ABOUT RATING

taken from my other blog, posted in 2007:

AGB Nielsen Media is now in the spotlight. Since 2006, they have been the centre of critics and attention. Several concerned people believes that our nation’s degraded tv shows caused by the audience measurement data of Nielsen’s.
Well, let’s imagine if…Nielsen being banned.
They are no longer operating in Indonesia. Despite our television workers are left without knowing the viewers measurement of their shows, does our television programs itself will then be improved? Any guarantee?
No, call me negative, I believe they will not. There are nothing or no one that can improving the quality of television programs than the people that IS working in the industry itself. Television, like any other media that reflects the culture of its people, is actually the ultimate face of our very own nation. Indonesia is not full by the smarts. The smarts are plenty, but the foolish are a lot more. The people that fortunate enough to watch good television and send their kids to university are not the major citizen in our country. The major numbers are the unemployees, the people without enough nutrition not to mention education.
This people, asking do they know who Ayu Utami or Jiffest, were a waste of time. Even my dear university graduated friend does not know who Ayu Utami is (gubrakkk!). She was majoring in economics, yet she never read the economic reviews on newspapers. Saying that the review is too hard to follow since its written in high academical phrases.
Education and economics development of a nation has tight influences to the social structures, social structure is an agent of culture. Its circulating both ways. This is quoted from Fiske (1987) :
Television as culture is crucial part of the social dynamics by which the social structure maintains itself in a constant process of production and reproduction : meanings, popular pleasure, and their circulation are therefore part and parcel of this social structure.
Well, our own education system that created more and more almost-illiterate ‘scholar’ is actually the one that should be taking the blame of our bad shows.
Since we were in school wearing uniforms, we have been told how much bright the future would be if we choosing major on science rather than social or bahasa. Our education system not encouraging pupils to develop their individual interests and talents.
We were taught to look down at social and bahasa subjects. Back at my high school years, I read YB. Mangunwijaya’s essay published in first pages of Kompas Daily News. ‘It is fundamental,’ he wrote, ‘To open the student mind to be free thinkers than only teaches them how to follow instructions.’
Free thinkers are uncommonly being found in the basic field of xy = y, or something like that (on the exception if they do have hobbies on any forms of art). I think people that learn science usually good in recognizing pattern and implementing logic for solving problems. But people that appreciates arts in any of their sub cultural way, usually good on the creative side. Creativity that leads into innovative mind.
So, it wasn’t such a mystery eh, why we always lack of creativity on nurturing good programs. To me, we did have several interesting original shows; Siapa Berani (indosiar), Selamat Datang Pagi (RCTI), Bajaj Bajuri (TransTV), Boneka Si Unyil (original ones by TVRI), Surat Sahabat (TransTV), Pustaka Anak Nusantara (RCTI), Sahabat Pilihan (the only sinetron I have followed, on RCTI), Keluarga Cemara (RCTI), Dokter TV (now known as starantv), Si Doel (RCTI, indosiar), Menggambar Bersama Pak Tino Sidin (TVRI), Cerdas Cermat (TVRI), Lenong Rumpi (RCTI), Kuis Keluarga Lifebuoy (RCTI), Republik BBM (indosiar) and all quizzes created by Ani Sumadi.
Extravaganza… until I am sure not 'inspired' by some part of Saturday Night Live idea, is next on the list.
But from all those programs above, there are none that had past the test of time. Saturday Night Live has been introduced since the seventy. Even Australia’s soap opera such as Neighbors, are lasted longer to our Si Doel (I first would say Tersanjung, but do you sure you want this to be aired much longer?? Hehehe).
Eddy Damian, a professor at University Padjajaran Law Faculty, says, ‘We cannot depends forever on minerals. Innovation is the key’ (Kompas, 2007).
That, and I am sure there are dozens of writing in the media about how in the capitalism era, human resources will be a nation’s major investment.
Speaking the needs of good human resources, television is no exception. But it is not only good skill and wide knowledge, its about overall quality. For being intelligent without qualified personality tend to be more destructive than the otherwise. Suharto is no doubt a smart man, even with his lack of education compares to Sukarno, he had the ability of fast learner and quite good in understanding overall aspects of an issue. But what happened during his government era, we already know. Or some of us :).
Not that our television is in so much crisis of good human resources. TransTV has proved they could produces a competent television workers only in a short 3 months training. IKJ’s television graduates in Mas Naratama era were gotten enough education to be a good tv creative. But the systems on the management of every tv station… ahhh!
Not only the regulation have failed in providing education system that sharpened the individual ability, it's also have failed in teaching circle of life virtue. How in some ways, our action sooner or later will have its effect toward others.

Nielsen’s audience measurement data only taking part on pointing the taste of viewers. They gives feedback, but decisions only in the hands of our television executives. From the need of feedback in communication, AC Nielsen company was born. Television shows are made to communicates to people. The value of communication itself, as I have learned, is about how the messages being received by the viewer. So there. The philosophy lies there. That if it is not received by the targeted group, than the (communication) strategy is not working. Admits, the popular taste media can be so lack of quality. But also, it is not the main function of television to educates people. It is their main function to entertains people.