Talk radio tunes in to listeners' concerns
People turn on the radio not only to listen to music, but also to follow the latest news and current issues discussed in talk shows. The Jakarta Post reporter T. Sima Gunawan observes the trend in conjunction with the country's 54th Radio Day on Saturday. Related stories on Page 3.
JAKARTA (JP): The man's voice was emotional. "The military is behind the East Timor unrest," he declared fervently.
His belief, despite the denial of Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto, is shared by many.
Yet the man is no political observer, military analyst or human rights activist. He is a concerned citizen who was able to express his opinion on a call-in radio talk show.
East Timor, along with the Bank Bali scandal, is the hot topic making headlines not only in newspapers and magazines, but also burning up the airwaves on television and the radio.
Many have turned to the latter to keep them informed on current affairs. Switch on the radio at breakfast or during the drive to work, and there is bound to be a discussion on a topic which draws passionate opinions.
Take last Tuesday morning. Only a few hours after the government imposed martial law in East Timor, the subject dominated Elshinta, Ramako, Trijaya, Delta, MS3, NewsFM and Pro2, which is affiliated with the state radio Radio Republik Indonesia.
Experts like Erman Rajagukguk from the State Secretariat, military observer Salim Said, J.B. Kristiadi from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Clementino dos Reis Amaral, an East Timorese who is a member of the National Commission of Human Rights, and economist I Nyoman Moena commented on diverse aspects and ramifications of the territory's troubles.
Some stations invited men and women on the street to express their feelings.
People now feel free to speak up and say what they think on radio talk shows. They speak bluntly -- the euphemistic language of the past is absent, and the hosts do not try to steer their callers to a gentler line of argument.
Such freedom, commonplace today, was virtually unknown during Soeharto's authoritarian government.
"We used to receive a lot of warnings from the authorities because of critical reports," M. Ichsan Loulembah, news director of Trijaya, said.
He says it was rumored that the station would be closed down for its reports on the shooting of four Trisakti students and ensuing riots that forced Soeharto to step down on May 21, 1998.
Private radio stations were not allowed to produce hard news at the time. They were left with no choice but to relay news broadcasts of RRI 13 times a day, from early in the morning until midnight.
Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus issued a decree in June 1998 giving greater freedom to radio stations. The step was taken in accordance with his more liberal policy on print media, already enjoying relaxed rules on what it could and could not report.
Private radio stations are now free to manage and produce their own news, but they still have to relay RRI's news at 6 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
They can also cooperate with foreign stations without first seeking government permission. Indonesians can listen to foreign reports from Voice of America, BBC, Radio Australia, Hilversum and Deutsche Welle on local radio stations.
There are about 40 private radio stations in Jakarta and some 800 nationwide. Many of them are enthusiastically pouncing on their newfound freedom to produce news programs and talk shows.
Amid the tide of reform, NewsFM, a political radio station which aims at promoting democracy and human rights, has been born.
"We want to make radio a media for sociopolitical enlightenment," Nor Pud Binarto, the man behind its founding, said.
A public hungry for accurate information has embraced the cluster of new radio stations.
"I am glad we can now obtain actual and factual reports," Olan Sitompul, 43, said.
Sitompul, an executive of PT Rosindo, a representative of F.Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., listens to BBC news relayed by Elshinta at 5 a.m.
"I turn off the radio at 6 a.m., I do not want to listen to RRI news. It is nothing but the government's mouthpiece."
During his journey to work, he again tunes in to Elshinta for Fokus, the news program of private television station Indosiar which is relayed by the radio station later in the morning. During commercials, he switches to Pro2's presentation of select items from the print media.
By that time, Sitompul, who lives in Bintaro, South Jakarta, has arrived at his office on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.
He turns on the radio at work to listen to Jakarta Pagi Ini (Jakarta This Morning), a talk show on Pro2. "For me, it is also a form of entertainment."
The station launched a collection of interviews taken from radio talks shows on Saturday in celebration of Radio Day.
The show is unique because the hosts, R. Fadli and Jodi Manuju, allow listeners to choose the topic. They formerly called after the 7 a.m. news and were put on the air. However, as the talk show became more popular, the station replaced the on-air calls with commercials. Listeners are invited to call in when the news is broadcast. "But they can still have a chance to talk to the sources," Manuju said.
The popularity of talk shows -- talk radio -- is reflected in the broadcast of many of the shows during radio prime time in the early morning, when people are leaving for work.
Commuters are the main target as they crawl through traffic jams on the way to the office.
Mass communications expert M. Budyatna observes that talk shows are not the monopoly of radio stations which target the middle to upper income brackets. Some stations have focused on the market of low-income members of society.
"This is good. People become well-informed about what's happening," he said.
Listeners are also being stimulated to ask questions instead of passively accepting what is presented to them.
"They are not a sitting target anymore. The audience must be active. They must manipulate the media," he said.
Many radio stations confirm the avid participation of listeners in expressing their opinions. Unfortunately, not all who want to have a say can be accommodated. On some stations, like NewsFM, the caller is put straight on the air, but others screen their callers.
"We do not want to air rude comments or groundless ideas," Ichsan said. "Therefore, before we ask them a bit about their ideas; if they sound OK, then we call them back."
He argues that it is necessary to ensure a quality debate.
Bachtiar Aly, a mass communication expert and member of the House of Representatives, objects to the screening of callers.
"The public should get the chance to talk. If they talk nuts, the moderator should be able to take control. The radio station can also reduce the volume or cut the caller off."
He believes that talk show hosts are generally good and critical in their approach although some lack objectivity.
Talk shows are becoming popular because of mounting conflicts in society, Aly said. "We will always have conflicts here, even though they may be to a lesser degree."
Talk radio shows are likely to remain a fixture on the airwaves. With the country's troubles reaching the boiling point and the public intent on speaking up to be heard, talk radio is tuning in to their concerns.