Local media to face fierce competition: Observers

Local media to face fierce competition: Observers

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In line with global trends, the media industry in Indonesia has
entered a new era of fierce competition, prompting print media to
redesign their looks to survive and thrive.

The recent redesigns undertaken by Koran Tempo and Kompas
dailies were the latest examples, as the two papers responded to
the competition between the electronic and print media.

Media Indonesia is expected to follow suit by introducing a
new look in the near future.

Leo Batubara, a director at the Indonesian Publishers
Association, said the competition between the electronic and
print media would get more fierce over the coming years, as was
happening elsewhere in the world.

"If the global trend continues, the print media is in danger
of dying out as the electronic media -- TV, radio and the
Internet -- continues to grow. The print media has to work hard
to make changes, including resizing, redesigning and running
concise and accurate stories, to maintain its existence," he told
The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.

To win the competition, Leo, who is also a member of the
National Press Council, said the print media should embrace
divergence by allowing media tycoons to run newspapers, TV
stations and radio stations.

"That is why RCTI TV station has launched Seputar Indonesia
newspaper. A similar move has been taken by the Kompas Group by
launching TV7 TV station, Radio Sonora and a number of local
papers in provinces, as well as magazines. The Jawa Post Group is
running dozens of newspapers nationwide and they have been a big
success," he said.

Ignatius Haryanto, a researcher and coordinator of the
Institute of Press and Development Studies, has a similar view.

He said the competition between the electronic and print media
had become unhealthy because the electronic media was greedily
commercializing its programs just for profits, without any
attention to the ideals of the press or social controls.

"TV stations have been mushrooming but their programs have
gone beyond educational value, press idealism and social
control," he said, citing the 100 percent increase in the number
of TV stations to 12 this year from six in 1998.

Leo and Haryanto said TV stations have enjoyed great success
by selling poorly made programs that catered to the lowest common
denominator.

"The majority of uneducated people are being given
supernatural programs, infotainment and many other programs that
fail to educate watchers," said Leo.

He warned that national newspapers must improve the quality of
their human resources and make adjustments, otherwise they could
lose the competition.

"The market share of the print media in Indonesia is only 30
percent, while in developed countries it reaches 60 percent. This
has a lot to do with the poor reading habits of people and the
failure of the print media to catch the public's attention and
run accurate and credible news," Leo said, adding that the print
media's relied on the public's trust.

Haryanto warned media groups against being manipulated into
protecting the interests of political leaders rather than public
interests.

"If media groups consistently abide by the ideals of the press
to educate people, disseminate necessary information and play a
role as a social control, they will automatically give more
attention to the interests of the people," he said.