TV viewing tastes find unity in diversity

TV viewing tastes find unity in diversity

Bruce Emond
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

For Nov. 30

If it's Palembang and Saturday night then it must be time to head
for the couch, put your feet up and sit back for one of the
variety shows featuring dangdut, the hybrid of Malay, Indian and
Arab music.

Then again, every night is pretty much dangdut night in the
South Sumatran capital: eight of the top 10 shows recorded in the
period July-September of this year featured sultry singers
showing their moves.

It's not the same story for Jakarta, where slices of life
about Betawi (native Jakartan) families continue to hold sway,
with Kecil-kecil Jadi Manten (Young but already married) having
followed on from the success of Rano Karno's long-running Si Doel
Anak Sekolahan.

If anything, the results of Nielsen Media Research's survey of
eight cities in the country -- Greater Jakarta, Medan, Pekanbaru,
Bandung, Semarang, Greater Yogyakarta, Makassar and Denpasar
(monitored since September) -- show that it's hard, if not
downright impossible, to put your finger on a uniform, "national"
TV identity for this country.

Dangdut is a constant success in the ratings -- the percentage
of viewers tuned in to a program at a particular time compared to
the number of households with TVs -- and accounts for six of the
top 10 shows for all segments and all times.

Yet, the true viewing colors come out when it comes to
individual cities.

Bidadari 2, private station RCTI's sacchariney children's
drama of a guardian angel for a hard-done-by young girl (shades
of the U.S. show Touched by an Angel?), ranks third in all
ratings, top for Jakarta, first for kids aged 5-9 and 10-14, as
well as making it into the female 20+ segment.

For the two areas of Central Java monitored, the provincial
capital of Semarang and neighboring Yogyakarta, mystery shows --
either about historical legends (Nyi Roro Kidul) or those taking
celebrities around haunted sites -- made their presence known
among the mostly dangdut offerings.

Mystery shows, along with a couple of soaps, were also the
only variation from the music fare in the East Java capital
Surabaya, but Medan in North Sumatra and Makassar in South
Sulawesi the favorites ran the gamut, from soap operas, films to
special events.

Interestingly, the Miss Indonesia pageant figured in the top
two ratings winners for both cities, and was also the most
popular show among adult female viewers.

For Bandung, two in-depth examinations of the deaths of
students during hazing at the Public Administration Institute
(STPDN) located in the city were standouts among a top 10
comprised of five dangdut shows, two mysteries and one film.

Nielsen Media Research, which announced the results in mid-
November, also measures particular segments, including the
phenomenon that is dangdut singer Inul Daratista.

From her amazing debut earlier this year, when her gyrating
"drilling" dance moves caused a sensation, raised the ire of
former dangdut king Rhoma Irama and made her a popular hero as
the small-town-girl-made-good, Inul has been everywhere on the
airwaves, in music shows "pitting" her against other singers and
her own drama, Kenaapa Harus Inul? (Why Did It Have to Be Inul?).

Still, while she has her loyal fan base, it might be a case of
Inul overload for some viewers, with Nielsen noting that the
ratings for her shows declined during the third quarter.

In other findings, upper bracket (A1) viewers' tastes ran
mainly to films (The Fugitive, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves,
Scream, Armageddon), although they also tuned in for the
retrospective concern of singer Chrisye.

Nielsen Media Research emphasized that its research was a
quantitative measure, and was no reflection of quality. While
most of us would have figured that out, the presence of all those
dangdut show and the ubiquitious Bidadari 2 also indicates that
most of us are seeking an escape from what is going on around us.
And, in that respect, those shows fit the bill.