Kassandra cuts productivity

Kassandra cuts productivity

JAKARTA (JP): If you have noticed a decline in daily
productivity, don't be too hard on your workers, blame it on
Kassandra.

Latin American soap operas broadcasted by national television
networks during the day have become so popular that they have
begun to take their toll on worker productivity in Indonesia,
female in particular, according to a Semarang consumer agency.

The Consumer Counseling and Protection Institute (LP2K) said
television stations should try to reschedule the airing of these
series, known as telenovelas, so that they do not coincide with
the working hours of most people, the Antara news agency said.

The survey by the agency showed that productivity tended to
decline during the times when these programs were shown,
institute chairman Novel Ali was quoted as saying.

The survey was conducted between Nov. 1-19 among women aged
between 30 and 35 years old in Semarang.

The survey showed that these programs such as Isamar, Soledad,
Kassandra and those that go by their Indonesian titles like
Kepalsuan Cinta and Setulus Hati, have huge followings and that
some were even willing to halt working, both at home and in the
office. Some educators have also been known to stop their
activities in order to watch these programs.

Novel said that telenovelas are generally based on simple love
story lines but that they have a way of stirring audience
emotion. (emb)