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)