosiar.

Most of these shows are broadcasted more than once a week.

Unfortunately, these shows end up being even worse than voyeuristic entertainment. They often become offensive to viewers who respect intelligence.

"It's intellectually insulting. Why do they think people would want to know about lives of so-called local celebrities which are not that interesting anyway," Dedi Iswanto, 26 year-old IT manager, told the The Jakarta Post.

For some celebrities, it seems that it is not enough for them to keep appearing in countless TV series they also want to throw everything about their life on the table.

Viewers can witness how celebrities would not hesitate to reveal their troubled marriage to infotainment show crew who accidentally bump into them on a wedding reception of other public figures.

They would even declare in front of the camera that they were looking for suitors, complete with criteria that they would like in their future spouses.

The programs' producers and the celebrities who are featured in the show seem to be the only parties who enjoy the show the most.

Actor Anjasmara who regularly appears in infotainment shows even said to a media that he planned to produce his own infotainment show which he would also host.

Broadcasters, however, still find infotainment shows profitable for the afternoon slots.

Press and Media Relations official of SCTV, Uki Hastama, told the Post that all four of their infotainment programs received rating between four and five with viewers share reached almost 30 percent.

"This figures are pretty high for afternoon slot," Uki added.

Like other locally made programs including countless sinetron, infotainment remain as a question why poorly made programs could still get a high rating.

Exclusive stories are rare in local infotainment shows.

Crew of these infotainment shows would mostly cover stories at the same events with other crew from other programs. As the result, even though there are many infotainment shows on television, most of them would tell the same stories.

Worse, when it comes to heavier issues, most of these shows would only tell one-sided stories.

Exception would be for Cek dan Ricek which is aired three times in a week by RCTI.

While the show still presents its stories in the same dull fashion like others, the show tries to give balanced stories by presenting both sides of the stories. Most of infotainment shows are also presented by annoying, low-talented hosts who take themselves too seriously.

Gossip show KISS which is aired by Indosiar three times a week used to be one of the most watchable infotainment shows due to its intelligent host Indra Safera. Eko Patrio who replaced Indra also managed to bring to show to a very entertaining level.

However, most viewers would find Eko's two successors irritatingly annoying.

The only infotainment program which serves its purpose as a decent gossip show is TPI's Go Show which is aired every 9 a.m. on Sunday.

The show which is presented in a quite inventive way always manage to keep the audiences interested without feeling insulted.

The program's two talented hosts, Tamara Geraldine and Edwin, also succeed to amusingly present the show with tongue firmly in cheek.

Unfortunately, other infotainment shows fail to give the audiences tasteful programs.

Those who keep watching the shows may consider the shows as some kind of guilty pleasure to watch, but it must be more for the guilt than the pleasure.