Show tours of the nation's attractions

Sri Ramadani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Archipelago
MetroTV
Sunday, 1:05 p.m. and 4:05 a.m. Monday (rerun)
Hosts: Virgie Baker or Meutya Hafid

Up until a few years ago, only the then state TV network TVRI broadcast features about interesting corners of the archipelago. Most of the time, however, they were anthropological explorations or wildlife specials, giving little to no information about points of interest for the prospective tourist.

Even when private stations RCTI, SCTV and Indosiar appeared in the 1990s, a genuine travel show for local viewers had yet to appear. The reason was simple: When Indonesians traveled, they set their sights on distant, "prestigious" shores, for instance, a whirlwind trip to the capitals of Europe, the United States or a shopping fix in Singapore.

The 1997 economic crisis helped change that, leading many of us to consider finding our recreational needs within the country. There has also been a generational shift as younger Indonesians are also more open to traveling to the regions to see the sights, instead of just doing their duty by heading back to their ancestral homelands at the post-fasting month holiday of Idul Fitri.

One of the new group of travel shows, Archipelago features interesting travel segments on spots in Java, Maluku, Kalimantan and many other islands.

The choice of Sunday as the broadcast day for the show is part of Metro's commitment to broadcast more entertainment TV shows than news on weekend.

Metro's broadcasting proportion is 60 percent news and 40 percent entertainment TV shows on weekdays but vice versa on weekend, according to Nyiayu Winda Latifah, media relations officer for the station.

It also made a wise choice in giving it an early afternoon time slot, up against little competition of English-language movies or old Indonesian flicks on other channels.

Several weeks ago, the show focused on Semarang, Central Java. Chosen features were an old museum housing antique trains, and favorite visitor shops selling souvenirs and goodies to take home.

The latter developed into a culinary tour, as it stopped in at shops specializing in bandeng presto (a type of steamed fish) and lumpia (egg rolls). An interesting part of the segment profiled the owner of Juwana, a store famed for its bandeng presto, and the care taken to prepare each fish for sale.

Obviously, the 30-minute show, which began airing in August last year, is meant to show sites off the beaten track of Bali, Yogyakarta and Lombok.

"Archipelago features uncommon travel spots which some have yet to be aware of," producer Dewi Suspaningrum acknowledged.

However, the presentation could be better and more engaging. Beautiful Virgie Baker, who is also a newsreader, speaks from a script, but does not actually go on the trips to the areas. Inevitably, the delivery is impersonal.

For the episode on Ambon, Maluku, Virgie guided the viewers from Ancol beach in Jakarta, which may well have been a safer choice but did nothing to capture the ambiance of the place.

The show could learn something from TV7 in having its presenter get out of the studio. Riyanni Djangkaru is a young travel lover who leads viewers on trips in Jejak Petualang, broadcast aired every Saturday at 12 p.m. and Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Riyanni thoroughly enjoys her role of the adventurer, whether it is taking part in a traditional wedding ceremony, up for a jig with Dayak tribesmen or downing the traditional beverage moke in a small village in East Nusa Tenggara.

Virgie, or whoever else hosts the show, could do the same to make Archipelago a more interesting, personal experience. Still, her light, friendly delivery is better suited to the show than Metro's noted present Sandra Malakiano, with her forebodingly serious countenance.

Unfortunately, Archipelago's Semarang episode lacks of information about comfortable and affordable hotels and getting there.

Despite the format problems, the show offers an interesting window into unusual travel destinations. For tourists or travel enthusiasts, Archipelago could be the place where they get pointers about their next place to go. It also could make itself great viewing for the whole family.