'SCTV' schedules 54 hrs of W. Cup

JAKARTA (JP): Private station SCTV will air 54 hours of World Cup soccer from June 10 to July 12.

Uki Astama, SCTV's spokesman told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the 54 hours of World Cup soccer from France were wrapped up into one package called Gempita Piala Dunia (World Cup Extravaganza).

It includes 15 live broadcasts and five reruns.

"All the broadcasts will be in the mornings and in the evenings, according to the schedule," Uki said.

The 15 live broadcasts are nine group matches, two quarterfinals, two semifinals, the playoff for third place, and the final.

The live broadcasts will begin with the opening match between Brazil and Scotland in Paris St Denis on June 10 and end with the July 13 final also in St Denis.

Reruns of matches will be shown on June 13, June 20, June 27, July 4 and July 11.

For the coverage of the entire World Cup matches, SCTV has hired five commentators, Johnny S. Tamaela, Abdul Kadir, Rusdi Bahalwan, M. Basri and IGK Manila.

In addition to its extravaganza, SCTV will also present half an hour of highlights every day during the tournament except Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. These will start on Monday next week.

"To add life to the highlights, we have invited a number of celebrities to attend the programs," Uki said.

The Surabaya-based station will also hold a number of quizes, including one called Satu Juta Semenit (one million in one minute) with a total of Rp 70 million (US$6,000) in cash prizes up for grabs.

The quiz will be aired twice a day from June 7 to July 12. To take part people will only need to dial 021 214 91690.

Besides the World Cup, SCTV will also air live the NBA Finals on June 6, June 8 and June 11, not June 5, 9 and 14 as reported earlier. Each live broadcast starts at 6.30 a.m. West Indonesia Time.

The other sports being broadcast live on SCTV will be the French Open men's and women's finals on June 6 and June 7 starting from 7:50 p.m. West Indonesia Time. (lnt)