Media of Indonesia
The media of Indonesia consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based Web sites.
Media freedom in Indonesia increased considerably after the end of President Suharto's rule, during which the Ministry of Information monitored and controlled domestic media and restricted foreign media. Long suppressed and harassed by the New Order, the Indonesian press is now among the freest and liveliest in Asia. The trend toward somewhat greater pluralism and openness had begun in the late New Order, when the regime allowed the founding of a number of new television and radio stations. Many of the new television stations enjoyed penetration rates of around 70 to 80 percent of the population within a few years. Although the television licenses were all given to various Suharto family members, cronies, and other wealthy conglomerates, competition for advertising revenue and a large potential national audience meant that some of these stations were tempted to push the boundaries, especially regarding the ban on news programs other than those produced by the state-run Television of the Republic of Indonesia (TVRI). These stations were very lucrative, so it became difficult for the regime to punish its own cronies by shutting down a station if it crossed the line by broadcasting independently produced news. Sun Television (SCTV) and Hawk Television Indonesia (RCTI) news programs, in particular, were very popular with viewers across the country as an alternative, albeit still relatively tame, to the stultifying TVRI.
In 2003 the authorities
illegal TV and radio stations
the country. The
licences, or face closure. | reported that more than 2,000
were broadcasting across
government urged them to apply for
- |
The number of printed publications has increased significantly since 1998. There are hundreds of new magazines, newspapers, and tabloids. More than 50 principal daily newspapers are published throughout the archipelago, the majority in Java. Those with the largest readership are Kompas , circulation of 523,000; Suara Merdeka (Semarang), circulation of 200,000; Berita Buana , circulation of 150,000; Pikiran Rakyat (Bandung), circulation of 150,000; and Sinar Indonesia Baru (Medan), also with a circulation of 150,000. The largest English-language dailies, both published in Jakarta with print runs of 40,000, are the Jakarta Post and the Jakarta Globe. As of 2003, newspapers have a penetration rate of 8.6 percent. The principal weekly news magazines are Tempo, which also produces an English-language edition, and Gatra. All of these newspapers and magazines have online editions as well.
Several leading
Kompas can be obtained at
services in several foreign
also use remote digital
distribution problems in remote | Indonesian newspaper such as
digital newspaper printing
countries. Some large newspapers
printing to solve the
areas in Indonesia. |
Television is regulated by the government through the Directorate General of Radio, Television, and Film. Television and radio traditionally have been dominated by government networks, but private commercial channels have been emerging since the introduction of Hawk Television Indonesia in the Jakarta area in 1988. By early in the new century, the improved communications system had brought television signals to every village in the country, and most Indonesians could choose from 11 channels. In addition to the state-owned Television of the Republic of Indonesia (TVRI), there were 10 national private channels in 2009. The best known are Indosiar, RCTI, Sun Television (SCTV), Metro TV, and Trans 7. Some channels have a specific orientation, for instance, Global TV, which initially offered broadcasts from MTV Indonesia, and MNCTV (formerly Indonesian Educational Television, or TPI), which originally carried only educational programming but expanded into quiz programs, sports, reality shows, and other popular entertainment. There also were 54 local television stations in 2009, such as Bali TV in Bali, Jak TV in Jakarta, and Pacific TV in Manado.
Radio, like television, is regulated by the government through the Directorate General of Radio, Television, and Film. There are about 3,000 live radio stations throughout Indonesia, but only a few broadcast nationally. Examples include Jakarta News, Sonara, and Prambors in the nation's capital; JJFM, Radio DJ, and Radio Istra in Surabaya; Swaragama in Yogyakarta; and Global FM Bali in Denpasar. Private radio stations carry their own news bulletins and foreign broadcasters can supply programmes. Radio Republik Indonesia is the state radio network of Indonesia. It has a national news network, as well as regional stations in major cities throughout the country. Voice of Indonesia is its division for overseas broadcasting.
There are now also
in Jakarta and Surabaya,
Broadcasting and Hybrid HD-Radio
Indonesian radio stations that | several digital radio stations
based on Digital Audio
(IBOC). There are also several
stream live on the internet. |
Since the transition to democracy, thousands of new print publications and radio stations have started up across the country, and more television broadcasters, including regional stations, have licenses. The government cannot revoke these publishing and broadcasting licenses based on what the outlets write and say. President Abdurrahman Wahid further weakened the government's ability to control the media when he abolished the Ministry of Information at the outset of his administration. The censorship board for motion pictures remained in existence, however, mainly to police "public morality" (nudity, sexuality) rather than political statements, and President Megawati Sukarnoputri reestablished the Ministry of Information on her ascension to power. In the absence of significant government repression, spurious defamation lawsuits by private individuals have become the principal means of stifling media scrutiny. The most prominent of these cases involved businessman Tomy Winata, who sued Tempo editor-in-chief Bambang Harymurti. Harymurti was convicted and given a one-year prison sentence, which the Supreme Court overturned.
Related Sites for Media of Indonesia
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