TV executives criticize broadcasting bill
JAKARTA (JP): Private television station executives said yesterday that the broadcasting bill currently being deliberated fails to anticipate long-term developments in the electronic media as the bill originally set out to do.
When sharing their ideas with the ruling Golkar faction at the House of Representatives, the TV executives said the bill's drafters need to think of the long term possibilities of television.
"We welcome the future law but have to say that the bill does not anticipate future TV technologies," said Alex Kumara, the deputy director of RCTI.
Contributing their ideas to the bill that will soon be finalized by the House were representatives from the five private TV stations: RCTI, SCTV, ANteve, Indosiar and TPI.
TPI production director Tito Sulistio said that the bill contains too many restrictions and that it could impede private television from growing into an industry.
For instance, he said, the bill appoints the state-run station TVRI to coordinate programs of cooperation between local television stations and foreign broadcasting institutions.
"TVRI won't be able to do this job after its status changes into a corporate," he said.
Tito also questioned an article in the bill which states that every private TV station has to sell its shares on the capital market, with government consent, when it needs fresh money.
"Why does the government make it mandatory for private station owners to go public?" he said.
Tito also questioned the bill's article 12 that bans private television stations from seeking foreign aid. He said the article is still not clear.
"If we borrow money from Citibank in Jakarta, can it be said that we are getting foreign aid?" he said.
Anky Handoko from Indosiar said several of the articles in the bill are vague. For example, the punitive actions that can be implemented for violations of the broadcasting law are not specified. Nor is the article on advertising clear, he said.
"It is like we are playing soccer but we do not know exactly when the referee can give us the yellow or red cards.
"The electronic media involves a lot of money. We must know exactly what we can or cannot do," he said.
Anky also questioned an article which permits state-owned TVRI to air commercials.
"If the government plans to turn TVRI into a commercial media, it would be fine to air ads. But if it is still supposed to carry out the government's mission, the ruling is unnecessary," he said.
At present TVRI is not allowed to air commercials. In return, it gets 12.5 percent of all ad revenues from the private TV stations.
Meanwhile, the United Development Party sought ideas from executives of the Association of Indonesian Private Commercial Radio Stations on the bill.
The association proposed that the central state-run radio station, RRI, no longer monopolize the right to broadcast news.
Currently, the government makes it mandatory for private radio stations to relay RRI's news broadcasts.
"But many radio stations find ways to package the news which turns out to be better (than news relayed from RRI)," said the association's chairman, Purnomo.(01/pan)