Jakarta, IO – The growth of the media and broadcasting industry in Indonesia has shown a positive trend, not only in terms of technological advances but also market share or the number of users accessing media and broadcasting products; this naturally followed demographic developments across the country. A logical consequence is that the media has become a prominent factor of social change in society, in both negative and positive senses. The broadcasting industry is also facing a new competitor or “new force” whose principles and methods clearly diverge if not oppose traditional top-down media and broadcasting. This new power is known as “social media”.
Research conducted by Nugroho et al. (2012) revealed that the media industry in Indonesia has evolved into an oligopolistic hegemony. This can be said to be a kind of “consequence” of its rapidly growth, resulting in an inevitable concentration of media ownership in a few hands. Conglomeration has become a characteristic of media industry development in Indonesia. Ultimately, the public is treated as mere consumers, not citizens who own rights over the media.
The development of a media industry has two implications. First, it leads to a mature and immobile structure, one that jeopardizes the public’s role in participating in or making use of the media. Second, this pattern trivializes the role of citizens in shaping the way the media works.
In short, the recent content of all commercial media channels in Indonesia has begun to look the same. Diversity of information is extinct, with increasing concentration of media ownership – increasingly manipulated by individuals who are also politicians. Thus, media exposure to influential or sensitive political issues tends to be controlled and censored by certain elite groups: these “media masters” control what citizens can see, read or hear. This clearly reveals how the public’s general interests ignored or marginalized, as media moguls hold solid control over the public narrative and what becomes “news”.
Article 28F of the 1945 Constitution states that every Indonesian citizen has the right to communicate and obtain information that will help develop their personal and social environment, and the right to search for, obtain, own, store, process, and convey information, using all types of available channels.
In implementing this constitutional mandate, the House of Representatives and the Government are currently working on a bill that will codify the Second Amendment to Broadcasting Law 32/2002. A few main clauses are formulated in the articles therein, which should serve as a reference and could become a mandate for the newly-elected administration voted into office in the 2024 elections to implement, in the interests of development to achieve justice, prosperity and welfare of the people.
Doctoral Student of the National Resilience Study Program, Gajah Mada University
Public Broadcasting Institutions as Development Capital
What is codified as a “public broadcasting institution” (LPP) or public service broadcasting emerged in the United States (US) and England, around the onset of radio broadcasting in the 1920s. LPP is not an “alternative” or “option” to different forms of broadcasting institution, but rather an original structure of the broadcasting institution itself, before it was transformed and evolved into a global phenomenon. The first LPP established was the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), established as a broadcasting institution to serve the public interest. Many democratic countries around the world, including Indonesia, followed the founding of the BBC.
In the US, National Public Radio (NPR) also emerged. NPR is a network of local public radio broadcasters that has operated since the 1970s, under the special regulations of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. This Act also covers the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Through satellite technology, radio stations that are members of the NPR network distribute quality programming. Network members also conduct dissemination to the public, produce their own programs to ensure locality and compete with private radio. Regarding content management, the NPR model is bottom-up and autonomous, which is considered appropriate for an archipelagic country like Indonesia.
The formation of this public broadcasting institution is rooted in the principles of a democratic state, one which accommodates the empirical and ideal conditions of public diversity from various aspects: basic needs, ethnicity, political aspirations, geography and socio-culture. LPP broadcasts aim to improve people’s quality of life through news and information (transmitting programming that aims to improve society by upgrading viewer information). This mission contrasts with that of commercial broadcasters, who strive to provide attractive, entertaining broadcasts, creating a consumer culture that is relevant to the advertising business. Because of this goal, the legal status, organization structure, funding and human resource standards of the LPP also reflect the democratic, open, voluntary and equal nature of all sectors.
Three important characteristics of LPP in terms of rationale and content include:
- First, geographic universality: In terms of technicality and content, broadcast stations must reach all regions in the country, without exception, and cater to all interests and tastes, including minority groups, through special channels and programs. LPP must be attentive to a country’s national identity and the diversity of its communities.
- Second, LPP builds a culture of competition, based on quality programs, with no influence from viewer/listener quantitative ratings. Although audience numbers still matter, program quality is more important. Rationally, this should create an intelligent audience, because the quality of the programs is not only correlated with external interests but also with audience needs.
- Third, LPP should be independent of interference from a regime in power or from business interests. Broadcast programs as LPP output services must reflect equality. Therefore, the institution must not be subject to any commercial pressure or control by the political regime in power.
Indonesia currently has three public broadcasting institutions: Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI), Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) and the State News Agency (LKBN) ANTARA, all of which have a long history.
A Broadcasting Institution Coordination Council to Accelerate Development
Based on the above explanation, it is deemed necessary to establish an institution whose main task and function is to “guarantee” the continuity of the Public Broadcasting Institution, in carrying out its mandate as stipulated in the Law. Particularly in this case: application and implementation of the principles of public broadcasting institutions include: maintaining unity and unity, public interest, morality and ethics, benefits, security, freedom of expression, creativity, responsibility, neutrality, accessibility, diversity, technological adaptation, partnership, justice, healthy competition, legal certainty, and collaboration.
In addition, there should be an institution that can guarantee that Public Broadcasting Institutions optimally achieve the goals of public broadcasting, as mandated by law, such as: maintaining and strengthening national unity and integrity, maintaining the territorial integrity of the Republic of Indonesia, fostering the character and identity of a nation of faith and piety, enhancing the honor, dignity and image of the nation, developing local wisdom, love, pride, struggle and contributions to the Republic of Indonesia, enlightening the nation’s life, maintaining and developing national culture, increasing awareness, compliance and legal responsibility, improving the quality of democracy, encouraging the active role of society in development, fostering positive and productive community creativity, fulfilling people’s needs for information, knowledge, entertainment, and increasing media literacy skills, increasing the nation’s competitiveness and community welfare, encouraging the ability to understand and adapt broadcasting digitalization technology, broadcasting digital platforms, and/or other broadcasting technology platforms, acceptance and dissemination of broadcast content, in accordance with community needs, increasing supervision of broadcast content, developing broadcasting institutions with integrity and productivity in a healthy broadcasting business climate, by suppressing monopolistic ownership, protecting the health and sustainability of broadcasting institutions, in order to increase their competitiveness in the global broadcasting era, improving the quality of diversity of broadcast content in line with community needs, and developing collaboration in the implementation of a digital broadcasting platform.
To realize the above principles and objectives, the institution that will be formed must be imbued with executive power and standing, thus aligning the interests of public broadcasting with the Government as the main actor of development. Therefore, the institution should be a functional institution that works and acts in its manifestation as an executive representative, that is, an institution within the Presidential organizational structure. It is proposed that the institution be called “Broadcasting Institution Coordination Council for the Acceleration of Development Achievement“.
The council will consist of nine members, who will directly report to the President. Members will be professionals in their fields, including senior journalists, academics and media practitioners with the passion and insight of the nation. Organizational structure would see one chairman of the supervisory board and eight supervisory board members.
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Media and broadcasting industry phenomena in Indonesia expand consistently. On the one hand, such growth can be positive, as it can improve the quality of human resources through information dissemination, to improve the quality of knowledge. However, there is a vulnerability, where information serves as a commercial or propaganda tool which only seeks profit or champions certain interests.
As the main actor of development, the Government has an obligation and responsibility to carry out the mandate of the law. This includes carrying out its mandate regarding broadcasting. One of the main tasks is to ensure that freedom and diversity of information are maintained among the public, according to the principles and objectives set out by law. Therefore, an institution with the main task of harmonizing, to make broadcasting serve as crucial capital for accelerating development must be formed. This institution will work as a representative of the executive leadership, as an actor and a mandate holder in implementing development directions, for the purpose of achieving justice and prosperity for the Indonesian people.