'The Plaza', the show that 'must go on'

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Claimed to be the most difficult variety show ever to produce in Indonesia, The Plaza, aired by private television station Metro TV, has survived for four years.

Aired live from La Moda Cafe at upmarket Plaza Indonesia on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, every Saturday night, The Plaza targets viewers from the middle- and upper-income bracket.

As the show is a live outside broadcast, the crew has to work very well together as a team and be prepared for anything to go wrong at the last minute, live on-air.

With four year's experience behind it, the team seems to work like a well-oiled machine, at least to most of the audience watching from the plaza.

There have been instances, though, when the lights have gone out, but fortunately it was not for long and the program was able to continue broadcasting after a short break.

"We see our targets as A/B plus viewers, like the visitors to the shopping center and viewers of the station," The Plaza's producer and director, Toni Syah Indra, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Toni said the show was initiated by the top leaders of the station and the center four years ago as entertainment for visitors, and a promotion medium for some of the shops at Plaza Indonesia.

He said the station had collaborated with Citibank for the last two years to manage the variety show and promote the bank's products.

"Yes, The Plaza is now the only program funded by Citibank on television. It concentrates on lifestyle," Creative Director of Admaker Communications, the bank's media consultant, Markus R.A. "Kepra" Prasetyo told the Post.

Kepra refused to mention the amount of money provided by the bank for the program, but said the viewers and the visitors were the targeted customers of the bank.

Toni said the production cost of the one-hour-long show was about Rp 170 million (US$18,888), including the fees for the singers, dancers and models but excluding the costs of 25 crew members who prepare the program.

He said the singers' fees ranged from Rp 6 million to Rp 20 million per show.

Due to the type of viewers and visitors, preparation for an hour-long The Plaza is more complicated than for other variety shows on television that are recorded inside studios.

"The Plaza is the only variety show that is aired live outside the studio," said Toni, who is also a lecturer in broadcasting studies at a private university in West Jakarta.

The difficulties can be seen in the efforts of the lighting crew to accommodate the ambient lighting from the shops adjacent to the stage, as well as in setting up the sound system and control room.

Hundred of meters of cables have to be spanned along the cafe in the atrium on the first floor to the control room on the second floor and connected to the Satellite News Gathering van, which is parked near the west gate of the shopping center.

Other problems can arise from personnel.

The singers for the variety show are especially chosen for their professionalism and ability to adjust to fast-changing situations quickly.

Due to the current trend in celebrity gossip, there is a talk show between the program host and the featured singer in the middle of the program.

"The talk show is about the positive side of the artist. It should be refreshing, instead of just cheap gossip. This is in line with our viewers taste," The Plaza's script writer Deny Secaatmadja told the Post.

Host Ivy Batuta, who wears a traditional judge's robe, interviews the artist in a space designed to look like a courtroom set up in front of the cafe.

Dozens of visitors who stand along the railings of the atrium on the first, second and third floors often applaud and smile upon listening to the songs and talk between the host and the artist.