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.