The Seasons of Imperfection

The writing below was my paper for Media Studies class taught by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, a prominent figure in Indonesia culture and literature scenes. Since the paper was written in 2005, I had edit and add several things from its original version.

“Which ideology conceals the reality of dominant from those in power.”
“… Support the interest of the dominant groups who socially, politically, economically, and culturally benefits from the economic organization of society.”
( Karl Marx)

As one of the foremost capitalist industry, television religion is money. Money that paid by advertisers. The competition in order to win advertisers has been rough since there are so many nationals, locals, and cables today. While advertisers decide when and where they want to put commercials based from ratings/share reports provide by AC Nielsen Company.
In need to win, private stations in Indonesia compete to airs programs that they predicted will get audience attention. By hold to AGB Nielsen ratings/share reports, programming department does most of their job. They decide the stations character, what programs that will be executed by in-house production, what programs to buy, and the scheduling time.
When critics on television becomes louder, the industry people points Nielsen Company as where the problem source. In my opinion this is not entirely true. Since the ratings/share data are only used by television people to create and schedule shows. The shows were affecting viewers in negative ways because the television people itself that have chose it to be aired. If they do care, the (negative impact) shows wouldn’t have made like that and put on screen.
The industry people themselves that have started seasonal trends in mid 2000s. Examples; reality show trend, teen drama trend, religious drama trend, mystique shows trend. When seasonal trends happening, different channels could be find airing the same type of shows.
The seasonal trends can be caused by:
1. Most Indonesian channels are family television. Except for News channel, MetroTV, most Indonesian television doesn’t have any specialty.
2. The stations and production company where their buying programs from, doesn’t have exclusive agreements. After they are successful selling a hit show, there usually no agreement that the production company cannot sell similar type of show to another stations. Of course, the production companies have used this opportunity as far as they can.
3. Top professional creatives in television industry were not many. Having moved from one station to their new station, the first thing they usually did is implementing their former success in former workplace. Innovation is a word that rarely done in Indonesia television.
Since one successful new program will be followed by many similar imitations, in mid 2000s programs replications dominated Indonesia television industry.
Below are the similarity cases in several categories:

THE SEASONS THAT WILL ALWAYS WORK TO WIN VIEWERS
Indonesia television stated Prime Time schedule from 18.00 to 22.00. On that time great numbers of viewers are predicted in front their television. Which is not entirely true remembering that Jakarta residents are probably still at office or on their way home at six o’clock. People living in Jakarta area hold largest numbers of participants in Nielsen Media Research data.
Though this might be the reason why sinetrons have dominating top ratings/share numbers on Nielsen Media Research. For in mid 2000s, at that time TV7 (now known as Trans7) and StarAntv, had fail attempts winning audience with alternative shows beside sinetrons. Circus and billion rupiah prize quizzes that schedule as alternative of competitors' sinetrons were not working as expected.
From the table below we see that Nielsen Reseach Media also proved larger preference on sinetrons instead of non drama programs.

TOP 50 ALL PROGRAMS – ALL STATIONS
All Demographics 5+, All 9 Cities
Week 0618 ( April 30 – May 6, 2006 )
No Program Name Channel Day Time Program Types TVR Share
1. Impian Cinderella RCTI Monday 18:54-19:57 Series: Drama 9.3 26.4
2. Bintang RCTI Monday 17:58-18:54 Series: Drama 8.9 31.0
3 Mimpi Manis SCTV Saturday 20:03-21:32 Series: Drama 8.9 24.5
4 Suratan Takdir SCTV Friday 19:57-21:26 Series: Drama 8.4 24.0
5. Istri Untuk Suamiku RCTI Monday 18:02-19.00 Series: Drama 8.4 22.4
6. Bintang RCTI Tuesday 21:02-22:06 Series: Drama 8.2 28.1
7. Cincin RCTI Wednesday 18:54-20:01 Series: Drama 8.0 26.0
8 Juragan Jengkol SCTV Thursday 21:02-22:06 Series: Drama 8.0 24.2
9 Iman SCTV Saturday 18:54-20:01 Series: Drama 7.8 23.0
10 Pintu Hidayah RCTI Sunday 19:04-20:03 Series: Drama 7.7 22.5

Even in the countries with long time television history like America, drama programs are dominating top spot on ratings/share reports. While popular daily talk shows like Oprah, Ellen and Larry King Live either aired in the afternoon or late hours.
Indonesian viewers do not have choice than to wait until non-drama programs later aired close midnight. Sports, talk show, feature documentary and music show are usually took schedule at prime time show. In this condition subscribing cable television now becomes major alternatives.
In an era when TV dramas are getting more complex, Indonesia television viewers might remember those late eighties and early nineties dramas (sinetrons) with its blissfully simple story. Young adults growing up in mid eighties had Losmen, Jendela Masa Depan, and Dokter Kartika, as their light late night entertainment. While teenagers growing in mid nineties could acknowledge Keluarga Cemara, Sahabat Pilihan and Si Doel Anak Sekolahan as well made sinetrons with healthier structure if being compares to today sinetrons.
The Indonesian dramas above were not only about ratings, they are also offering a place for simple yet nice to watch sinetrons where quality took place.
Then national TV stations extends while commercials cake stay stagnant. Competition climate becomes tougher, pressure to get top ratings/share becomes demanding and affects Indonesia sinetrons structure today. Worst, it is Indonesian anthropological character to love myths and horror stories. So in order to win audience attention, Indonesian TV dramas aired in between 2005-2006; Kiamat Sudah Dekat and Anakku Bukan Anakku, each had antagonist characters who modified with dark supernatural talents.
In Fiske words, implementation of folk tale and local legends are parts of culture economy in television where social identification plays significant part in articulation and production of meaning. To meet with dominant ideology, an adaptation to audience’s point of view is needed.
Light entertainment inherits many characteristics (and some personnel) from the circus/music-hall tradition, while it may be argued that the police or hospital series inherit some of the characteristics and much of the appeal of the folk tale.
(Fiske & Hartley, 1978: 158)

After long period of Oshin (Japan) and Isabella (Mexico), in the late eighties TVRI finally aired their first miniseries based on Indonesia famous 1920s novel, Siti Nurbaya. The success this miniseries had later followed by the production of 1930s literature classic, Salah Asuhan. Decades after, in 2006, an adaptation of Indonesian folk tale, Bawang Merah Bawang Putih,brought RCTI back to ratings/share first spot while television programs like Extravaganza, TransTV and Tawa Sutra, StarAntv, also including local myth and legends on their script.
Today sinetrons dominated almost every national TV prime time schedule. As the prime time scheduling became more competitive, so does with its story development. Fast plotting pace and illogical dramatization are common factor to be found in Indonesian drama. Tiring suspense, sharp rolling structure, and wide audience are guarantee would stay.

Drama show has its own strength different from non dramas. From watching drama shows, audiences could extend their insight on different life, places, culture, and characters. Like Steven Johnson wrote on his book, Everything Bad Is Good For You; “comedy and television drama recall the cognitive benefits conventionally ascribed to reading : attention, patience, retention, the parsing narrative threads.”

Too bad with that power, Indonesia sinetrons today only be an arena for such narrowcasting.

THE NEVER ENDING SEASONS: INFOTAINMENT
MTV Trax magazine in their Television Edutainment issue wrote:
Therefore infotainment is the only program format that never failed in getting good spot on ratings/share. Outside Indonesia, there are networks that specialize on infotainment. If the soft news are about divorce and adulterous issue, that is fun to know. But sometimes they are also talk about unimportant things like celebrities being spot drunk in the club or just bought a new car.
Let’s see it from certain point of view. For the celebrity, having camera following around while they are through difficult stage of life will be unpleasant. For parents with small children, having their child learning the meaning of divorce in the age so young will be unpleasant. For someone so dissatisfied with their own life and need to see that these famous people also can be in complicated situation, infotainment is their must watched show.
Television points its nation character. In a country with poverty issue and lack of reading interests problem, infotainment could show such intolerance and poor character quality. As seen from its provoking narration and intolerance questions; “Does she has converted to Islam?”; “With so many obstacles in their relationship, will the love survive?”, or; “Is it true that they have been long living separately?”
Contrary from what have been reported, Indonesia was not always a tolerant country in faith diversity. Tension between Muslim and non Muslim were always happens in Indonesia history, conflicts in Poso and Ambon have proven how easy it is to fueled hatred amongst Islam-Christian.
“I had the infotainment idea after seeing how difficult Indonesian stars became a mature entertainer,” says Remy Sutansyah, creator behind Kabar Kabari, first infotainment program in Indonesia.
Well, instead news on celebrity separation and who dating who, it is high time for infotainment to feature the public figure latest work or better, how these celebrities have successfully made through difficult experiences.

THE REALITY SEASON: REALITY SHOW UNREAL
The sub title was taken from a friend thesis proposal.
Due to the programs’ name, reality show shall not be scripted. Because it shall be spontaneous, right? What later will happen are depends on guest stars decision and its unexpected affairs. In the case of reality competition and public figure everyday life reality, how well the stars are able to attract audience.
Competition realities airing live are supposed having planned script. More than only script, competition realities usually needs run down that written precisely. While semi-scripted reality like The Hills and Kimora: Life in the Fabulous Line were quite successful in getting audience attention, national TV in 2005 decided to produce many semi-Oprah realities.
Uang Kaget (Suprising Money), Bedah Rumah (Home Renovation), Nikah Gratis (Free Wedding Reception), and Kena Deh (Got You!), were few titles from the most successful reality category in Indonesia. The concept is rather simple, random people are chosen to win prize the show offers. From providing simple wedding ceremony (Nikah Gratis) to free home furnishing (Bedah Rumah), or giving questions to strangers in the street and get them the hundred IDR prize for each correct answer (Kena Deh!), Indonesian loves easy money they see on TV.
The idea of these realities might be inspired by Oprah Winfrey Shows, from episodes which Oprah provides gifts like free house renovation or look makeover to they who needed, have involving a lot of thankful tears addressed to her generosity. As seen in the beginning of Nikah Gratis, Bedah Rumah, and Uang Kaget, how persons who win prizes always asked to show moving tears. The tears which have brought loyalty to audiences behind AC Nielsen people meter remote. Tears that undoubtedly had bring audiences to the show.
Even though the particular realities have succeeded winning Indonesia audience attention, it also put the poor stars into such degrading scenes for their pride. How their emotional reaction were tape in certain angle in hope to attract audience attention. Hence the production of meaning circulates between how the viewers like this scenes and how as times goes by they will receive these emotional scenes as if it is okay to beg compassion.

THE NEVERENDING SEASONS OF WIN BIG & GET EASY MONEY
Quiz shows articulate with schoold in numbers of ways. McQuail, Blumler, and Brown (1972) have found that viewers from higher socioeconomic groups ( who are likely to be the better educated) use quiz shows to check and test their ‘academic’ knowledge. Viewers from lower socioeconomic groups, however (likely to have had a shorter formal education), use the shows to prove themselves that they are as clever as the contestants, and that their formally assessed academic performance is not a true measure of their ability (Fiske, 1987: 2740).
To one third Indonesians with low income, quiz shows means nothing more than money. Money…attending quiz show is a way to win lots of money. In only one day and without have to do much work, a quiz winner will given many gifts with total worth billion of rupiah. No wonder back in mid 2000s, the billion rupiah quiz shows could be find in every TV stations. RCTI had Who Wants to be Millionaire?, StarAntv had it series of Super Deal quizzes, Indosiar had Kuis Famili 100 (Family Feud)and even MetroTV once had its Gladiator quiz offering one billion rupiah prize.
Sometimes to promote their show, national TV stations providing interactive quizzes with various gifts such as; free tickets, cell phones, electronic stuffs and shopping voucher. The attraction of quiz show comes from the sum of prize the show offers, I don’t pretentiously mean to be a globalization expert by saying this, but in this economy, winning a big money is an inviting temptation.
In Television Culture (1987), Fiske argues that luck plays a vital role in the hegemonic structure of societies that are both competitive and democratic. The structure of such societies is necessarily hierarchical and elitist, they are like a pyramid with the mass of people at the bottom and very few at the top. Yet the dominant ideology insists that everyone has a chance to rise up through the class, economic, and power systems. The social system, not surprisingly, reproduces the educational system in its ideology of equal opportunity for everyone, so that those of natural talent will rise up through the structure. The hegemonic function of luck is not just to minimize the personal sense of failure, but more importantly, to demonstrate that the rewards of the system are, in fact, available to all, regardless to talent, class, gender, race, and so on.
By the articulating system the quiz shows have, many people from all over the country will dream big to be in such a show, so they are able to provide their urgent needs from the prize. This is where the side effects of these ‘win big’ programs lie.

ARTICULATING TV COMMERCIALS
TV commercials as syntagms where particular codes being interpreted by the targeted viewers based on their cultural background and point of view are made for one objective, promoting the products. Since successful commercials are measure from how the product sells after being advertised, commercials in any form are made to plastering images on people’s mind.
May be that is why, most TV commercials used direct invitation in communicating their advertisements. Blatant or direct ways are no strangers in commercials, and it is the function of advertisement promoting products. As told in Kompas CyberMedia, March 23rd, 2003; commercials are mean to plasters a product into people mind.
No wonder even though smoking is bad for health, Indonesians can memorizes many ‘cute’ cigarette commercials. Name A Mild ‘Flood’ commercial which won 2005 Cakram magazine award and the funny Dji Jam Soe’s ‘Gank Ijo’ which made in several version. ‘Gank Ijo’ TV commercial series with its famous ‘basi-basi’ tagline, ‘Ah, gak pa-pa.’, are my favorites from all. Each of ‘Gank Ijo’ version feels so ‘Indonesia’, funny, and entertaining. There also another advertisement that was extremely popular in 2006, Ponds White Beauty commercial. The storytelling begin with line; If love is being tested, what will bring him back?”, dissolve into a girl and a man having fight in a car. The girl angrily gets out from the car. She choose to walk while the man continue to drive. His memory then plays various occassion on the couple dinner date and his birthday. How beautiful his girlfriend was with her glowing white skin. These remembrance make him decides to turn around and pick his girlfriend that has easily forgive him.
In feminist perspective, Ponds White Beauty may invites argument. But in advertising perspective, it was one of a few, small numbers from many Indonesian advertisement that instead choose to do creative plan, rather play with easy content to persuade audience. Major numbers of TV commercials were using celebrity ambassador who say things like; “…get rid mosquito effectively with natural lemon refresher,” or; “Do use Daia non-other than…”
If television shows a nation’s character, than Indonesia TV commercials with such poor creativity in communicating products pointed a nation that prefer anything to be delivers in an easy contemporary ways.

Doing things creatively are no easy, in fact it become more and more difficult to do. What we thought is new probably was already done before. While in the mean time, television medium developments have become beyond expectation with cable TV, Tivo, video on demand, and internet TV. Today consumers are now become harder to get, they have seen too many commercials and may even smarter than the creator behind commercials they see. That is why former publisher of Advertising Age, Joe Pacco has warned advertisers to take concern in putting relevant messages for audiences (Cakram No. 286, 2007: 36-37).
Well, for this point, we Indonesians do not have to worry, having seen how direct persuasion styles had take more bread than decent creativity and original ideas.

NEVERENDING AND UNIVERSAL; SWEET BUT FALSE WORDS
Television plays part not only by its recognition of cultural tensions, but also by the way it is turning away from the literate cultural forms with, which it started, towards alternative, often more effective, forms derived from working class oral culture. (Fiske, 1987: 157)
The common sentences to be heard if we see a television program;
“Good morning viewers, nice to see you in…”, or, “It is time for us to end this lovely talk, see you tomorrow at the same time…,” or, “We will be right back after these following messages.”

Someone who follows television shows religiously would have memorizes many of presenter’s opening and closing sentences for there are always told repeatedly. How this happens?
According to research, people are capable to add 95 % messages and information from the program watch. Even though they only see it once. Three days later they generally memorize 65 % from what they seen.
So okay, being civilized demands politeness. It doesn’t matter you mean it or not, ‘nice to see you’ has become a universal way to greets audience. In the country where Javanese manners are unspoken norm, sweet words are a must. These can also be seen in whenever celebrities show up on TV. Whether it is infotainment, or reality shows, or quiz shows, or talk shows, if an answer being asked to them, similar sentences would come from one celebrity to the other, were there coincidences?
As quoted from Fiske above, television seems not the right place to expect poetic lines since no different from film, pictures is the most important, more than sound.

THE SEASON OF IDIOCRAZY; DUBBING
From animation film Doraemon, children cognitively learns how in Japanese there is cake name Dorayaki, that they have kimono as they traditional dress, and they celebrate little boys day with kites, and little girls day with having doll house and tea party.
From Hollywood teen movie, Indonesians can see the positive value of part time working student. Despite facts that Indonesia is one of the lowest income per capita countries in the world, student that want to be consider as middle class people are mind working before they finish high school.
The positive side of foreign movies and programs are not only in discursive transition of meaning, but to learn English and other languages from TV. Today, the right to enjoy foreign shows without being bother with awkward translations have taken from Indonesia audiences. Dubbing have been introduced a long time ago, but in the middle of 2000s, it becomes more obvious.
Not only this steps have interfering the screen aesthetic, imagine seeing someone talk with completely different lips movement from words we heard, it also has potential effects making audiences become more estranged from other languages than Indonesia.
The rules came after English used in Indonesian young adults today started gain worries and critics. An expert in Bahasa Indonesia blames on the television shows for the dominance on half English-Indonesia speaking teenagers. Bilingual institutions as the result of globalization today have provides the English-Indonesia introduction language.
Speaking of globalization, the world transformation into big homeland across regions and nations, demands multi speaking ability for the next generation who wants to survive their future. But lingual ability needs its own degree of talents. So blaming young generation half-half Indo-English ability on television not seems wise to do.
The source of this problem roots from the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia at school. Where instead of exploring on the exciting parts on literature learning like reading stories, reviewing, performing plays, and writings, teaching curriculum only focus on grammar learning again and again. Results of the poor creativity in lingual teachings are what become Indonesia media and creative industries problems today.

EPILOGUE: TELEVISION ON COMPETITION.
Fiske and Hartley points there are only small numbers of television programs that not sell competition spirits on. Their underlines that competition is the mark of culture where television concept defines audience socio-culture identity.
Strict competition that happens on everyday life, has also happens in national TV strict competition nowadays. Eleven national TV stations and more than dozen local TV plus numerous cable television companies, are reason why television has invite a lot of critics for its poor quality.
It can’t be denied that Indonesia television is no more than some boxing arena in winning audience. Good or bad, people behind television avoid to be blame by saying they don’t have choices since according Nielsen’s ratings/share reports that is what viewers wanted.
We Indonesians always have trouble to see the ground where roots of problem lay; that with limited number of advertisers, most Indonesia national channels are generally family television. There is no specifications, no diverse targeted type which is the key to gain specific audience. Hence make it possible to compete healthily.


*Seasons of Imperfection: inspired by Finding Forrester's Season of Faith Perfection.