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

'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.