'These programs are not educational'

'These programs are not educational'

The various talent contests being aired on TV offer similar
blends of big payouts, entertainment and reality TV, where
viewers share the ups and downs of their favorite contestants.
The Jakarta Post asked some Jakartans for their views on the
rapidly increasing number of talent shows on TV.

Lydia A. Long, 30, works as a media officer at the Office of
the State Minister for the Environment. She lives with her
husband and daughter in Casablanca, South Jakarta:

My husband and I are not too keen on such competitions. They
seem to be inhuman sometimes.

Basically, it's OK to participate in these competitions. But
if I were the parent of one of the children taking part, I would
seriously consider the interests of my child. Some kids are happy
with such contests, but others are not. It depends on each
individual.

I'm not the kind of person who would be up to challenge. After
I saw an episode of American Idol -- the one with the Chinese boy
singing She Bang and Simon (the judge) mocked him, saying "you
can't sing, you can't dance" -- I cried. In my opinion, it was
too cruel.

Of course, there are some people who enjoy challenges and
would just regard this kind of remark as another challenge.

Iqbal, 25, is a reporter with a radio station in Central
Jakarta. He resides in Pejaten, South Jakarta, with his family:

I think such talent shows are not effective in ensuring that
real talent wins the contests as the final decisions are made not
by the judges but by the viewers, who vote by sending text
messages via their cell phones.

In my opinion, it is natural that most TV stations copy the
successful formulas of other stations that air such programs in
order to generate greater revenue.

I have no problems with how the programs affect the public.
These kind of programs offer entertainment that does not contain
violence or stupidity, unlike all the programs about supernatural
experiences on TV. Although talent contests are not educational,
at least they are entertaining.

--The Jakarta Post