Single-track talent shows
Of late, housewives, teenagers, office workers, even presidential candidates have been charmed by talents shows, which allow the very starry-eyed to sing and dance on national TV.
By now, most have caught a glimpse of Akademi Fantasi Indosiar (AFI), a singing contest adopted from the Mexican L'Academia program and aired by Indosiar.
Just as AFI proved able to attract viewers of all ages -- and sponsors of a wide range of products -- another TV station, RCTI, started to run Indonesian Idol, adopted from American Idol, followed by AFI Junior (by Indosiar) and Kontes Dangdut Indonesia(KDI), which is run by another private television, TPI.
Viewers have no doubt become aware, thanks to these contests, that this country has an abundance of young talent.
By and large, the contests follow a similar pattern: from humble origins -- a talent search at provincial level -- to preliminary pre-elimination tests, and beyond, to Jakarta and the grand final.
Interestingly, the jury of these contests are the viewers, who simply have to send a short messaging service (SMS) in support of their favorite singers, via their cell phones.
The involvement of viewers evokes in them a sense of belonging, and this could have been the main factor behind the success of this kind of entertainment.
Obviously, the contests establish a fruitful business link between contestants, TV station managements and sponsors, as well as cellular phone providers. For the viewers, this is a new entertainment phenomenon, whereby they may identify with the contestants, trace their success, and lend them their support. Finally, someone is listening to armchair critics, and, at home, they are loving it.
For that reason, winners are flooded with prizes, including cash, motorcycles and cars, while the TV stations swallow big profits from the sponsors, who also enjoy the feedback. Last but not least, the cellular phone providers enjoy big earnings from tens of thousands of SMS senders, particularly during the contests.
Like in American Idol, the winners of AFI, Indonesian Idol and KDI also get a welcome jump start in launching their careers. Since their victory, the youths -- some of whom come from economically disadvantaged families -- have been busy performing in shows and traveling from town to town and, consequently, have had to change their lifestyles, since now they are "real" stars.
From a certain point of view, these talent contests have been successful in encouraging young people to explore their capabilities, through which they are ultimately able to change their lives. Even those who have been "eliminated" from the AFI "semifinals" are now busy performing in several big cities, including Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan and Palembang.
Something positive can be said about the contests: all the losers so far have accepted their defeat without bearing a grudge or hard feelings. From this point of view, at least, they are better than our presidential candidates, some of whom have become disgruntled after their elimination from the presidential election.
As no comprehensive and reliable research has been conducted on the negative effects of the singing contests among teenagers, debating the point would only waste time. What is obvious, however, is that the singers' ability to perform adequately at an international level is questionable.
Nevertheless, it is well worth asking if private television networks are prepared to create talent shows for athletes and top performers in other fields. Lately, this country has had to acknowledge -- time and again -- failure in seeking and creating athletes of international repute.
Take, for example, badminton, which was once the nation's pride and joy. Now, this sport no longer "belongs" to Indonesia as China is considered its king.
No single institution has so far been able to pick 20 people of talent in soccer, out of a 230 million population. Therefore, our national soccer team has not made any significant progress for years.
The government and businesspeople, including owners of television stations, would do well to join hands to develop an appropriate formula for creating talent shows that focus on other spheres of our national life, including sports. Without doubt, a marketing formula could be found to sell these programs to sponsors. This may not be as easy as it sounds, but if selling singing contests is possible, why not sports contests that locate real talent and promote it? Surely, our children and teenagers have other abilities, besides singing.