'The programs are like 1980s TV'

A proposal to revive monthly license fees for television owners in a bid to collect funds for state television station TVRI has been met with various reactions. Some residents The Jakarta Post spoke to opposed the plan, saying unprofessional management had left TVRI on the verge of bankruptcy.

Mansuri, 37, works at a trading company in Roxy, Central Jakarta. He lives with his wife and children in Rawabelong, West Jakarta:

I oppose the plan because I think we already pay our dues by paying tax when we buy a television set. Besides, I already pay several fees and taxes to the government.

On top of that, I rarely watch TVRI because the programs are uninteresting. I probably watch it less than two hours a month, so I don't think it's fair to charge a fee for something I don't enjoy.

It's different when you have to pay to watch stations provided by cable TV companies. We pay because we enjoy them.

As far as I know, in foreign countries you don't have to pay for informative TV stations like the BBC in London.

Yoyok, 32, works at a telecommunications company. He lives with his wife and two children in Bekasi:

I think TVRI is selfish. It doesn't serve the public yet it wants to charge the public.

For example, for every 10 times I turn on the TV, I only click on TVRI once.

TVRI's programs are so boring. On its musical programs, for example, the singers, the stages and the backgrounds look as if they came from the 1980s.

If it wants to survive, I think TVRI should overhaul its management to be more professional and efficient.

--The Jakarta Post