Popular 'Si Doel' goes prime time
By Antariksawan Jusuf
JAKARTA (JP): When private TV station RCTI declared the prime- time Saturday slot to be "Si Doel Night", it sent a chill through the hearts of programmers at competing stations.
What is the secret of the highly successful Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel The Graduate), which started its fourth season on Saturday, April 18? Simply put, it is due to its popularity in the ratings in the past.
Proof enough was that, according to the authoritative rating agency SRI Nielsen, Si Doel got a 23 percent rating and swept 54 percent of the shares on it's return. This means more than half of the Indonesian TV audience was already hooked on the serial on the first day of its new season!
In its debut season in December 1994, its ratings and shares respectively reached 73 and 88 percent in all age groups, far higher than any programs in the history of the Indonesian television industry. It outstripped other popular serials; Janjiku (My Promise) registered its highest rating of only 43 percent.
The main prime-time slot, sandwiched between the two news reports relayed obligatorily from the government-run station TVRI, has emerged as the latest object of competition among commercial stations.
The Saturday slot was formerly neglected by stations because the total number of viewers was at the bottom end of the scale compared to the corresponding slot of other days in the week. Indonesian TV viewers spent more time on other activities on Saturdays than they did on Sundays and weekdays.
Later, however, when the shares gradually increased, the stations started grabbing their hold by exposing their relatively strong programs, like Si Doel, to Saturday.
RCTI's rescheduling of Si Doel from its established Monday time slot to Saturday was to anticipate the change in viewing habits of Indonesians due to the economic crisis.
RCTI public relations officer Anita Naryadi said: "The current monetary crisis has forced people who used to go out on the weekends to stay home. For them, RCTI provides entertainment for all the family members."
She said surveys showed past television ratings on Saturday and Sunday were mostly below 10 percent, a relatively low share compared to weekdays.
"This means when the economy is good, people tend to go out on the weekend," she said. The research area only covered the major cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang and Medan.
Other stations present various programs in the slot: action series Ali Topan and comedy Spontan (SCTV); comedy series and winner of the best comedy honor in the 1997 festival of Indonesian TV programs (FSI), Mat Angin (TPI); a period-drama series developed from a radio drama Tutur Tinular and quiz Family 100 (ANteve), and variety shows Gebyar BCA and movies (Indosiar).
In addition to the one-hour main program, RCTI has decided to introduce a half-hour additional show, featuring a program which draws viewers into the main serial. It also has a quiz linked to characters on Si Doel.
The host of the live program encourages viewers to give their comments, suggestions and criticism on the main program, with the incentive of Rp 200,000.
One measure of Si Doel's popularity is the interest of Singapore-based firm Animata Productions to produce an animated series based on the TV characters.
Animata's Jakarta managing director Hani Suryaseputra told The Jakarta Post that the firm had completed a 1.5 minute demo tape for the animation. The series, which will use the original voices of Si Doel characters, will diverge from the themes of the TV series.
"Since it is targeted for children, it tends to be a action- adventure based story, unlike the original which is drama comedy," Suryaseputra said, adding that the animation was still in the production stage.
Another measure is the huge number of commercials involving the characters from the series. More than 20 product advertisements, ranging from fast food to television sets, use the cast members of Si Doel.
Honda motorcycle, according to Swa magazine, reported a 37.5 percent increase in its sales after hiring Si Doel characters as models for its ads. Balpirik balm sold more than six million bottles of its products within six months following its new campaign featuring Rano Karno, who plays Doel..
The success of Si Doel is much applauded since it does not show bloodshed and violence. It is a family serial without excessive exploration of intrigue, intimidation or revenge, all widely found in other high-rated Indonesian TV programs.
A member of the FSI committee, RM Soenarto, attributed Si Doel's success to the culture of the Betawi, the native Jakartans portrayed in the series, which he believed was more easily accepted by viewers than other regional cultures on television.