Viewers waking up to new breakfast TV show
By Bruce Emond
Selamat Datang Pagi (Welcome the Morning); Hosts: Becky Tumewu, Ferdy Hasan; RCTI, 8 a.m. Weekdays
JAKARTA (JP): It's hard to be heard amid the din of dangdut music shows on TV in the early morning hours, but breakfast television is finally making its appearance on local screens.
There is already Dua Jam Saja (Two Hours) on state-run TVRI, with a mix of news, features, guests and a viewer call-in segment. Like most of the network's locally produced shows, it tends to the wooden and formulaic, to the extent that the hosts are left to muddle through when things, inevitably and frequently, do not go according to plan (that said, TVRI's coverage of the Sydney Olympics, for all its bare-bones quality, won hands down for true sports lovers over RCTI's glitzy but blunder-filled programs, buried by incessant commercial breaks, the dubious use of star power and a frustrating lack of focus).
Another foray into breakfast TV Indonesian-style is Selamat Datang Pagi, a new RCTI show hosted by Becky Tumewu and Ferdy Hasan. Its unusual format will come as a surprise to viewers who have grown up with breakfast TV in England and the United States; it's folksy, for sure, but it's not the two-hour gabfests on everything from housewares to hemorrhoids which crowd foreign airwaves.
Instead, Becky and Ferdy are styled as a married couple (in real life both are married to others) who explore a new topic of discussion every day; they range from the mundane, such as fitness for housewives, to more serious social issues of wife beating and the like. Guests, usually identified as their "friends", stop by their "living room" to discuss the topic at length and take calls from viewers.
Shows last week included one on the increase in fuel prices, which was neatly arranged around the storyline of Ferdy running into legislator Irwan Prayitno while out for some morning exercise. Ferdy hurt his leg, was helped home by Irwan and an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, who recounted his plan to sell his vehicle because of the rise in fuel prices. Arguments went back and forth on the reasons for the hike, and Irwan, who appeared a trifle nervous at first, eventually piped up to give the usual spiel on its necessity.
On Wednesday the focus was on the prevalent use of skin whiteners and the dangers of using products which are not approved by the health ministry. A "friend" of Becky's waxed on about an outstanding new product which lightened her skin. Becky proceeded to give her a good talking to on the use of mercury in the lightener, and then called a dermatologist who dropped in to discuss the subject.
It initially seems like a prescription for artificiality and stilted exchanges, but it works, thanks to brilliant packaging over 30 minutes. The segues are neat and seamless, and the phone calls from viewers enliven the show (the uniform excellence of the questions and their often frank quality fuel sneaking, if unproven, suspicions). Much of the credit for the show's attraction must go to Becky, whose background is as a comedic actress and emcee, and Ferdy, a longtime disc jockey and game show host.
Much also depends on the guests, who can help the show run along smoothly despite its live format. Take actress and Body Language expert Minarti Atmanegara, who did not miss a beat when a caller asked if physical exercise improved one's sex life. Head held characteristically high, the 40-something Minarti answered earnestly that it did because people felt better about themselves and their bodies.
Not such a prudent choice was actress-singer Peggy Melati Sukma and comic Jodi for a segment on infidelity. Peggy, whose "talents" remain a mystery to many, usually can be called on to give her five cents' worth (and she cries easily to boot). On this particular morning, however, she sniggered and guffawed her way through a thankfully brief appearance -- but she succeeded in sinking the show.