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.