INDONESIA: Reality TV fuels dreams Fantasies imparted by reality television spur ratings - and dreams of a better life
The Jakarta Post Thursday, July 29, 2005 By Zakki P. Hakim A week before the country hosts a regional meeting on the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty, a survey found that more Indonesians are watching reality TV shows with the hope that their lives can dramatically improve like those on the shows. Nielsen Media Research (NMR) said the highest rated reality TV shows were Uang Kaget and Bedah Rumah, in which guests on the shows receive millions of rupiah and have their houses renovated for free. "More young Indonesians want the chance to appear on such shows. In conclusion, many of them want to improve their lives dramatically," NMR executive director Irawati Pratignyo said on Thursday. Many of those watching such shows and dreaming of a better life are among the 36.1 million people, or 16.4 percent of the population, officially classified as poor. They are also like to be among the 10.3 million people who are unemployed, or 9.9 percent of the workforce. These millions of poor and unemployed Indonesians might not notice that the country is preparing to host an Asia-Pacific ministerial meeting on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Jakarta from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5. Participants at the meeting are expected to discuss strategies to help the region meet the MDGs by 2015, particularly reducing poverty and improving living standards. The NMR survey also found that reality show viewers may also want the chance to shine in life, as their next favorite reality shows are star-search contests. Shows such as Indonesian Idol, Akademi Fantasi Indosiar and Akademi Pelawak TPI give ordinary people the chance to change their lives 180 degrees by becoming singing stars or comedians. Irawati said that in the first half of the year the number of reality shows increased by 53 percent, while the number of viewers went up 10 percent from the same period in 2004. In contrast, the January to June period of this year saw the "dying off" of horror and mystery programs, with viewer numbers dropping by 30 percent and the total number of episodes of such shows down by 37 percent from the same period last year. Nielsen did not explain this new trend, simply saying that horror and mystery shows remained the most popular for TV audiences. In terms of popularity, children's programs and entertainment shows, including reality shows and celebrity gossip programs, followed horror and mystery series. Reality shows apparently provide a glimmer of hope for ordinary people, but most of them will probably never get their big break to appear on these shows. In the meantime, it is the government's job to "produce" the massive reality show of achieving the MDG on poverty reduction. It will not do this by handing out money as on Uang Kaget, but by allocating enough money from the state budget to promote quality growth, extend opportunities for the poor, ensure good governance and invest in social services such as education and health. Date Posted: 7/29/2005 http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=27403 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12h4l4s4g/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705796846:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1122705968/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=GRP&RTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/";>What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
