Will teleserials' glory days last?
Will teleserials' glory days last?
Day or night, there is always an audience for teleserials.
Critics snipe about the shoddy quality and ham acting in the
shows, but there is no disputing their hefty ratings points. In
conjunction with the Festival Sinetron Indonesia 1997 this
Thursday, The Jakarta Post talked to the people behind the
scenes. More stories on Page 2 and Page 11.
By Rita A. Widiadana and Yogita Tahil Ramani
JAKARTA (JP): Many local TV viewers are addicted to a daily
dose of the intriguing twists and turns of local teleserials,
popularly known as sinetron.
Anna, a secretary, loves Pondok Indah, a barely disguised
local takeoff of the American soap, Melrose Place. High school
student Rudy is a faithful fan of Jacky played by teen idol Ari
Wibowo.
They will drop everything for a "fix" of their favorite
series, which offer them a fleeting glimpse into a fantasy world
of beautiful people, sprawling homes, heady love affairs and
terrifying suspense.
"I like watching sinetron to see beautiful actresses like
Tamara (Blezinsky) and Dessy Ratnasari, or handsome boys like Ari
Wibowo and Anjas Asmara," said a teenager.
"They are gorgeous and trendy."
Locally produced teleserials -- encompassing melodramas,
action-thrillers, sitcoms and slapstick comedies -- have come to
dominate the Indonesian TV scene, edging once popular Latin
telenovelas and soapy Indian movies from prime time.
Specific markets are targeted. Low-income audiences have their
own fare of Mat Angin, Si Kabayan, Fatima, and
Tetangga-Tetangga (Neighbors).
State-owned television network TVRI made teleserials in the
1980s, including Siti Nurbaya, the legendary Losmen and Sengsara
Membawa Nikmat (Misery Brings Happiness), but the real boom began
with the coming of private television stations.
Rajawali Citra Televisi (RCTI) began broadcasting in 1989, and
Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV) a year later. They have been joined
by Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI),Andalas Televisi (ANteve)
and Indosiar Visual Mandiri.
One of the broadcasting regulations is that locally produced
shows must comprise at least 70 percent of a network's schedule,
a boon for sinetron producers.
Zoraya Perucha, ANteve corporate communications manager, said
her station needs at least 10 teleserial titles daily to meet the
requirement.
The dawning of private television coincided with a downturn in
the fortunes of the local movie industry, a slump which continues
to this day. Former film workers shifted their talents to
teleserials.
Director Ali Shahab has outlined the potential profitability
of the series. A producer may spend Rp 50 million to make a good
sinetron, but can sell it at double this to a station.
The rewards to be had is not lost on the business community.
Last year, there were no less than 600 production houses, with
only 317 registered firms, focused on teleserials and other
television programs.
A staggering 3,000 teleserials were produced this year.
But critics argue this increase in quantity has not been
matched by a commensurate rise in quality.
This was addressed by some members of the committee for the
1997 Festival Sinetron Indonesia (FSI), to be held at the Jakarta
Hilton Convention Center this Thursday night.
The festival, held annually 1992, has not wavered from its
ambitious goal to keep television productions on track as
creative and entertaining works, and not just as money-spinners.
Committee member Wina Armada listed problems of originality,
themes, diversity and artistic elements in the series.
Some people blame the TV stations for stooping to broadcast
low-quality shows. Zoraya Perucha, also a FSI juror, argued that
most production houses had only a few skilled staff to handle the
making and promotion of TV vehicles.
"There is lack of talent, especially scriptwriters who can
generate fresh, unique concepts and creative ideas to boost both
the TV industry and set the trends," she said.
Sumita Tobing, general manager of SCTV news show Liputan 6,
has underscored the need to upgrade the skills of TV crews.
She felt they should experience behind-the-scenes training,
ranging in scope from artistic to technological skills, from U.S.
TV industry workers.
Zoraya said the available budget also determined the quality
of the series.
A producer needs at least Rp 125 million for a 75-minute made-
for-TV movie. To keep under budget, he may use little-known
actors or newcomers with no acting experience.
"This is also the problem of accommodating good quality within
a half-hour minute teleserial at Rp 40 million per episode," she
said.
Eduard Depari, a communications expert, said many producers
churned out run-of-the-mill stories for surefire ratings success.
The ultimate determinant of a show's appeal is ratings,
determined in Indonesia by Survey Research Indonesia (SRI).
Bimonthly ratings surveys are made based on simple
questionnaires of TV viewing habits submitted to selected
households.
Poor ratings can break a teleserial.
Some charge the pursuit of high ratings points has left no
place for quality teleserials in a market craving simplistic,
feel-good storylines.
Monopolistic and unhealthy business practices are another
problem.
The largest production house, PT Tripar Multivision Plus,
produces 90 percent of all teleserials. Smaller firms must fight
over the rest.
"Most local production houses are placed in a weak bargaining
position when it comes to setting up business contracts with TV
stations," industry observer Rakaryan S. wrote in an article in
the Kompas daily.
The stations, he said, dictate the terms of deals, often
demanding all rights to the productions.
Producers are often left out in the cold when it comes to
profits. This discouraging business situation has left some
pondering whether the glory days of teleserials may be numbered.