The show goes on for quiz, game programs amid crisis

JAKARTA (JP): Despite a cutback in television airtime, quiz and game show managers have confirmed that as long as contracts are valid, the show goes on.

But after contracts expire, they is no way of knowing whether sponsors will stay the life of the party.

Increasingly, for TV stations, "grabbing the public's time" is the name of the game.

Cut-throat competition has given way to better packaging of shows which must stay within tight budgets. In this environment, the gloss -- which ranges from the appeal of the presenter to the decor of the show -- is everything.

However, despite the fact that production houses are churning out programs fast, some are still fickle about the quality of today's game shows.

RCTI public relations manager Eduard Depari said some shows, like Famili 100, for instance, "come up with no-brain answers according to unexplained surveys".

He said it was probably due to "haphazard sampling".

Even with such sampling, people should be informed about the surveying process, he said.

Eduard cited a U.S. election campaign survey to identify supporters for Republicans and Democrats.

"Anyone buying a drink at a particular cinema would be asked to select one of two cups -- one with a donkey-design (Republican) on it and another with an elephant (Democrat)," Eduard said.

"The survey later stated that moviegoers watching films between 6 and 8 p.m. at this particular cinema preferred Democrats to Republicans.

"In Famili 100, no information on the surveys conducted is given."

For more than two years, the audience share for Famili 100 has hovering around 20 percent. The show, an adaptation of Family Feud which is produced locally by Grundy Productions, goes to air five times a week on ANteve.

Grundy Productions consultant Patrick Schult explained the difference between a game show and a quiz show.

"Family Feud is a game show. The luxury of a game show is that it has no right or wrong," Patrick said.

"It is the contestant's challenge to guess what the people (from the sampled lot) will say.

"For instance, we once had a question asking contestants to name some of Indonesia's largest cities. One of the answers was Bali. Technically, that is wrong but a contestant said it and picked it off the board."

Patrick explained that there was a fine line between the audience interpreting it as a quiz show or a game show.

"Contestants are asked a question during the audition and are told to write down the answer in three seconds flat. If they can't, skip and go to the next one."

"In three seconds, the first thing thought of is not always right. There are two people standing on opposing ends itching to press the buzzer first ... the first thing that comes to their mind is what they should say."

He added that quiz shows were about exact, precise answers.

"... For instance, President Soeharto assumed power in Indonesia in what year? There is no gray to that, just a black or a white."

Having produced 28 quiz shows to date, the owner of Ani Sumadi Productions, Ani Sumadi, said quizzes were essential to educate people whether aired on radio or TV.

"They guide people toward better, faster thinking. Quizzes provide the seeds (questions) from which intellect germinates."

Ani said a good quiz show was one that prompted audiences to invest their emotion and energy.

A show's popularity can be measured by the size of its mailbag. The number of letters could range from thousands -- sent by people applying to be quiz show participants -- to millions from those answering quiz questions at the end of a local drama, talk show or music show.

Eduard from RCTI said one quiz show received 6,000 letters from would-be contestants.

"We have the running text at the end of each show with our address ... They send their letters in and we call them up for a quick test and audition."

He said they were told to enclose a postcard-size photograph and informed auditions would take one or two days at the most.

"The entire audition resembles a simulation of the show. Participants feel like they are in a real situation."

At auditions, no attention is paid to the academic titles a person may hold, Ani Sumadi Productions' executive producer Reinhard Tawas said.

"Even if he is a graduate or postgraduate degree holder, he's out if he cannot answer questions (in the given time)."

If they appear wooden on camera but are fast thinkers they are likely to be eligible for the game. (02)