Media urged to inform public, leaders alike
Media urged to inform public, leaders alike
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Tabanan, Bali
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie says that
increased spending on consumptive goods over the past few years
has meant huge profits for advertising firms.
Speaking at the opening of the first Asia Pacific Media Forum
(APMF) on Monday, he said that while the impacts of the financial
crisis of mid 1997 had been long-lasting, this had not stopped
many people from purchasing luxury cars, designer clothing and
expensive home appliances, among other goods.
Such spending, he added, was the answer to why gross
advertising expenditure in the country last year hit an all-time
high at around US$3 billion, second only to China.
"But we need to ensure that advertising communications are
effective to generate a justifiable return on investment for
advertisers," Aburizal said.
A recent survey by an advertising firm said ad expenditure
here rose 32 percent to Rp 22.21 trillion (US$2.37 billion) last
year, of which more than two-thirds went on television
advertising. Expenditure is expected to increase by another 20
percent this year.
The two-day forum, involving 300 participants from Asia-
Pacific countries, is aimed at discussing the latest media and
advertising challenges amid the rapid growth of media technology
and changing consumer habits.
In his speech, Aburizal also highlighted the task of the media
to educate and influence the public on crucial issues. He pointed
to the ongoing dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia over the
Ambalat offshore oil field.
"The media must not make people emotional but soothe their
anger, so the dispute will not turn into an open conflict," he
said.
Anti-Malaysia groups in some cities here have opened
registration for volunteers in the event that the dispute leads
to war, although the governments of the two countries have
pledged to seek a peaceful solution.
Aburizal said after the New Order regime, the media had played
a prominent role, serving as a vehicle for intelligent public
discussion and policy criticism.
"Our politics are now more open, our society more plural, our
economy more diverse and hence our media is finding new ways to
cope with it, while preserving its basic role as the fourth
pillar of democracy," he said.
Another keynote speaker at the forum, Jakob Oetama, CEO of
Kompas Gramedia, said the change in consumer behavior was one of
the significant impacts of globalization.
"We have to critically respond to it," he said. "Globalization
has good and bad sides. There are opportunities for members of
the international community to know and understand one another
and to cooperate to build mutual understanding and solidarity."
Jakob stressed the huge impact of the media on the life of
people around the world. "The dynamism of the media is a
phenomenon that has become increasingly globalized, simultaneous
and interactive in this 21st century."
As an illustration, Jakob took the media's role in the
aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami.
The media -- ranging from television, radio, the Internet,
news agencies and printed media -- around the world has been
committed to reporting on the situation in tsunami-stricken
areas. This effort has created humanitarian solidarity all over
the world, he said.
Jakob spoke positively about the increasing number of media
organizations since the reform era. Previously, in the Soeharto
era, there were only 289 dailies, but the number has skyrocketed
to around 1,600.
However, the high number of printed media publications is not
a good indication of their circulation, as TV and radio stations
now dominate the industry, he added.