Media's future remains bright, Budyatna says

Media's future remains bright, Budyatna says

By Wirasti Wiryono

JAKARTA (JP): The Dean of the University of Indonesia's School
of Social and Political Sciences, M. Budyatna, is a mass
communications expert, but he never shies away from discussing
political issues.

Most journalists interviewing him can usually be guaranteed
objective, if not downright sharp, opinions on issues as
sensitive as the national leadership.

He sounds most lively, however, when speaking about press
freedom and the increasingly stiff competition in the industry.
Yesterday, he expressed confidence that the prospects for the
Indonesian media remained bright, and gave his recommendations on
how to handle information affecting the country's development.

"Television offers the brightest and most lucrative prospects
in the next decade," he told The Jakarta Post, citing high
profits from advertising, economic growth and wide audience reach
as the main reasons.

He said business involvement in print media has been less
successful, despite the existence of national publications such
as Media Indonesia, Bisnis Indonesia and Gatra. He said print
media, especially newspapers, remain the domain of the veteran
members of the press.

The Indonesian media is burdened with problems such as
inadequate human resources development, finances and management,
Budyatna said.

Under the countries press laws, foreign investors are barred
from owning media concerns but this may change with the recent
House of Representatives' endorsement of the broadcasting bill,
and the rise of a free market economy.

From technical and financial perspectives, the Indonesian
media as a whole have bright prospects, he said, but the specter
of censorship and fear of losing one's publishing license loom
large for all media organizations.

The weekly news magazines Editor, Tempo and Detik, for
instance, were banned without warning in 1994.

Confusing

Budyatna said news coverage was often confusing and unclear,
but he blamed it on the government's fear that publicizing of
sensitive issues could trigger violent unrest.

He called on the government to accommodate the growing calls
for openness from a population which is better educated and more
critical as a result of media exposure provided under the
government's development programs.

"Otherwise, the public will resort to the Internet, with its
lack of regulations, which could be more dangerous and provoke
public uprisings beyond our control," he said.

Budyatna acknowledged that media exposure, including news
programs and advertisements, have the most powerful impact on
viewers who may be easily prompted to aspire to a lifestyle they
do not fully understand.

Budyatna said many television station employees still learn on
the job rather than being equipped in advance with the necessary
skills to cope with the technical complexities of the medium.

Of the five private television stations, RCTI and Indosiar
lead the battle to win viewers and ratings, he said. The others
are ANteve, SCTV and educational television station TPI.

Budyatna cited Indosiar, owned by the Salim group, for its
ability to identify and develop unique programs with regional
flavors.

He said these includes Javanese puppet shows (wayang) and live
plays Srimulat, while RCTI has enjoyed success through the
popular television serial Si Doel Anak Sekolahan and comedy show
Baso.

Malaysians

The research and programming at Indosiar were masterminded by
experienced Malaysians with experience at direct satellite
broadcasting company StarTV in Hong Kong.

Radio stations, operating in the most tightly regulated
medium, have to broadcast 13 daily news programs from the state-
owned radio station RRI. They act mostly as a forum for music,
entertainment and advertisements.

"Television stations, on the other hand, can be more creative
and develop their own news programs, a move tolerated by the
government, whose own policies in this matter have not been very
consistent," he said.

Budyatna has also taken action to meet the shortage of skilled
of broadcasting professionals; the University of Indonesia plans
to establish a three-year broadcasting diploma program in
September 1997 and a television lab.

The program is to be financed by Rp 3 million (US$1,250)
annual tuition fees, with 80 percent of the cost being subsidized
by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

"The theory of communications has been a major part of the
university's program to date but we will try to strike a balance
between theory and practice," he said.