Waves of freedom : radio news agency KBR68H

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Thank you,

to everyone who rolled away the stone

blocking the path to freedom in 1998.

To our friends at Utan Kayu,

for enabling KBR 68H to grow.

Waves of Freedom Radio News Agency KBR 68H Author Cover Design Layout Photos Translator

: Santoso : Jitet Kustana : Yudi Paul M. Nuh : KBR 68H Archives : Ruth MacKenzie

ISBN: 979-97012-8-7

Published by KBR 68H

Table of contents

Table of Contents ...... ............. ... ... .. .... ..... .. ... .... ........ ....... i

Foreword ........ ..... .. ...... .... ...... ..... .. ............. ...................... v

'\ Friend in the Transiti o n toward s Democracy feh/asH/

v

In the Broadcasting Mix, KBR 68H is a Breath o f Fresh Air S. J il1ansan'

IX

Chapter 1. A beginning .. .... ........... ..... .. ... .. .. .. .. ........... ... 1

Chapter 2. Networking ........................... .. ... ................... 9

ot all plain sailing ............................................ ... .. ......................... 16

Growing toge ther ... .. ... .. ...... ...... ....... ........................... .. .... .. .. .. .......... 18

N ot only in Indones ia

20

Frllits oj FreedoJJ1 ................ .................. ..... .............. ...... .... .. ................. 34

Chapter 3. Public radio in spirit ....... ....... ............... ..... 39

Breaking out Billetin Jore ............ .. ... .. ..... ... .. .... .. ............................... 42

Three programme catego rie s

44

ii

Waves of Freedom

J oint programmes

Table of Contents

53

Starved of information, Yahukimo goes hungry

iii

125

A player in global information

54

Asia Calling

55

Chapter 8. Rising above the tsunami .... .. ..... ............ 129

Radio Utan Kayu

58

Building radio stations

131

Distributing transistor radios

13 7

Chapter 4. From dispatch rider to satellite ....... .. .... ... 63

Kflbar Aceh

139

The KBR 68H Logger .. ..... .... ........... ............ ....... .......... ..... ....... ..... . 72

Training

142

- Management Training ...... ......................... .. .... .. .. ... ....... ............... 142

Chapter 5. Training and training .... .......... .... ....... .. ...... 77

- Journalism Training

144

N o shame in learning ...................... .. ...... ......... ..... .......... .............. ... 78

Motivating others to train

79

In house training and internships

83

- Technical Training

145

Martunis

146

Building wells

147

Traini ng in election coverage

84

\,\lhen public services grind to a halt

149

Literature vacuum

86

Chapter 6. The social market.. .... .............. .. ................ 93

Chapter 9.Transformation : from NGO to media

business ... ... .................................................... ...... ... ... 153

Reaching displaced people ............................. ................................. 94

\ Anti violence .......... ............. 96

The formation of a company

154

Learning to sell

156

Policy communication

97

General meetings of sharehold ers

159

111itra Daerah (Regional Partners)

98

Creating a dream

162

Direct general elections

100

\.u spicious tim es

164

Ill iteracy

101

E fficiency

166

Knowing our listeners

168

A step forward

172

Chapter 7. To the ends of the country ..................... 103

Radio Merbau, Bintuni, Irian J aya Barat ..................................... 104

R adio Matoa, Manokwari, Irian Jaya Barat .............. .......... ........ 107

A trip down memory lane .. .......... .. .................... ......... 175

R adio Gelora Ta l'llI/, T ual, Maluku Tenggara ...................... ...... 110

E ni Mulia : It's great being paid juSt to talk .... .................... .... 175

Radio Bincrya, Masohi, Maluku Tengah

114

E ko Sulistyanto : Failed to make the editorial room

Radio Rana, Namlea, Pulau Buru

117

pre sentable

176

Kabar Maltlkll

120

Ade \Vahyudi : Surprised how far . . v. e've come

177

iv

Waves of Freedom

Ging Ginanjar : T uteng and the Rengasd engklok kidnapping ..

179

Epi logue ............ ........................ .. .. .. ....... .... .... ... .. ....... 185

Foreword

A Challenging Transformatio n

Faisal BaslY'

185

A Friend in the T ransition towards Democracy b\' : lchlasul Amal Chair, Pn:ss Counc il

E nsuring that democracy manages to pass through a tran sition period likc this is the biggest challenge of all for refo rm ac ti,-ists and supporters of democracy_The experiences of several countries show that transfor mati o n from an authoritarian po litic al ~ystem

to a democracy invariably mean s going through a period

of deep uncertainty. Unc ertainty over where it is all head ed. Therefore, democratic fo rce s mu s t be consciou s of the irnpo rtanc e o f being o n gua rd again st shifts in directio n, which m a~'

even turn full circle back towards an authoritarian

sy~ ll. m.

One kc\' element in this is the mass media. The media is a pill ar o f democracy. So, in this period of transition, alo ng with o th er elements such as p rofessio nal associations and NGOs, the m edia ha s the functi o n of democracy building. The finan ces, It: ga l en tity, and operations of media busines ses mu st be v

vi

Waves of Freedom

Foreword

vii

independent of the state. This precondition is especially

and operate radio and television statio ns supported financially

important in countries with a history of author itarian corporatism, like Indonesia.

by advertising sales. So, in many cou ntries that adhere to the

In this country, the state has built, organi sed, introduced

public broadcasters to provide information and influence the

licensing, provided funding , subordin ated and controlled all forms of community-based and professional orga ni satio ns

public. Sometimes, the private and public also influence each other

(including media unoffici all y financed and controlled by the

and produce a new media organisation hybrid . KBR 68H is one

governme nt) for the purposes of cooptation, repression and

such hybrid. This radio news agency is public radio in spirit, but

domination, rather than to regulate competition.

principles of democracy, private broadcasters compete with

receives funding from the market. KBR 68H has imbibed a public

However, as we all realise, soc iet y cannot be given an

service ethos into its programmes, but at the. same time has not

unlimite?, uncontrolled degree of au to nomy. While au tonomy

alienated the market. It would be difficult to imagine a radio

is necessary for democracy itsel f, there do need to be li.mi ts. Th ese

news agency like this relying on government funding because

limits are essential to preven't tensions so great that they interfere

legally, to be called public radio and receive government funding,

with the process of democratisation. The hyperactivity, persistent

th ere are certain qualificati ons. So, advertising and sponsorship

confrontation, and social ills such as corruption and bribery that

are the logical choice. The question is, from this market

are more and more becoming a part of society, could generate

perspective how can KBR 68H main tain its public service image?

despondency and apathy. This, in turn, might encourage state

How can it maintain its "Public Radio in Spirit" credo?

interven tion in the form of rules and regulations which have

In terms of its output, apart from journalism based

little to do with meeting the need for the public sector to improve people's welfare.

programmes, KBR 68H also allocates a very large portion to

So, what role should the mass media take in solving this

as Reformasi Hukum dan HAJ\I1 (Legal Reform and Human Rights),

dilemma? The behaviour and activities of people in a modern

Klil1ik Kesehatan (Health Clinic), Obrolal1. Ekonoml (Econ omic

democracy tend to be rooted in information that comes from

Cha t), Bumi Kita (Our Land), and Daerah Bicqra (Regional Voices),

the mass med ia, especially television, newspapers and radio. For

or the programme on education, Gum Kita, and even Salmtek,

years in many democratic countries, television and radio have

which discusses developments in scie nce and techn ology.

been public monopolies, owned by the state and opera ted by the

Programmes like these might be seen as having little commercial

ministry of communica tions or by a n indepe n dent state

yalue, as not having high ratings by market research sta ndards.

corporation. Initiall y, o nly in the United States were most

But KBR 68H survives, and gets listeners. Sometimes sponS'ors,

electronic media mvned and operated by private companies. But

too.

today, almost all democratic countries allow private firms to own

public education programmes. Examples include talk shows such

viii

Foreword

Wave s of Freedom

It would be no exaggeration to say that KBR 68H positions itself as a friend in the transition towards democracy in Indonesia.

ix

In the Broadcasting Mix,

KBR 68H is a Breath of Fresh Air

People get informati o n they need, and have the chance to participate in shaping this critical process of change. If that can

by : S. Sinansari Ecip

be main tained, a media like KBR 68H will be an important asset

\ ' icc Chai r, Indon esi;tll Broadcasrin g Commission

for the advancement of society.

LCCru.rCf at J Iasanuddin Univer sity and rhe U ni"ersir)" of Indonesia

The broadcasting world in Indonesia is in a state of

Yogyakarta, 23 March 2006

uncertainty. Not all radio and TV stations have the broadcasting licences required by Law 32/2002 on broadcasting. \'Iany of them ha,-e only been "licensed" by the loca l gover nment communications agency or monitoring agency, or by the governor. Others are pirate stations, with no licence whatsoever. The absence of clear regulations has been used by both sides, the government and the broadcasters. Governme nt Reg ulatio ns

Seven government regulations in implementation of Law 32/ 2002 were finally produced. Three of them more than a year ago, and four in November 2005. Many of their provlslons contradict the articles and spirit of Law 32/2002. Of course, t}lere was a reaction to these regulations. The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KofJIisi Pe!lj'iarall Indolmia, KPf) imm ediately rejected them. The first three were sub1J1itted to

the Supreme Court for judicial review but, one yea r later, the

court had done nothing but form the panel of judges. In the near future, the KPI will also subniit the other four to the Supreme Court, also for judicial review. The stance taken by the KPI has the backing of Parliamentary Commission I, ciyj] soc iety groups , and individua ls. Th e

x

Foreword

Waves of Freedom

xi

commission wants these government regulations revised before

tbe need for diversity of content and ownership. The powers

they are implemented, whereas the go"ernment wants to

that be and th e authorities in Jakarta mu st not be allowed

implement them and then revise them if there are weaknesses.

monopolise the content and owne r ship of broadcasters.

This political pressure has no juridical implications, so the

1ndonesia is not Jakarta. Likewise, a fair national broadcasting

government continued to implement these regulations. The KPI

S\'stem, as mandated by Law 32/2002, is not guaranteed . The

objected and as a consequence they wer'e nor implemented.

strong remain in power. The powerful Jakarta TV stations install

to

The government seeks to control the broadcasting world,

relay towers all over the place, even though it is the local

which is why it is regulated so strictly. The most important form

communities where these towers are installed that are entitled to

of regulation is th e broadcasting licences issued by the ministry.

use the local frequency. They are allowed to work in cooperation

According to the KPI, Law 32/2002 states that licenses are issued

with big investors but the big investors are not allowed to use

by the KPI. "Administratively, broadcasting lic enses are gran ted

the entire frequency.

by the state through the KPI." (Article 33 clause 5). The state in

Big investors in Jakarta must work with small investors in

thi s case is taken by the government to mean the government.

regions that "have" local frequencies. They must establish

However, Law 32/2002 makes no mention of government

n etworks.

authority to issue broadcasting lic ences. The authority of the

That is more or less what KBR 68H does. Information is

KPI in this matter is defined in article 7, clause 3: "The KPI as

shared with gro up members. The public is strengthened and

an independent state institution shall administer matters to do

empowered. The regions are not Jakarta'S objects but they, like

with broadcasting." Therefore, saying that the state issues licences

Jakarta, are subjects too. More than 400 radio stations in 300

through the KPI means that the KPI issues broadcasting licences.

municipalities/ districts are members of the KBR 68H network.

Basically, the government does not want the Indonesian

More than 2,000 people have received training, and there are

broadcasting industry to have the freedom that the press enjoys

other forms of cooperation, too. There are eight million listeners.

thanks to Law 40/1999. A cabinet meeting when Megawati was

That's impressive progress in the chaos and legal uncertainty of

in power suggested that the broadcasting world "not be liberated"

the Indonesia broadcasting ind ustry today.

like the press. This policy has apparently been perpetuated by the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono governmen t, despite its frequent claims that democratic reforms are continuing, including, of course, reforms in the world of broadcasting.

Society must be protected

Regula tion of bro adcast content is necessary to protect societ~-

from damaging information, such as pornography and

Because of government intervention in the regulation and

yiole nc e. Negative br(ndcasts can affect the mind of the

control of the broadcasting industry, the KPI has lost the

individual. Society has to be protected from unbalanced

opportunity to protect the general public. This protection relates

information, for example reports about a candidate in a political

x ii

Waves of Freedom

Foreword

xiii

process (\Volfga ng H o ffm an-Riem, 1996: 272-280). rn Indo nesia,

info rmatio n need to be consid ered too. I t is not o nl y about the

such co ncern s are ·wid espread . T here is nor eno ugh pro tecti o n.

freed o m to co mmuni ca te, but also abo u t receiving som ethi ng

fr equ ency is commo nly O\vned, and ir mu st be us ed fo r rhe

that bas an intrinsic value to the recipients, en su ring that th ere is

comm.o n good, too. Broadcasting media are no t all owed

to

use

a balance of interes ts.

thcir freyuenci es purely for th eir own commercial inte rests. This mu st be given sp ecial atte ntio n.

Two Co n tro ls

U nlike th e print m edia, the wo rld o f broa dcasting is ahya)'S"

According to Stan L e Roy Wilson ,

to

prevent unc ontrolled

a target fo r regula tio n. This is be cause the prim me di a is o riented

freed o m o f the pre ss and broad casti ng th a t h as a n egative

to o perating acco rding to m arket fo rces, while th e broadcasting

intlu ence o n the public, the re are two main kinds o f control

indu stry is a part of the public sector, \-\' hich requires pro tection

needed: philosophical control and legal co ntrol. Phil osophi cal

and regula tio n . Since the 192 05 in E urop e, gonrnm en ts ha\'e

control o f the media is internal co ntrol o f the me di a, including

~cp a r a t el )'

an understanding of press theo ry and press and broadcas ting

fr o m th e telecommunicati o n s infrastructur e. Th er e are two

ethics . Include d in thi s co nc ep t are th e in te rna l rul es and

reaso ns why thi s regulati o n is n ecessar y, ac co rding to ] anb\"()ski

regulati o ns o f a m edi a in stituti o n. Legal co ntrol refers to the

(1992:23 5). I"i rst, regul ati o n is needed becau se of th e limited

various rule s used

number o f a\'ailable frequ encies. Seco nd , because of the powerful

the broadcas ting indu stry (\X!il so n, 1993: 49-73).

deemed tb at th e broad cas t m edia ne ed to b e regulated

influe nce the broadcas t media has on p eople.

to

limit th e irrespo n sibl e use of fre edom s by

Wolfgang Hoffman-Ri em (1996: 28 1), says that in principle

I n addition, r egula ti o n aims to fa cilit a te acc ess to the

there are two types o f regulation and control. T h e fi rst m odel is

br oa dc as tin g me d ium. With pr o per re gu la ti o n , o bj ec ti ve

called imperative regulati o n. Thi s typ e o f regulation takes the

information ca n be obt ain ed. It also fill s a gap by providing a

form of co nt rol o f conduct (ethical co ntrol o r codes o f co nduct).

medium that o ffer s a va riety o f info rmatio n oriented

Thi s typ e has to do with direct regul ation th rough guidelin es,

to

the public

int eres t (\X!o lfgang H offm an-Riem, 1996: rO -27 1).

reg uircm en ts, prohi bi tio n s, and related matt ers, viola tio n of

Co mp ared w ith o th er media, broa dcasting is seen as a sociall)'

which would attract direct p enalties. ] ': xa mple s includ e sa nction s

accepta ble medium . T he techn ology is such th ar it facil itates free

for nega t ive br o adc as ts contai ning , fo r exampl e, vio len c e,

public access

witchcraft , an d po rnog raph y.

to

broa dcas ts.

Anoth er reason fo r regulating bro adc as ting is visual co ntent .

Th e seco nd typ e is structur al

Co ntrol. In this mo del of regulation, the governm en t es tablish es

In auth o rit aria n and dem ocratic co untries alike, th ere is a need

a structur ed broad cas ti ng fr a m ewo r k tha t h as an indi rec t

fo r app ro priate regulati o n o f th e visual content o f broadc asts.

influ ence over the b roadcas ting industn' and o ther o rgani sa ti on s

B as icall y, c omm u nica to r s h av e the ri g ht

free d o m of

related to the broadc asting secto r. In thi s way, certain stand ard s

co mmunicat io n , but th e ri g hts of the r e c eive r s o f th a t

can be set, including stan dards relating to basic financi al stru cture

to

xiv

Waves of Freedom

Foreword

xv

and types of funding, or special rules can be made concerning

The content of broadcasts also needs to be regula ted in the

the organisation o f the broadcasting industry or the proce dure

form of rules established by the KPI pursuant to the provisions

for establishing and managing the broadcasting industry.

in La\\' 32 / 2002. Violation of the se programme standards may

E ver y media needs rules. Rule s, in principle, are made as guidelines of what is needed, wha t is prohibited, and for how

lead ro a warn ing or even to withdr awa l of the perpetrator's broadcasting licence.

things are done. Rule s regu late a situa ti on for the purpose o f

O n j\Iarch 14, 2006 in Jakarta, a code of journalistic ethic s

security, propriety, efficiency, or appropriateness. According to

\\'as introduced to replace the code of ethics for I ndonesian

the German phi losopher, Immanuel Kant, rules are divided into

journalists established in Bandung in 1999. Th e code also ap plies

two. First, constitutive expression, or r ules that allow human

to

thought and action to make pre-interpretati o ns in certain ways

Council has the final say on breaches of the code, and journalist

about the world, through constitutions, exp lanat ion s, or

orga ni sations and/or th e media company where the jo urnalist

ill ustrations ba sed o n the soc ial rea lity. Generally, these

work s are expe cted to imp ose the necessary sanctio ns.

constituti on s imp licitly require u s to und ersta nd existence, ~ta nd ards

journali sts employed in the broadcasting industry. The Press

La\v 32/2002 d oes it self contain se ctions th at contain

by which things are measured, and relation ships.

warnings on broad cast content. Fines and imprisonment are the

Second, regulative expression. These regulate social behaviour

penalries for contravening these provisions. Unfortun ately, the

within a structure. They generallv set standard s or sanctio n human

polic e have not take n action against TV sta ti o n s that have

acti\city in some way. This type of regulatio n is more formal and

commi tted breach es. The police should not wait for a complaint,

expli cit Games Lull, 2000: 75-76).

but take direct ac tion against the perpetrators. The KPI, in th e near future, will be forwarding complaints from the public to

Indonesian Regulations Indonesia already had the 1997 broadcasting law. But because its co nten t was not in keeping with the general fee ling emerging at that time, it was replaced by Law 32/2002 on broadcasting.

the police, in the hope that th ey will be processed through the courts. Yen' few radio sta ti o ns have committed breaches of the Guidelines for Broadcasters and Programme Standards, so the

Law 32/2002 exp li citly assigns the task of making regulations

KPI does n ot monitor radio stations continually, as it does the

on the co nduct of broadcasters and the content of broadcasts

big TV stations in Jakarta , which are monitore d and reco rded 24

to the K PI, givi ng birth to wha t is known as the Guidelines of

hours a day.

Broadcasters and Programme Standards (P 3-SPS).

Th e media has ver y broad positive and negative imp acts.

The conduct of br oa dcasting station crew need s to be

Th e negative imp acts can be minimised. Duping listeners is a

regulated in a code of ethics (P3). The code sets out what they

form o f violence, as is encou rag in g con sum eris m th rough

are and are not allowed to do.

pnwocatin advertising. Ther e can be mass mobilisatio n of radio

xvi

Foreword

Waves of Freedom

xvii

broadcasts for political purpos es, for example during election

the\" le,1se Clre us ed for th e good, th e int erest, ;"lnd the enj oy ment

campaigning. These are just some examples.

of the public. \\'hcn it come:; to content, K BR 68H trie s

The heterogeneity of radio listeners requires radio station

to

gi,·e listen ers

managers to be prudent, including about the content of their

the ilJ forma tion th ey W;"l nt. The intere sts o f gov ernme nt ph:' no

programmes. Our ethnicities number m ore than 100, with

part. Th e public int erest is foremost. It is tru e

different religions, and a variety of customs and cultures.

601 I is public radi o il1 spirit.

to S;l\'

th a t KER

In prioriti zing il1fo rmCition in radi o bro;"lcicClsls. the basic

Need to be Friendly

principles of journali sm dicta te th
The important role played by media in society has promoted

accura tC, cl ear, bal an ced. tru th ful , and sinc ere. If in for ma ti o n is

a great deal of discussion about what the media should do and

not all that becau se o f goyernment intervention , the K1'1 cannot

how to regulate them . Action has been taken in some countries,

hop e

notably tne United States, including the draftin g of formal laws

br o
LO

prot ec t the public. The better th e qualit\· of r
by legi slators and the establishment of technical standards for broadcasting media. Radio broadcasting associations typically have a code of ethics. Rul es made by memb ers of the industr y itself in the inrerests of the profession are generally selt-enforced. Limits set in the common interest to ensure the quality of its products. There are also the internal rule s of individual radio stations. These only apply internally. The aim is the same, to ensure that listeners are comfortable with the content of broadcasts. In the broader context, Article 28E of the 1945 Constitution, among o thers, recognises th at everyone has the right to fr eedo m of thought (clause 2) and expression (cla use 3). Thi s constitutional guarantee is very valuable for Indone sian society in terms of communicating, especially as Article 28F establishes ev en m ore explicitly, that, "Everyone ha s the right to communicate and have acce ss to information ... " Access to radio broadcasts is guaranteed by the Constitution and, by the same token, radio station managers must ensure that the frequencies

J
1

U

A beginning

tan Kayu, the end of 1998. Not long after the fall of the authori tarian regime, we had

to

rethink our action

options. Afte r being locked in a long, dark tunnel; now

an air of freedom allowed people to choose felt like a luxury

to

to

see alternatives. This chance

some democracy activists, who by

force of circumstance were used

to

exerc ising only one "option",

which was to struggle fo r the fa ll of the regime. That is what it was like fo r the people who got together and were active at U tan Kayu. For more than four years this community had run, for the most part, a clandestine operation to promote the free flow of information. Flouting the censors by publishing magazines without a licence, getting round the need for a publishing licence by producing books rapidly, providing journalistic training for enthu siastic campus reporters, organising discussions and art performances. This community was at the pulse of opposition against the repressive N ew Order regime . People created, took risks, and lived in the Utan Kayu Community to fight for freedom.

2

A Beginning

Waves of Freedom

3

And, when freedom arrived all of a sudden - faster than

rough sketch showing the network we wanted to have when

expected - it was greeted with apprehension. Should we continue the clandestine media operations? Or should we go above ground,

production of news files began. Wie just jumped in with both feet. Working and learning,

in keeping with the spirit of openness? What if the tide turned,

and playing too. With just one clear goal in mind: delive ring to

snatched back this freedom, after we'd surfaced? Memories of

radio stations good

friends imprisoned, abducted, or living in hiding, were still fresh

news products. And

in o ur minds. Would distributing magazines without a publishing

indeed, masses of time

license still be necessar y, now that the licensing institution

and

once an instrument of government con trol - had disappeared

focused on producing

from media vocabulary) These were some of th e topics being

quality radio news. So simple was the plan that we gave no serious thought to

discussed by media activists in the Institute for the Studies on

e nergy

were

For years, radio stations were not allowed to produce their own news.They had to relay news from the government radio station every hour of the day.

Free Flow of Information (ISAI), a key component of the Utan

the name of the organisation that was taking shape. One evening

Kayu Community.

in Kedai Tempo - an outdoor cafe that is the most refreshing

ISAI decided to create a new programme: a radio news

spot in the Utan Kayu Community - I was sitting with our newly

service. \\lith this programme, open cooperation with mainstream

recruited radio reporters. Just six of us. After a long discussion

media could be institutionalised. Radio was chosen because it

about news themes and production issues, we got round to the

was seen as the media sector least able to take up the opportunities

question of a name. What would the organisation that served

offered by this new fr eedom. For years, radio stations had not

the radio stations be called? That name would be mentioned in

been allowed to produce their own news. They we re simply

each piece of news produced as a form of accountability.

required to relay news from the government station almost every

Someone suggested, "Let's just call it 68H." The name 68H came

hour of the day. It is hardly surprising that the capacity of radio

from the address where our small studio was located - Jalan

journalism lagged way behind that of other media. It was natural

Utan Kayu 68H, Jakarta. No one objected or had suggestions

too, that this independent news service from ISAI was warmly

for other names. So, KBR 68H it was. The first news was sent to

welcomed by radio stations. And it transformed into a radio news

radio stations on April 29th, whic h then became the date of

agency - an institution previously unknown in the media world

KBR 68H's anniversary.

in Indonesia.

In Indonesia in 1999, there were around 700 pri\Oa te radio

Pioneered seven years ago this radio news agency, KBR

stations, besides the government-controlled stations. But during

68H, was not conceived of grand ideas. We had no blueprint for

the more than 30 yea rs of authoritarian rule, a mountain of rules

a news office. The initial concept of this news communication

and regulations he ld back the growth of these private radio

mechanism I scrawled on the back of an old envelope. Just a

stations. They were not allowed to produce ne,vs independently.

4

5

A Beginning

Waves of Freedom

In fact, they were o blige d to relay government versions of the

srati()n~ u sed o ur programmes, today more than 430 statio n s relay

news 18 times a day. Radio journalism skills were sorely lacking

tbem. This "cry rapid expan sion is proo f that there is demand

as a result, eve n though in tran sition towards democracy, in a

for KBR 68H prog rammes, ami that m anagers of radio stations

pluralistic so ciety spread over such a huge geographical area,

in Indonesia ha\'e faith in th e qu ali ty of our programmes.

radio can actually playa very important role. That is why we

seycral radio srations in olh er p arts of Southeast ~'\ s i a , too. Radio

decided to get involve d in developing radio journalism, together

sra tions use d to get K BR 68H programmes fre e o f charge , but

building the capacity of this sector, and meeting pe op le 's need

now they afC will ing to pay a fc c to sub sidize the news agency's

for information. Especia lly th os e with limited access

productio n tosrs. See Chapter 2: 1....::fIlJlorkiJlg.

to

/ \.5

do

Financial independence is an important issue th at nee ds to

information. To begin with, KBR 68H produced only short news items

be addressed. It is hard to prove o urseh-es as an ind epe nd ent

(30-60 seconds long), and di stributed th ese to network m embers

and reli a ble ne ws ag enc y unl ess we are also fin a n cia ll y

via the internet. But then as o ur capacities grew, th e programmes

ind e pcndent. Our n ews age nc ;' was started with financial

became more varied. Each day, KBR 68H now produces eight

ass istance from various organisations, such as th e .\Jedia

hours of radio prog ramme s of various kinds. More o n the se

Development Loan Fund, Th e ~ \ sia Foundation, Open Society

programmes can be found in Chapter 3: Public Radio in Spin·t.

In stitut e, Free Voice, and th e Neth erlands E mbassy. Bu t we

Distribution via the in te rnet turned out to be e ffective only

realise only roo well that as sistance o f thi s kind is only tempo rary,

when the programme s were few in number and short in duration.

and that it wi ll come to an end . In the meantime, operati ng

This method proved impractical when K.BR 68H began producing

costs continue to ri se. Our journ alists haw swe lled in number

longer programmes. A 30-minute current affair s package, for

from just six to more than 100, in~lu din g corre sp ondents. Th at's

example, would take network members in Sulawes i and Nusa

not

Ten gg ara eight hours to download . B y th e time it was

affairs, general affairs, and m arketing.

downloaded, the news was too stale for the radio. That's why

TO

menrion staff in other departm ents, such as tedmical

Th e m os t difficult test for us is going to be

to

mantain KBR

KBR 68H started exploring the possibilities o f using satellite.

68H as a public broadcaster, while relying on th e marketp lace

'IIie learned to improve on th e technology we used, an d the ways

CO\'er our op erating costs.

ou r rep orters worked. More about technology is discu ssed in

n;\'c nuc comes from collabora tin: prog rammes with various

Chapter 4: From Di.rpatc!1 Rider to Saje/lite.

organisations. See Chapter 6: TlJe

Still learning, and getting better, KBR 68H staff were driven

to

At prese nt, mo st of KBR 68H 's Jo~~a/

:VItJI"kt-1.

Be sid es concentrat i ng on producing gualit y r ad io

This commitmen t was reflected in the

prog rammes, KB R 6R II also ca res about develo ping th e skills

Improvement in prog ramm e quality, which sparked a po sitive

of radio journ aljsts in i ndon esia. \X'ilh this in mind , we run

res ponse from net\"ork m embers. If to start with only 7 radio

training programmes aDd have publish ed books on broadcasting.

to move forw ard.

6

A Beginning

Waves of Freedom

7

See Chapter 5: Training and Frainillg. These fill a fairly larg e

towards open democracy. KBR 68H is their frie nd, a part of the

vacuum in human resource development in radio journalism.

transition towards a better Indonesia. f. v"ry day, more than 8

KBR 68H also cares about opening access to information in

million listeners rune into KBR 68H broadcasts. Most are waiting

remote areas. \'{!ith support from various quarters, we have set

for newS.

up radio stations in places even the government never thought of going. Sec Chapter 7: To the Ends

0/

1/;1: COlfll/I]"

And on its journey, KBR 68H has been witness

to

many

incidents in thi s country, including disa~ters. The earthquake and tsunami drew KBR 68H into activities in r\ceh, from reconstructing radio stations left in ruins and distributing radios to the local people, to building \\"c1ls with m o ney don ated by listeners. T he year following the tsunami was for us a time of closeness

to

Aceh. See Chapter 8: Rising Above the TstII1tIJ11i.

Although KBR 6811 ha s been busy sourcing financial support from the market, our public radio spiri t has not been allowed to falter. See Chapter 9: TmnsjorllJa/i()l1: From N CO to Media Bmimss. We are oriented to se rving the public; that is not negotiable. When there were no media a ble to serve the two religious communities engaged in conflict in Maluku, KBR 68H was there, working with radio s tations in both Muslim and Christian strongholds. We were a source of information that both sides li stened to. l\nd, independence is just one of our pillars. We exisr in a society that is moving towards democracy, towards a society that has greater respect for human rights, and that is tolerant of difference s. So, KBR 68H also takes on the task of promoting respect for human rights, pluralism, and peacefu l resolution of conflicts. Today, KBR 68H programmes are broadcast to lis teners from Sabang to .\ [erauke. They are a part of the changing Indonesian society, one shifting from the repression of au thoritarian rule

Edit0l7a/ staff

plalllling

lIeJJ'S

topics

2

A

Networking

lctter from Jambi. From the new breakaway district, Tanjung Jabung Timur, which had very poor access to ·nformation. The sender of the letter was a transmigrant

hailing from East Java, who took the initiative to set up a private

radio station there. He wanted the station to grow and to become a member of the KBR 68H net\vork so that the local people would have access to the latest information. He wrote: "Basically what I want is a way of keeping the station I set up alive in Tanjung Jabung Timur, where people thirst for information." Two days after that letter arrived in Jakarta, radio listeners in Tanjung Jabung Timur were listening to programmes from KBR 68H. Another time, a request for cooperation arrived bye-mail. The sender was the manager of a community radio station on Derawan Island in East Kalimantan, who was involved in nature consen-ation on the tourist island. He wrote: "Some time ago, we sent a letter to 68H, asking about the possibility entering into a broadcasting partnership. Would it still be possible to KBR 68J J J1ftJriqllar/lrs, at .fa/all N!l''' 68H

'bal flll'lolIJ{Jrp/}(md iI/to {/lr DtJlI

9

10

Networking

Waves of Freedom

11

fo llow up on that plan?" We replied by mail, saying that of course

country.to the other, from Sabang to Merauke, from Kupang to

it would be no problem. We 'd be happy

Manado. In all of Indonesia 's major cities, there are radio stations

to

oblige.

On yet another occasion, a short text message came from a friend. He wrote: "There is a reall,' dynamic small radio station in Flores. It's called R Cllf,:n

}{;'l i ll ii "S

F.Y!' They want to join the

that are part of the KBR 68H network. The KB R 68H network is used not only to spread news from Jakarta

to

the regions; it is also an effective medium of exchange

KBR 68H network." He immediately texted the contact address

b etween r egions. News

of the radio station. And, in no time a t all, we had contacted the

produced by Radio DMS

manager of the radio station

explain about KBR 68H

Am b on,

fo r

example,

programmes, how the partnerships worked, and so on. Usually,

th roug h

the

K BR68H

to

in less than a week, we have signed a partnership agreement.

The KBR 68H network facilitates the flow of information between communities. Strengthens Indonesianness.

network can be heard by

So the KB R 68H network grew, and reached out towards the

lis teners in Aceh, Jombang and Kendari. And likewise, radio

far flung corners of the archipelago. If to begin with expanding

listeners in Ambon can get information from other regions. In

the network was more a case of us seeking out members, now it

short, the KB R 68H network fac ilitates the flow of information

i~

between communities. Strengthens Indonesianness.

a Q.,vo-way thing. Sometimes we receive requests to join the

network from radio stations that we've never even heard of. Like the ones in Jambi, East Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara.

This is possible thanks to the participation of network radio reporters. If at the end of 1999, only 11 or so network members

The KBR 68H network has grown rapidly since we started

were regularly contributing news items, by the beginning of 2006

distributing information by satellite. At the end of 1999, only

around 120 were doing so. These include reporters from Banda

around 130 radio stations were using KBR 68H products sent

Acch, Meulaboh, Medan, Pekanbaru , Palembang, Sumedang,

via the internet (50 in direct partnership and 80 thro~gh a private

Bandung, Cianjur, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Solo, Surabaya,Jember,

broadcasters' syndica te in West Java). But since we started using

Singaraja, Makassar, Pontianak, Samarinda, T arakan, Manado,

satellite, more and more private and community radio stations

Palu, Paso, Ambon, Ternate, Jayapura, \'Vamena, Mataram, and

han.: been interested in entering into direct partnerships. At the

Kupang. The emergence of these new reporters, among other

end of December 2000, the network had almost 200 members,

factors, has been promoted by the radio journalism training

and 114 of these were receiving programme, via satellite. The

sessions he ld in severa l regions, as well as by the incentives and

remaining 80 or so were accessing KBR 68H news via the

good work systems of the KBR 68H network.

in ternet.

This grO\;vth is not on ly quantitative, either. There have been

Today, there are 430 radio stations in the KBR 68H network,

unforeseen improvements in quality, too. For example, there are

spread across more than 320 districts and municipalities in 33

state radio (RRJ) stations that have joined the KBR 68H network.

provinces. These rad io stations stretch from one end of the

In the past, private radio stations had to relay RRI news. But

-

Waves of Freedom

12

Networking

13

now the opposite is the case, and RRl stations are allowed to

means that the number of listeners keeps growing, too; and that

relay news from private news agencies like KBR 68H. Also, there

is exactly what we hoped for when this news agency was set up.

are radio stations owned by regional governments that have

And the expansion will continue to the point where every

become members of the KBR 68H network. These include RPD

district has a KBR 68H network radio station. This goal is made

Soe in Timor; RPD Elide and RPD M(llIggarai in Flores; RPD

all the more challenging by the emergence of new districts. In

SUlJlba/pC/.., and Radio Sin/en/lie I·'oice in Simeulue di strict, Aceh.

2004, we posted advertisements in several provinces, inviting

These. government radio stations are important for spreading

radio stations in districts where we had no partners to join us.

information, because often they are the only radio station in the

These advertisements, for instance, were placed in local

area.

newspapers in provinces such as Aceh, North Sulawesi,

Is a national scale network like this not a recons truction of

Gorontalo, and East Nusa Tenggara. While in 1999 there were

the centralistic government radio station that existed during the

only 133 districts and municipalities in Indone sia, in 2006 there

time of the Ne\v Order? This is a question that often both ered

are more than 440. This expansion seems

us. Although KBR 68H was never intended to be centralistic, it

as a way of addressing the demands of previously neglected

nonetheless has the potential to be so. For this rea so n, KBR

regions. So the number of provinces and districts will keep

68H began making contracts with network radio sta tions on a

growing. And so will the KBR 68H network.

voluntary basis. If both sides feel the y stand to benefit, the contract can go ahead. If o ne side feels they are being forced into partnership, it certainly won 't last for long. There are at least three advantages for the network stations: 1) They get good news programmes, which if they produced themselves would be very costly. 2) They have the opportunity to broadcast their coverage

to

the four corners of Indonesia.

The contributions of the se corre spon dents are also vital to preventing KBR 68H from becoming Jakarta-centric. They receive payment for news that is broadcast. 3) If advertisements are aired during a programme or outside the KBR 68H package, the radio gets a share of the fees. Network members are also able to make the best use of KBR 68B as their marketing representative in Jakarta. \\"ith thi s kind of partnership scheme, the number of KBR 68H network members keeps growing; which

to

be becoming a trend,

Cl

c :.;;::

Ql

~ Z

",..

. •

•

., , 1of

&

I)

~

1\ •

.. • •

,.

•

'OJ

'"

'"

\::" -...;: .~

}C

...::;,

~

-::;" "'c

0:::

"C

~., ~

....

16

Networking

Waves of Freedom

tolerance is one of the functions o f the media. So, that day, we

Not all plain sailing backgrounds - from Islamic boarding school statio ns to church

had no choice but to lose a network m ember. Unfortunatc:l\', thi s was to happen again. In 2005, after the

stations, from community radio

commercial r adio - is

Indone :,- ian Li lamas Council issued a fatwah oudawing secularism,

obviously not without problems. One day I received a phone

liberalism an d pluralism, pre ssure on a group of young Mu slim

call from the owner of a radio station, a KBR 68H network

actiyi s ts , Jaringan I slam

member in Lampu ng. In shrill tones he demanded to know why

Liberal UIL) , in te nsified.

KBR 68H had aired a public service advertisement that he fel t

Some of the residents in the

would offend IVfuslims in his city. I had no idea as to the basis of

yicinity of U tan Kayu voiced

his claims. Bur I sympathised with hi s concerns, and tried to

their oppositio n to JIL, which share s office space with KBR 68H .

understand.

They also demanded that we sto p bro adca st ing our re gular

Building a network of members wit h such di verse

' .

17

to

We believe that promoting tolerance is one of the functions of the media.

After talking for some time, I realised that the

Thursday slot, "Religion and Tolerance'.'. We invited members

advertisement he was talking about was a KBR 68H production.

of the local community to discus s the problem, and they came

The advertisement was made without any advertising

to

sponsorship. \Y/e were just concerned th at listeners be more

was no need to stop airing it. We even invited the pro testors to

tolerant of religions o ther than their own. The advertisement used sounds associated with particular religio ns. For example,

come and talk at KBR 68H. The tension with the residents eased, although there are

the sound of Hindu s praying, the sound of the bedttg - the drum

still some who want JIL out. As the b anners that sub se guently

used to call Muslims to prayer - and the sound of church bells.

appeared in the vicinity of the KBR 68H office testified. This

The problem for him was: why did the church bells drown out

contro,-ersy received wide medi a coverage. Some n etwor k

the sound of the bedttg? That was blasphemous. Hey, that hadn't

members grew anxiou s. One memb er in Jakarta decid ed to

even crossed our minds. The sounds were made to overlap, just

withdraw from the KBR 68H network, because it did not want

for artistic effect. It sounded good.

to be asso ciated with JIL. We could do nothing to prevent it. We

understand what this programme was ab out and why there

But even when I explained all this, the caller didn't want

were sad to los e a netwo rk memb er. Bu t we were relieved to

to know. He said that his radio station would gui t the KBR 68H

ha\'e got thro ugh th e crisis without compromising our ba sic

network th at very day if the advert was not wi th drawn. I told that the advert had been well received by li steners in Ambon

principles. .\nd the loss of network members has not o nl y bee n due to

whe n it was still being battered by religious conflict. So, we would

the sensitive content of broadcasts, such as religion. On another

be disinclined to withdraw the advert. We believe that promoting

occasion, a KBR 68H network member in Central Java guit

~im

becau se we aired an advert tha t was "anti-militarism". This

18

Networking

Waves of Freedom

19

advertisement was sensitive because it was aired in the run up to

marketing. For eyer), advertisement or sponsored programme

the 2004 presidential elections. A radio station in Cilacap was

aired, KBR 68H shares with the network an amount decided by

the target of protests by supporters of Susilo Bambang

the client. Not all members automatically get a share, it depends

Yudhoyono, and eventually withdre\v from the KBR 68H

on what the client wants too. Billions of rupiah are distributed

network. Although we sent a letter exp laining that KBR 68H

to network members each year; the proceeds from joint

was responsible for the advertisement, the protestors continued

programme marketing. In return, KBR 68H network members care deeply about

to target the local radio station. Network broadcasting, it turns Out,

means sharing responsibility. But the saddest of all was the bad news we got from our

the fate of their hub. Because the y feel that they own the network, they

toO

get concerned if they don't hear enough advertisements

network member in Masohi, Central Maluku, on New Year's Day,

in their programmes. That's why not many KBR 68H network

1 January 2000. In the early hours of the morning, Radio DMS

members minded when the y had to start paying monthly

was burned to the ground by a mob. A victim of the religious

subscriptions. Network members realise that to produce news,

conflict there. All the station's equipment was consumed by the

KBR 68H requires substantial financial suppor t. We introduced

flames. Even the building. Only the people were able to save

the system of subscriptions in early 2005, and got po sitive

themselves. The hopes of maintaining plurality at the radio station were blown away by mob violence. Radio DMS staff had to watch

support from the network members. Now in its seventh year, KBR 68H continues to work to

their own backs, and were segregated as a community split along

improve its services to network members. One facility introduced

religious lines.

this year is a soft loan scheme. These loans are given to stations

I t took a few years to rebuild the station in Masohi. The new

that need capital to improve their performance. There are, of

station . is called Rtldio Binqya, after a famous mountain that the

course, procedures and criteria for obtaining a lo an. We hope

people of Central :Lvfaluku take their bearings from . Hopefully,

that this ~upport will provide an alternative so lution to the

Radio Bil10ya will be able to help orient its listeners, to prevent a

problem that small local radio stations have getting bank loans.

recurrence of the violence in the name of religion that once

We truSt the recipients to repay their loans on time, because this

des troyed it.

will give other stations in the network the chance to get loans, too.

Growing together Unlike other groups that build radio networks based on shared ownership, KBR 68H has no desire to meddle in the ownership of the net\vork stations. KBR 68H is basically a joint broadcasting network. But this has since also developed into joint

This small revolving loan fund for the media could be an unprecedented breakthrough in Indonesia, maybe even in Asia.

20

Networking

Wa ves of Freedom

Not only in Indonesia

21

from Radio BeeIJive. Fo r eight h ours a day, the y meet up with

The KBR 68H netwo rk quickly expanded overseas, too. With our new dream of asserting the news agenc y's position as a

listeners through another radio station. The year 2006 began with terrible bl ow for our colleagues

began looking

in Cambodia. The Hun Sen government cracked down o n the

for partner sta ti o ns in As ia. One way we did this was through a

opposition, an d arrested CC HR's president, Kern Sokha, and the

weekly English lan guage

director of VOD, Pa N guo n Teang. Fortu natel y, pressure from

relia ble source o f radio ne\vs in Asia, in 2004

news Calling.

pr og r amm e, T oday,

Asia rhis

programm e is aired in E ast

\ YC

Today in Indo nesia, we don't just listen to foreign broadcasts. We contribute to the global information row.

within Cambodia a nd from th e internati o nal co mmunity persuaded Hun Sen to change his mind. These democrac y and human right ac tivi sts were freed about two weeks after being

Tim or, Cambodia, and the Philippines. As well as being broadca st

flung in jail. This means our fri ends have been able

in English, the program me is also transla ted into local la nguages

developing V OD broadcas ts , including Asia Calling. We are proud

in Cambodia an d th e Philippines. In the near future, A sia Callil({l,

to

sho uld be broa dcast in l\.fghanis tan , Pakista n and Th ail an d. Foreign media confidence in KBR 68H news is growing. KBR 68H now contributes to New York's Democracy' programme, and to

to

N OiJ)

radio

KPF/I in San Francisco. These are in addition

series of KBR 68H programmes used in the past by foreign

radio stations, includ ing Radio Nederlalld, Deutsche [Velie, VOA and SBS, Austr alia. This gr ow th shows th at, give n en o ugh freedom, Indonesians can be active players, not just consumers, in the globa l flow of info rmation. Today in Ind o nesia, we don't just li sten to fo reign broadcas ts. \'\ie contribute to the globa l infor ma tion fl ow. O ur m os t inten sive overseas collaboration is wi th T'oice oj

Democracy in Camb odia. This orga nisatio n was similar

to

KBR

68H when it sta rted ou t. Set up as a human rights NGO called

CCJIR, Voice oj Dell/ocl'aCY' gre\v rapidly thanks to the p ositive public resp onse to its programmes. VOD still doesn't have its own radio statio n because the gO\·ernrrient is reluctant to grant' thcm a frequenc y. At the moment they are still leasing airtime

to

continue

have a network o f friends that extends all the way to Cambodia.

-22

NANGGROE ACEH DARUSSALAM Freauency Radio Station 101 .30 FM Dalka FM 107.6 FM Matahari Fatali FM 101 FM Seha (Seunang Hatee) 107.8 FM 101 FM Rapeja 105.60 FM Megaphone 98.1 FM AS FM 88.9 FM SIT FM Tasfa FM 95 .60 FM 104 FM Citra Pesona 104.8 FM Xtra FM 104 FM, 810AM Amanda Rasisonia DB 99 FM 99 FM Nakata 900 AM 98.4 FM Getsu 105.10 FM Andy1a FM 1368AM Sonya Manis 106.10 FM Gipsi FM Nara FM 103.3 FM Pro FM 99.9 FM Simeulue Voice 97.9 FM Smong 98.7 FM Vina Vira 101 .10 FM 103.50 FM Adyemaja 104.40 FM Prima Tanwir 107.6 FM 106 FM Nikoya

Meulaboh, West Aceh Meulaboh, West Aceh Blangpidie, Southwest Aceh Jantho, Aceh Besar Lamno, Aceh Jaya Sigli, Aceh Pidie Sigli, Aceh Pidie Tapaktuan, South Aceh Kluet Utara, South Aceh Subulussalam, Aceh Singkil Gunung Meriah, Aceh Singkil Takengon, Central Aceh Kutacane, Southeast Aceh Lhoksukon, North Aceh Bireuen Matangglumpang Dua, Bireuen Bireuen Langsa Nagan Raya Sabang Sinabang, Simeuleu Sinabang, Simeuleu Lhokseumawe Lhokseumawe Banda Aceh Banda Aceh Banda Aceh

NORTH SUMATRA Radio Station Kisaran Suara Seruni Alpalah Ropades FM RSPD Asahan Barisan Nauli Tuah Suara Murni Q FM Belmera RBK FM PAS FM Carana FM SBB MASS

City Kisaran, Asahan Tanjung Balai, Asahan Indrapura, Asahan . Kisaran, Asahan' Sidikalang, Dairi Lubuk Pakam, Deli Serdang Patumbak, Deli Serdang Tanjung Morawa, Deli Serdang Kabanjahe, Karo Rantau Prapat, Labuhan Batu Pangkalan Berandan, Langkat Pangkalan Berandan,Langkat Panyabungan, Mandailing Natal

citY

!

'I

No. 28 29 30 31 I 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

23

Waves of Freedom

KBR 68H NETWORK MEMBERS

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Networking

Freauency 100.10 FM 1314 AM 105.30 FM 90.2 FM 1224 AM 945 AM 90 FM 91.20 FM 9905 FM 102.4 FM 100.30 FM 102 FM 101 FM

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 'in

Aldino I-'erkasa Nias Mitradharma Soara Pusuk Buhit Yudha FM Sonya FM Pasopati RAU FM Citra Parapat Boss FM Suara Sibolga

-- ,T SUMATRA No. Radio staUon 51 Dharma 52 Harau Megantara Angkasa 53 Ohara 54 Pasaman FM

55 Mandala

56 SKA

57 Citra

58 OK FM

59 Carano

60 Lita

61 Jelita

62 Jam Gadang

63 Suara Subuh

64 Padang FM

65 Boos

66 Dian FM

67 Bahana

68 Gita Cendana FM

69 Ariel

70 Gapilar Rasisonia

No. 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

RIAU Radio Kilas Nara Jingga Swara Prima Andalas BBC Putra Buana Perawang Star Malaka Q FM Gress Soreram

103.35 FM 94.90 FM 94 FM 98.70 FM 10660 FM 8920 FM 105 FM 104.4 FM 102.8 FM 1013 FM

Panyabungan:l'Vfandailing Natal Gunung Sitoli, Nias Samosir, Toba Samosir Binjai, Binjai Medan Medan Padang Sidempuan Parapat Pematang Siantar Sibolga

City Frequency 98.7 FM Gunung Medan, Dharmasraya 10060 FM Harau, Lima Puluh Kota 88.8 FM Pariaman 1019 FM Pasaman Barat 97.9 FM Painan, Pesisir Selatan 103.6 FM Sawah Lunto - Sijunjung 96.20 FM Koto Baru, Solok 94 .6 FM Alahan Panjang, Solok 95 FM Batu Sangkar, Tanah Datar 95.60 FM Bukittinggi 103.9 FM Bukittinggi 102.3 FM Bukittinggi 94.30 FM Padang 102.60 FM Padang 104.2 FM Padang 97.8 FM Padang Panjang 100.2 FM Padang Panjang 106.1 FM Padang Panjang Timur 105.70 FM Payakumbuh 97FM Solok

Frequency 100 .5 FM 104.7 FM 100.6 FM 1044 AM 1046 FM 107.20 FM 93 FM 100.30 FM 105.80 FM 95.1 FM, ~044 AM

City Tembilahan, Indragiri Hilir Rengat, Indragiri Hulu Bangkinang, Kampar Bagan Batu , Rokan Hilir Perawang, Siak Dumai Dumai Bengkalis, Duri Pekanbaru Pekanbaru

I

24

Waves of Freedom

RIAU ISLANDS

-No Radio

81 Gema Bentara 82 Kei FM 83 Iguana FM

uana

Frequency 107 FM Batam 102.30 FM Batam 88.60 FM Tanjung Pinang

CitY 104.4 FM 98.5 FM 1062 AM 103.4 FM 98.65 FM 103.4 FM

JAMBI

No. Radio 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95

BHP Irma Nada KGS Suara Merangin RSPD Sarolangun Prima Angkasa Kelapa Indah RSPD Kuala Tungkal Suara Tanjung Jabung TImur Idola Dira FM Manggis -

Frequency 648/WJ 97.5 FM 1305AM 100.8 FM 864 AM 102.5 FM 837/WJ 104.10 FM 99.8 FM, SW 97.6 FM 103.70 FM 104.30 FM 96 FM

citY Muara Bulian, Batanghari Muara Bungo Sungai Penuh, Kennei Bangko, Merangin Sarolangun Sarolangun Kuala Tungkal, WestTanjung Jabung Kuala Tungkal. WestTanjung Jabung Dendang, East Tanjung Jabung Rimbo Bujang, Tebo Jambi Jambi

96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104

Artha Nusa Indah Setiawana Nadanusa Gita Buana Suara SK FM Rapindo Utama Namora Delta Flamboyan

eItang, Ogan Komering Ulu Timur Lubuk Linggau, Musi Rawas Pagar Alam, Pagar Alam Pagar Jaya, Pagar Alam Plaju, Palembang Palembang Watervang, Lubuk Linggau Lubuk Linggau

BANGKA BELITUNG

No. Radio 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132

Debar FM AKS Duta Citra FM Dideva Ozone DMP Fame

City

Frequency 100 FM 102.5 FM 101.3 FM 102.5 FM 103.8 FM 103.1 FM 101.2 FM 101.9 FM

Belinyu, Bangka Muntok, West Bangka Muntok, West Bangka Toboali , South Bangka Koba , Central B,angka Manggar, West Belitung Tanjung Pandan, Belitung Pangkalpinang

Frequency 104.50 FM 765 AM 100.7 FM 666 AM 102.3 FM 107 .1 FM 89.9 FM 102.7 FM 99.2 FM 103.90 FM 92.10 FM

City Liwa , West Lampung Kalianda, South Lampung Kalianda, South Lampung Bandar Jaya, Central Lampung Sukadana, West Lampung Citybumi, North Lampung Dayamumi , Tulang Bawang Bandar Lampung Bandar Lampung Rawasari, Metro Rawasari , Metro

LAMPUNG -

BENGKULU

No. Radio

25

Networking

No. Radio FrequencY 103.70 FM 1098 AM 97.2 FM 1152 AM 104.7 FM 101.2 FM 1188 AM 99.3 FM 105.9 FM

Manna, South Bengkulu Manna, South Bengkulu Arga Makmur. North Bengkulu Ipuh, Mukomuko Curup, Rejang Lebong Kepahiang Curup. Rejang Lebong Tais, Seluma Bengkulu

Frequencv 100.55 FM 756 AM 846AM 10590 FM 1026 AM 1521 AM 106.1 FM 1116 AM 97.9 FM 98.7 FM 774 AM 1013 FM

City Pangkalan Balai, Banyuasin Lahat Tebing Tinggi, Lahat Tanjung Enim, Muara Enim Tanah Abang, Muara Enim Sekayu, Musi Banyu Asin Simpang Periukv Lubuk Linggau Prabumulih Prabumulih Prabumulih Timur, Prabumulih Lempuing, Ogan Komering "ir Belitang, Ogan Komering Ulu

City

133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143

Mahameru Dian Rajabasa Prima FM Denbang Pramudya Mas Mandiri Maskara Andalas Rasubha Kartika Suara Seruni Bikarama

SOUTH SUMATRA

No: Radio 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116

SIP FM Rajapaksi Lolita Suara Agita BukitAsam FM EN J Musi Citra Atlas Dian Bahagia Sentosa ADBC Penlas FM Mitra Jaya Vania FM

JAKARTA

No. Radio 144 Ulan Kayu ~5 ,RPK

Frequency 89.20 FM, 603 AM Jakarta 96.30 FM Jakarta

City

BANTEN ---- ..

lHO~ Radio 146 147 148 149 150 151 I

Swara Angkasa 72 Swara Adhi Kusuma Krakatau Arjuna Panorama Banten FM

Freouencv 558 AM 90.60 FM 93.7 FM 100.4 FM 93.3 FM 95.30 FM

Citv Pandeglang Pandeglang Labuan, Pandeglang Malingping, Pandeglang Lebak Cilegon --

.........--- 26

Networking

Waves of Freedom

angerang Ciputat, Tangerang

No. 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181

WEST JAVA Radio Actari ADS Budaya Sari Bost RJM Rudysta RCM Antares NBC Cinde FM Ewangga RIS 99.8 FM Fantasi 70 Trend Venus Jusyan Buanajaya Mara Barani JAS Elpas Maritim Gita Swara Suara Gratia AR- FM Ria Pop FM Past Way Bintang

-

Frequency 96.70 FM 101 FM 936 AM 89.4 FM, 864 AM 91 .9 FM 89.9 FM 104.90 FM 98.60 FM 105 FM, 882 AM 101.3 FM 91.4 FM 99 .8 FM 93.1 FM, 1557 AM 101.2 FM 104.90 FM 92.7 FM 94.10 FM 106.70 FM 1116 AM 90.7 FM 1170 AM 102.60 FM 99.1 FM 95.9 FM 92.9 FM 103 FM 106.9 FM 99 FM

City Ciamis Cikampek Majalaya, Bandung Leuwiliang , Bogor Pangandaran, Ciamis Ciamis Kalipueang, Ciamis Garut Garut Indramayu Kuningan Majalengka Jatiwangi, Majalengka PUlwakarta Subang Sumedang Ciawi, Tasikmalaya Bandung Bandung Banjar Bogor Cirebon Plumbon, Cirebon Cirebon Cimahi Depok Tasikmalaya Tasikmalaya

-

194 Prima 195 Rassinda 196 Pop FM Gombong . 197 Bimasakti 198 Citra FM 199 Rona 200 Candi Sewu 201 POP FM Kudus 202 Gelora FM 203 GSM 204 Pragola 205 PAS FM 206 Amarta 207 Alfina 208 SBS 209 Pop FM Purworejo 210 R2B 211 Rasika 212 Pop FM 213 Serenada 214 RPK FM 215 RGM 216 GIS 217 POP 218 Polaris FM 219 SSP 220 Yasika 221 Zenith 222 Top FM 223 Channel 99 224 Ria FM 225 PTPN Rasitania 226 Rama 227 Anita FM

,

-

CENTRAL JAVA

No. 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192

Radio Maung Sakti Satria Channel 100 RGBS Aro Moneer X FM Kasihku Wijaya FM Qolbu STP 97.5 FM Qolbu

Frequency 810AM 103.9 FM 100.2 FM 92.3 FM 972 AM 9920 FM 936 AM 102.60 FM 792 AM 97.5 FM 900 AM

City Banjarnegara Ajibarang , Banyumas Banyumas Purwokerto, Banyumas Batang Blora Bumiayu, Brebes Cilaeap Kroya. Cilaeap Cilacap Demak

....

820 F Purwodadi, Grobogan 104 FM Jepara 1314AM Karanganyar 95 FM Gombong, Kebumen' 9660 FM Kebumen 99.7 FM Kendal 100.6 FM, 900 AM Kendal 96.60 FM Klaten 93.7 FM Kudus 107.1 FM Kudus 91.50 FM Muntilan, Magelang 94.30 FM Pati 101 FM Pati 88.9 FM Pekalongan 89.3 FM Pemalang 94.7 FM Purbalingga 93.4 FM Purworejo 98.4 FM. 1296 AM Rembang 10560 FM Ungaran , Semarang 107FM Kartasura, Sukoha~o 97.70 FM Tegal 103.1 FM Parakan, Terrianggung 1017 AM Ngadirojo, Wonogiri 94 FM Wonogiri 98 FM Kalikajar, Wonosobo 101 FM Magelang 10380 FM Pekalongan 91.5 FM P~rwokerto 97.2 FM Salatiga 89.4 FM Semarang 99.30 FM Semarang 98.80 FM Surakarta 99.60 FM Surakarta 666 AM Surakarta 106.60 FM Tegal

YOGYAKARTA

.: 228 Global FM 229 230 231 232

~

Masdha FM RAM Swara Menoreh Unisi

27

City

Fr8quenCY 107.6 FM 89.35 FM 100.50 FM 107.5 FM 104.50 FM

]

Banguntapan, Bantul Depok, Sleman Wates; Kulonprogo Samigaluh, Kulonprogo Yogyakarta

EAST JAVA

~ 23J , Mandala. '.....\0

I

FrtCluency 96.40 FM IBanYUwan~i

CRY

'1

28 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 '257 258 259 260 261 262

'

Networking

Waves of Freedom

TawangAlun Patria FM Bass Romantika FM Elbayu Prosalina Gitanada Kartika Taurus Sega Prameswara Swara Semeru FM RASI Maja FM Megantara Bhmneka Cankabhala Gema Panca Arga Swara Karimata Permai Gema Surya Cahaya PMA Bhasa Pesona 2000 ADS Jossh Andika Andalus Global EI Victor

92.1 FM 102.60 FM 96.60 FM 98.60 FM 954 AM 101.30 FM 97.4 FM 89.00 FM 97.1 FM 89.6 FM 103.9 FM 90.70 FM 90.60 FM 100.70 FM 972 AM 747 AM 882 AM 100.2 FM 97.5 FM, 1440 AM 107.5 FM 1442 AM 93.10 FM 774 AM 88.1 FM, 1044 AM 103.50 FM 105.70 FM 91.10 FM 90.90 FM 93.30 FM

Banyuwangi Blitar Bojonegoro Bondowoso Gresik Jember Jombang Jombang Kediri Kediri Lamongan Lumajang Magetan Mojokerto Nganjuk Ngawi Pacitan Pamekasan Ponorogo Sampung, Ponorogo Kraksaan, Probolinggo Situbondo Sumenep Trenggalek Tulungagung Kediri Malang Surabaya Surabaya

.

.ST KALIMANTAN . -.

~--

277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287

RCBI Andini Swara Devia

Mars

SBI Swara Media Eska FM Gema Nirwana Gema Wana Prima Suara Kaltara

Beo Persada

FnMI\IenCY

CItv

104.2 FM Tanjung Redep, Berau 106.50 FM Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara 98.5 FM Nunukan limur, Nunukan 97FM Penajam, Penajam Paser Utara 10210 FM Balikpapali 101.3 FM Balikpapan 103.9 FM Kotif Bontang, Bontang 105.1 FM Samarinda 102.5 FM Sangana, Samarinda 101.25 FM Tarakan 107 FM Tarakan

CENTRAL KALIMANTAN 288 289 290 291 292 293

294 295 296 297 298 299

Riwut Malawen Barito FM Citra Barito Sartika Granada Tara Indah Pakuba Megaprimadona Nada Persada Gema Mentaya RCA Ozon Canisa Es Pe FM

104.60 FM 100.50 FM 105.80 FM 102.3 FM 96.7 FM

Buntok, South Barito Tamiyang Layang, South Barito Muara Teweh, North Barito Kuala Kurun, Gunung Mas Kuala Kapuas, Kapuas Pangkalan Bun, West Citywaringin Pangkalan Bun, West Citywaringin Sampit, East Citywaringin Palangkaraya Palangkaraya Palangkaraya Palan kara a

SOUTH KALIMANTAN

FI'8QU8IIC:Y

WEST KALIMANTAN

No. RadIo

FnIqU8IICy

263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275

105.45 FM 90.7 FM 101 .25 FM 100.4 FM 738AM 1044 AM 93.4 FM 104.6 FM 100.9 FM 936 AM 104.10 FM 103.40 FM 101 FM 102 FM

Sentranusa Gapa t=M Delta Pawan Indah MahCity Gemaswara Swara Melati Gramedia Rama Gentara Muare Info Swara Sambas Bimareksa Dirgantara Dermaga Ria Persada Polareksa FM Volare Kenari ~ Arya Bomantara

City

3DO 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313

Bengkayang Putussibau, Kapuas Hulu Ketapang Ngabang, Landak Mempawah, Pontianak Sungai Pinyuh, Pontianak Pemangkat, Sambas Sambas Sanggau Sekadau,Sanggau Sintang Pontianak Pontianak Singkawang - -

'- -

Swara AI Karomah Selidah FM Gema Amandit Dirgahayu Gema Kuripan Radio M Tanjung Pun Perkasa Ellona Swara Ruhui Rahayu Citra Bomeo Madani Nusantara Suara Banjarmasin Planet FM Gema Meralus

1584 AM 98.8 FM 918AM 100.2 FM 810AM 107.1 FM 106.50 FM 87.9 FM 88.8 FM 103.9 FM 102.70 FM 104.3 FM 102.8 FM 756 AM

City Martapura, Banjar Marabahan, Barito Kuala Kandangan, South Hulu Sungai Barabai, Central Hulu Sungai Amuntai, North Hulu Sungai Martapura Tanjung, Tabalong Kelua, Tabalong Rantau Kiwa, Tapin Banjarbaru Banjarmasin Banjarmasin Citybaru, Pulau Laut Utara Batulicin, Citybaru

29

30

IID.: 314 315 316 317 318 319 320

Waves of Freedom

Networking

...

BALI

F

Pinguin Guntur Bali FM Oirgantara SWIB Global Outa FM ~1 ~uperadio_ _ _ _ _

~

103.6 FM 104.60 FM 98.9 FM 94 FM 702 AM 96.50 FM 87.95 FM 105.2 FM

CitY Denpasar, Badung Singaraja, Buleleng Gianyar Negara, Jembrana Besakih, Karang Asem Tabanan Oenpasar Oenpasar

322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332

FrtQuency City 103.2 FM 93.7 FM 105.80 FM 88 FM, 684 AM 1008 AM 792 AM 95.10 FM 96.5 FM 98.30 FM 96.7 FM 95 .10 FM

Pelangi Bima Kanvas FM Haccandra Mandalika Kharisma Idola Oisvira FM Cassanova Mayapesona Global CNL

Bima Oompu Narmada, West Lombok Praya, Central Lombok East Lombok Pan cor, East Lombok Sumbawa Besar, Sumbawa East Lasaune, Bima Mataram Cakranegara, Mataram Lombok, East Lombok

EAST NUSA TENGGARA

110. la.Ho 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343

Ratu Belu Favorit Suara Kelimutu The Farmers Radio Malole Kalong RSPO Manggarai Santana Sonia Max RPSO Soe 344 DMWS 345 Tirilolok 346 Suara Timor

Frequency City 106.50 FM 98.20 FM 101 .5 FM, 1185 AM 98.5 FM 106.7 FM 106 FM SW1 2.86 Mhz, 101.3 FM 94.9 FM 102.9 FM 96.9 FM 738 AM 103.5 FM 101.10 FM 90.1 FM

Atambua, Belu Atambua, Belu Flores, Ende Ngada, Flores Baa, Rote Ndao Lembata Ruteng, Manggarai Bajawa, Ngada Maumere Waingapu, East Sumba Soo, Timor Tengah Selatan Kupang Kupang Kupang

NORTH SULAWESI

No. RadIo 347 Nur Haddad 348 Sion FM 349 Re - Fata FM

RONTAlO

flo. Radio

WEST NUSA TENGGARA

lID. Iblilii

~ [lJevada 351 StarFM 352 Suara prorodisa 353 Gita Lestari 354 Visi FM 355 Mersi 356 ROM 2 FM 357 Citra

FreQuericy

CI~

100 FM Citymubagu, Bolaang Mangondow 106.7 FM Tomohon, Minahasa 96.25 FM South Minahasa

358 Erchi FM 359 Smek FM 360 Swara Selebes

93.6 FM 100.5 FM 89.6 FM 105.60 FM 106.4 FM 98.5 FM 102 FM 96.90 FM

31

Amurang, Soulh Minahasa Tahuna, Sangihe Talaud Talaud, Sangihe Talaud Bitung East Bitung, Bitung Manado Manado Manado

Freauency City 90.3 FM Marisa, Pahuwato 95.5 FM Gorontalo 101 FM Gorontalo

ENTRAl SULAWESI

FreQuel1CY' City

;vi, RadIo 361 Sich FM 362 Setia Nada 363 Istana 364 Ariesta Swara 365 Swara BuJa Betue 366 Balasika 367 Sakura 368 Bulava 369 Langgadopi 370 Swara Magaga 371 Bittara lodah 372 Maleo 373 Nebula 374 Best FM 375 RAL

104.30 FM 1440AM 101.10 FM 102.2 FM 99.1 FM 100.2 FM 103 FM 101.30 FM 101.2 FM 1422 AM 1341 AM 95.4 FM 101 FM 101.80 FM 1170 AM

1

Luwuk, Banggai Luwuk, Banggai Banggai, Banggai Kepulauan Oonggala Oonggala Kodi, Oonggala Kolonodale, Morowali Parigi, Parigi Moutong Poso City, Poso 'Tentena, Poso Toli Toli Toli Toli Ampana, Tojo Una Una Palu Palu Palu Barat, Palu

WEST SULAWESI Suara Mamase 377 Swara Saweri Gadinq

SOUTH SULAWESI -

- -

No. Radio 378 379 380 381 382 383 384

Pantai Selatan Mitra Bayu Suara Oaya Indah Cempaka Asri Swara Paonta Lopi Rewako Suara Tomalatta

Frequency City 95.4 FM 1116 AM 104.4 FM 102.65 FM 95.5 FM 100.4 FM 99.2 FM

Bantaeng Bantaeng Kotif Watampon, Bone Bulukumba Bulukumba Sungguminasa, Gowa Wotu, East Luwu

l !

-32 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396

Networking

Waves of Freedom

93.3 FM 720 AM 882 AM 89.5 FM 1008 AM 87.7 FM 738 AM 102.3 FM 864 AM 103.5 FM 102.8 FM 103.6 FM

IZIP FM Suara Simpali Angkasa Bambapuang Molina Suara Adyafiri SCFM Rina Bestari RST Suara As-Adiyah SPFM Mesra FM Makara

Maros Pinrang Pangkajene, Sidenreng Rappang Sinjai Sopeng, Walan Soppeng Sorowako Rantepao, Tana Toraja Rantepao, Tana Toraja Sengkang, Wajo Makassar Pare Pare Palopo

423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431

Extreme RBS Puistika Bumi Mimika RSKA ART FM VOP

105.50 FM 102.3 FM 96.9 FM 702 AM 105.1 FM 100.2 FM

Biak, Biak Numfor Merauke Nabire Serui, Yapen Waropen Tmika, Mimika Timika, Mimika Jayapura Jayapura Jayapura

WEST IRIAN

iii· I~

SOUTHEAST SULAWESI 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406

432 Merbau 433 HMS 434 Matoa

Frequency City

No. Radio Cakrawala Techno ' Gema Suara Buton Gema Kendari FM Gema Gersamala Swara Nirwana RWS Gelar 09 Lawero Swara Alam

94.5 FM 91.10 FM 97 .8 FM 92.40 FM 1080 AM 102.5 FM 102.5 FM 96.2 FM 100.2 FM 99.1 FM

Bombana Bau-Bau, Buton Pasar Wajo, Buton Watu-watu, Kendari Kolaka Tinanggea, South Konawe Raha, Muna Raha, Muna Bau Bau Mandonga, Kendari

435 ELMarko

MALUKU

No. Radio 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414

Frequency City

Rana Buru Binaya Resthy Mulya Gelora Tavlul MCSA Defnatar DMS Naviri

103.7 FM 104.6 FM 92.5 FM 88 FM 93.5 FM 102.6 FM 102.7 FM 92.5 FM

Namlea, Buru Masohi, Central Maluku Banda Naira, Central Maluku Tual, Southeast Maluku Dobo, Southeast Maluku Saumlaki, Southwest Maluku Ambon Ambon

NORTH MALUKU

Frequency City

No. RadIo 41 5 416 417 418 419 420 421 422

Pertiwi FM RSPD Buana Lipu SPB Swana Perjuangan 95 FM Sanana Gema Hikmah Diahi Surya

,

104.6 FM 100.4 FM 103.6 FM 107.2 FM 95 FM 103.4 FM 102.6 FM 100.2 FM

Bacan, South Halmahera Bacan, South Halmahera Tobelo. North Halmahera Tidore, Kepulauan Sula Sanana, Kepulauan Sula Santiong, Temate Tabahawa, Ternate Tidore, Tidore Kep.

I

Frequency City 89.2 FM Bintuni, Teluk Bintuni 102.5 FM Fak Fak 102.6 FM Manokwari 98 FM Sorong

33

34

Networking

Waves of Freedom

Fruita of fr....om

35

to relar foreign broadcastS. It's not like the New O rder era, when

The regulations on broadcasting were made on the basis of

radio stations were fo rced to relay RR1 news broadcasts up to cleven

excessive concerns about ciyi l liberties. And, it is very obviouslr an

times a day. Partnt:.rships today grow fro m a mutual need. Radio

effort by those who seek to regain government control of the

and teleyision stations in Indonesia will not t:nlc::.r into partnerships

broadcasting world. President Susilo Bambang Yudo),ono, who pu t

with the forei~n media if it is o f no bencftt

his signature to Governmc: nt Rt:gulation No. 50 on pnYa te

viewers. Local broadcasters must take iora account the people they

b roadcasters, an d th ree othe r go\"ernment regulations on

serve. They would never allow their media to become a tool of

broadcasting, consciously or otherwise has revealed a paranoia. Fear of freedom of information. Even though it is that freedo m that

foreign propaganda. So exactly whose interests are at risk? No one's. Unless this

has brought progress and prosperity to many nations.

government, like:: its predecessors, is allergic ~o crit icism and

The paranoia is particularly evident fro m the government's ban

to

their listeners or

on relaying foreign news broadcasts (Government Regulation No.

different opinions. With today's technological de\'elopmems, closing one's door

50, article 17 clause 5) . Minister Sofyan Ja}il claims that private

on the world is nOt an option. The countries that are developed and

radio or television stations that relay foreign news could become

powerful are those whose citizens believe in openness. And, the

tools of foreign propaganda. He is concerned that our national

principle openness that we recognise is far morc advanced than

identity and our national interests are threatened. How members

that of neighbouring counmes, such as !\falaysia and Singapore. So

of the United Indonesia Cabinet who in their election campaigns

they should not be set up as examples. We don't need to emulate

supported the reform agenda could still bold to such conservative

these undemocratic countries when

ideas is a complete mystery.

It

comes

to

broadcasting.

This u ndue concern also hamp e rs opportunitic:s for

These concerns are totally unwarranted. The majority of the

developing the capacides of our own CItizens. This gov$!rnment

content of news broadcasts relayed by our radio and television

regulation may s.eek.. to protect the local broadcasting industry. But

stations from overseas, is aired in Indonesian. The programmes are

it has been proven that on: riy protective policies fail to enhance

.made by Indonesian journalists who work in the foreign media.

our competitiveness on the· global free market. Excessive protection

Most are good. highly professional journalists. So it is hard to

encourages our society to be inward looking. Scared even to think

imagine these people becoming the tools of foreign propaganda.

about competing on the wider stage.

'We belic·vl! the journalists working in these fore ign media are s~ owing,

in their own war, their love of their country. They are not

comprlldors. And their work is not propaganda.

Yet the democracy we have carved out over the past seven years has shown unprecedented success. In tctms of freedom, not only do we have choice; we have put ourselves on a par with others.

Another aspect of the partnt:rships between these broadcasting

I have personal experience of this. In 1999, I and several journalists

companies is free will. Radio and television stations are not forced

and activists set up KBR 68H. This broadcasting organisation

36

Networking

Waves of Freedom

37

provides radio stations journalistic programmes. To begin with, only

One standpoint holding back the development of private

to local radio stations, but as the quality of thc programmes

broadcasting companics is the ban on national coverage. RRl and

improved and gained public rccognition, forcign broadcasting

n ./Rl will have the monopoly on national broadcasts. This attitude

organisations began using KBR 68H services,

These include

is harmful to everyone concerned. RR1 and TVRI lose out, toO,

H i/lom",/} C\!t!tht!r1ands),

because tbe~' have no competition to motivate thcm to perform

DtIItscbe [fe/Ie·

(German~ ") ,

SHS

(Au~traJia),

tOO.

and f,·'OA (United States).

better. T his government regulation effectively fails to allow for the

This means that, thanks to freedom, we can bracket ourseh'es with other countries. In broadcasting sen'ices,

development of private radio or tele,-ision news agencies. Because

Now, local radio

a healthy news agency must develop the widest possible network.

not only relays the ncws products of foreign broadcasting

But this regubtion limits nehvork coverage to 15% of districts for

organisations. foreign broadcasters use products from local

radio and 80% for television . No grcater.

tOO.

broadcasting companies, too. The exchange of information is more in balance, the perspectives richer.

Returning to my experience of managing KBR 68H. Even before its seventh anniversary, this news agency was serving more

And that is not all. Over the past hVO years, KBR 68B has

than 420 radio stations in 300 plus districts. This could, of course,

produced an information package in English, called Asia CalJing.

be regarded as a violation of Government Regulation No. 50. But

This programme is no\\" aired by radio stations in Cambodia,

we have absolutely no intention of reducing this co"erage. KBR

Philippines, and East Timor. Besides Indonesia, of course. And,

68H intends to continue expanding its network,

very won, the same programmes will be broadcast by KBR 68H

in Indonesia. Because that is our contribution to strengrhening our

partners in Thailand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

national ide ntity.

Once again,

to

cover all districts

because of freedom, wc need no longer bc confined, forcver

According to a MARS survey in the last quarter of 2005, no

blinkered. We are cyen ablc to cxport information programmes.

less than 8 million listeners throughout Indonesia rune into KBR

And bc outward looking.

68H program mes. Through these programmes, people share news

The government should support thc emcrgence of

that strengthens our solidarity as Indonesian citize.ns. Through talk

broadcasting companies from Indonesia that are able to compete

shows, I ndo nesian people from Sabang to Meraukc can exchange

on the global leyel. Even if wc aren't ablc to create organisations

views, discuss matters of importance in this difficult period of

like the RBC, DI/"', Hi/verslllll, or radio/television companies in other

transition towards democracy. This achie\-cment cannot be blO\vn

countries, the least the government can do is create conditions

away JUS t by an alarmist government regulation.

conducivc to the emergence of internationally competitive pr h'atc broadcasting companies. The new regulations on broad casci~g in no war contribut.e to this.

3

" 1<;

Public radio in spirit

R 68H programmes are made

to

serve the public.

To respond to the public's need for information. To r ovide forums for people to engage in dialogue,

participate in solving problems together. It would be easiest to call it public radio. But since the law dictates that only government radio stations are entitled to use that predic ate, we prefer to say that we are public radio in spirit. And, we accept commercial funding. So it really is a unique mix. We feel that radio stations that are public service in spirit are crucial to serving the public in this very dynamic and demanding transition towards democracy. Let's take a look at the first time we broadcast on 29th April 1999. That day KBR 68H reporters produced nine news items. One of them was about the upcoming general election on 7th June 1999. So, it was about five weeks before the first free election since the fall of th e New Order. We asked ordinary people what kind of parliamentary candidates they would like to have. The Be.rides fmR 68L-f, Ibm rlre all k.illds of otber lIrtil'ilies ,~oil~g 011 iii Ibis COllllllllllity. ..... 1 broar!castillgjIJ/lrt:aliJm sdwol, gpl/~J)', Ihealre, Clild lois of o/her ae/ili/iN /or/rccdolJl of l/toltgb/ tJlld e:>..prnfioll

report, written by Eni i\Iulia, o ne of the first reporters recruited

39

40

Waves of Freedom

41

Public Radio in Spirit

to KBR 68H, was quite unique, because at that time people's

the current party leaders fits the bill "[ still call ~ see - n'eI/ ill the 3

opinions were rarely made public.

or 4

"'0/01' p{/rties -- till)' p eople Ivith st{/teJ/1l{/lI.ihip qualities.

art pllo}le j;'Ol71 the

Sell!

IVhat [ Jee

Order .fchoof - politiciallJ iI'ho p,ioriliJe tbe

polilifd! il/lfnst.r of their OIVII factiollJ. "

990429-68H-ENM-Ol \Vhat kind of representatives "'ould you like to see

Thi s pessimism about the parliamentary candidates is

In

parliament? \Vhat do you expect from these members of

sha red by ReTI journalist Dian Islamati: "I-We

parliament? \,\'e are starting to hear questions about what makes

e_,,/>cni'llfe t/lat Ihe HOllse of RepreJflltalil'es iJ jllJt a (bom.r lim.

a good member of parliament or legislati\"!:: candidate more

II-'ilb Jbe {)'Jtem the Il'a), it

fre(luently as we near the election. Let's hear what some people

tbe !egirlati/'e candidates of JOf1le of tbe political parties are o"b stalldillg

have to say about our MPs.

for thou partiCIII"r parties beCallJf thefre intere.rled in the one billioll

"{f I could t'ote, I wOlild t'ote for all hOliest (wd sincere persoll

"'till)'

frolJl Bill

I dOll't !Jold Ollt milch bope. For installce,

IJllt. "

Becallse the Jitl/tltion has got

ror this reason, lslamati can't see ideal candidates emerging

c/cl'er people doillg too milch talkillg, thol ln

for about another 10 years. Once political education and

rather tha" the clel'erpeople we't-e got so bad; there are too

pa)'

iJ~

kilO/Ii

1101P.

(ill jllst wd liP cOlljimd".

com mu nity empowerment start showing results.

Women too have high hopes for their MPs. Wahidah

To counter rhe pessimism about the quality of people's

Syuaib of the Indonesian Muslim women's students'

represe ntatives, Elyakim Sitorus ofJaringan Kerja Lembaga

association, Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam Indonesia Putri,

Pelaya nan Kristen Indonesia, a network of Indonesian

would like to sec people 's representatives that care about

Chrisrian service organisarions, has another suggestion. "A[)'

women; although it wouldn't be necessary for the representative

dream is tbat Olle dCI)' our le,gislatilJe IIIelllber.r 'Pi/fllot baPe to be elected

to be a woman. Syuaib is critical of presidential candid ate

through p olitical partieJ. Thal'.r something we ,/1 have to thi"k about:

Megawati Soekarnoputri, who although a woman does not

hal,illg people's represelltatil'eJ ill parliament and ill the le,giJ/atlire that

sympathise with women.

arc !luI IIUeU{IIia' elected throll.~h polilical partieJ. That alJo

"[Vome" aclil'istJ 1JJant a climax, thf)' lI)afit a ]lIOR/all mpresidential ca1/didate. Alld they l1}allt Ol(e t!Jat fights for

.~eIIder eqlfi~)I,

too. But

,Hega doem 't do that; ill fact sbe erw twds to disregard this ismc JOII/etimes, "

Gatot Prihandono of the pro-democracy group, Masyarakat Profesional untuk Demokrasi, would like to have multi-ethnic representatives who are really familiar with the regions they represent. But, as far as he can see, none of

II/ecJlIS

tbal

par/iflfllmt Ivollid be able to gil'e the partin Ihe (iJallee to nOll/inate cal/dido!.:... that are lIot party II,etl/ben"

roor now, Sitorus hopes that the elected representati\-es will han: a genuine grassroots following; that people know \\o·ho they are. So, what about you? \X'hat kind of representatives do you \\'ant? Think about it. (Eni Mulia, KBR 68H)

42

Public Radio in Spirit

Waves of Freedom

43

This report was sent via the internet to network members.

productions like Ka bar Bar" (Breaking Nc\\s) , talk shows on

They then aired it on their own radio stations. Actually, we had

themes such as la,v refo rm, eco no mic issues, and human rights,

no way of checking which stations broadcast it and which didn't.

and an arts appreciation programme. \'(/e also aired a pre-recorded

But as we started out with only 7 network members, we looked

talk show hosted by Wimar Witoelar called Perspektf BarN (New

on the bright side, and just believed that all of them had aired

Pers pectives). This o ne was

this audio file.

\vimar's brainchild, cr eated

In the early days, KBR 68H produced only around 15 minutes

after his TV talk show was

of programmes a day. These consisted of between 7 and 10 audio

taken off the air by the

files, which were sent instantly to network members . No

New Order authorities.

Although small, they provided the inspiration for dealing with this country's biggest problem: unemployment

deadlines. But the positive response fr o m network members

With the addition o f these programmes by 2000 as a radio

encouraged us to increase the amount of news we produced. W/e

news agency KBR 68H had upped its service, broadcasting 7

took on more reporters. And constantly re-evaluated our wo rking

days a week. In our first year, we still had Saturdays and Sundays

methods.

off. Then Kabar Bcml became a regul ar slot. This breaking news programme quickly caught on with radi o stations in several cities.

Breaking out Buletln Sore A giant leap in KBR 68H prog ramming came with the production of Bu/etin Sore, a 30-minute evening news bulletin.

Just five minutes long, it could be easily slotted into th eir programme schedules; and it co ntained information their listeners needed to hear.

We developed this programme in our first year of operation.

The pr og ra mme on law reform, Reforlllasi H lIklllll, is

Needless to say, that wasn't what we originally pl anned. We

produced in cooperation with the National Law Co mmis sion and

needed to accumulate expertise in radio journalism before we

The Asia Foundation. This programme was made to spread the

could even think about producing an information package like

concept of law reform and information about law reform

this. Before putting the plan into action, we had internal training

initiatives, which are seen as crucial in this period of transition

wi th a trainer from the BBe. We studied and we had hands-on

towards democrac y. Programmes o n law reform, human rights

practice. August 1999 saw the launch of the first production of

and economic affairs attract listen ers, not onl y because they

BN/efin Sore. Frequently unable to meet the 4 p.m. deadline, and

di scuss real issues, but also b ecause they give li steners th e chance

besieged by other technical problems, we were forced to find

to interact direc tly with competent experts. Listeners throughout

another way of sending news, one that did not rely on the internet.

Indonesia can call the KBR 68H studio on a freephone number

And indeed, after we started using sa tellite, ideas for creating

or send their questions in a text message. Using these facilities,

new programmes just kept coming. In 2000, we began stepping

during each 30-minute talk show, around 10 calls can be taken

up programme production to two hours a day, introducing new

from cities around Indonesia, such as Po ntian ak, i\1akassar,

44

Public Radio in Spirit

Waves of Freedom

Medan, Palembang, Surabaya, Matar a m, Kediri, P adang

Sampan Pagi (Breakfast Prog ramme)

Sidempuan, Palu and Poso.

Kopi Sore (A ftern oon Programme)

Guests on Rejor1l!asi Hukfllli have included Teten Masduki

O/abraga (Sports)

(lCW), Fr ans Hendrawinata, Harkri stuty Harkrisno\.vo,

/ 1sia Cal/ing

Suhadibroto, Boy j\Iardjono (KHN) and Arbi Sanit (UI). Carmel

Lintas Daerah (Around the Regions)

Budiarjo appeared twice on the human rights talk show during

Saga

her visit to Ind onesia. In the past, prominent activists like Carmel

45

Public education programmes include:

who campaign for the rights of the victims of the 1965 tragedy

RejorlJlasi HlIkJllll dan HA.iVl (Legal Reform and Human

we re banned from appearing in the Indonesian media. Now the

Rights)

door is open. The human rights programme has also featured

K/il1ik (Health Clinic)

Hasballah M. Saad, then State Minister for Human Rights. These

Daera/] Bicara (Regional Voices)

talk shows proved a favourite with listeners. Later, we introduced

BUl7li Kita (Our Land)

other themes, such as regional autonomy and the environment.

Obro/an Ekonol7Ji (Economic Chat)

The economic affairs programme, Obro/an Ekotl()llIi, was

A gatlla

dOli

To/cram! (Religion and Tolerance)

designed to encourage listeners to think of creative ideas for

Sainstek (Science and Technology)

dealing with the economic crisis. We showcased their inspirations,

Guru Kila (Our Teachers)

which, although on a small scale, dealt with this country's bigges t

Mitra Daerah (Regional Partners)

problem: unemployment. We published the transcripts o f Obrolan

Pi/ar Demokrasi (Pillar of Democracy)

Ekonomi in a book ca lled Tf(l7lbuh di Tengah Krisis.

The regional programmes include:

Kabar Ma/uku (lvIaluku News)

Three programme categories KBR 68H programmes can be br oadly divided into three

Kabar Ace/) (Aceh N ews)

Kabar Papua (papua N ews)

categories. First are the regular news programmes. Then there are the public education pr ogrammes or talk shows. Third, are

The tOtal duration of these programmes is aroun d 8 hou rs a

the programmes designed for specific regions to cater to their

day. Programmes are broadcast from the main studio in Utan

particular needs.

Kayu, via satellite, to listener s in cities across In donesia. In

The regular news programmes include:

addition, we broadcast around 10 hours of local programm es

BNletin Pagi (i\Iorning Bulletin)

especially for listeners in Jakarta and surrou nding areas. So, a

Bu/etin Sore (Afternoon Bulletin)

total of 18 hours of programmes are broadcast by KBR 68H

Kabar Bartl (Breaking News)

journalists.

46

Waves of Freedom

Public Radio in Spirit

KBR 68H Programme Schedule Time

OS .3O-ll6 .00 06.CX>06.30 06.JO.07.OO 07.00{)7.06 07.0f>.08.00 08.00-08 06 08,06-08.30 08.30-09 ,00 09,00-09.30

Monday

Tuesday

!wednesday I Thursday

I

The production department is headed up by a journalist and Friday

I Saturday I

Sunday

Time

~53O-ll6 00

Local Prograrrme

J.tmng BuIletJn Brealdasl Prograrrme Breaking News 07.00 B,ea\dast ?mgr, ,,",,,, Breakll19 News 06.00 Breakfast Prog ramme Interactive

local Programme

06.00{J6.3O 06.30-07. 00 07.00'()7.06 7.06.Q8 .00 oaOO-08,06

ioo[J6.08·3O

New 08.J0.09.oo Persuedives Health Local 09 .00-09.30 ~ R,,*,,,,, Regional Our Land Eo:Jr1Oi11IC H..- RighO Clin,c Voices Chat Programme 09.JO.l0.00 Sports 10.00-10.06 Srea king News 10.00 10.1)6.11.00 ocal"_ 11. 00-1H16 Breaking News 11 ,00 11.1)6.11.30 Local Programme Local Progra mme 11.30-12 00 Around the Keg lOl'lS Breaking Ne'.~ 12.00 12.00-12.06 12.1)6.12.30 Local Pr"'Jramme 1230-13.00 Local Program"" 13.00-1 3.06 Breaking News lrOO Local Programrre Interactive Interactive 1306·13.30 t.l3luku News Aceh News 13.30·14.00 lDcal~rtl9 ramme 14.00-14.06 Br.~ News 14.00 14 .1)6.14.30 Local Programme Local Programme 14.30-14.45 tAalUk uN. WS I Local Programme 14.45-15.00 15.00-15. 06 Breaking News 15.00 15.1)6.15-.30 local Prog ramme Local Programme 15.30-16.00 16.00-16.30 Afte rnoon !kJlIetin local Programme 16.30-17.00 Local Programme 17.00-18.00 l 0C31Programme Breaking News 18,00 18.00-18.06 18.1)6.18.30 Local Programme Local Programme 18.30'19.00 19.00-19.06 Breaklllg News 19.00 19.1)6.19.36 Local Programme LocatProgramme 19.36-20.00 Bre akllg News 20.00 20.00-20.00 20.1)6.20.30 Saga Pilar of Sdenca and Local l our I! Local 20.30-21.00 Democracy Technology Programme Teache" PrDgla."1!1le Breaking News 21 00 ~ 1.00·21.06 Local Proora mroo ~11)6.21.3O Aceh N...,; 1:1 130·22.00 I 22 .00·22.06 Breaklng News Locai PfogllIrnfIle 12206.22 36 Local Programme /22 36-23.00 Brea\i1g News 23 .00-23.00 Local Programme ~3.1)6.23 .30 Local Programme Even... News SlITImilry 123.30-00.00 r orum Freedom

I

I

09.3()'10.00 10.00-10.06 10.1)6.11.00 11.00-11.06 11.1)6.11 .30 11 .3()'t2.00 12.00-12.06 12.1)6.12.30 12.30-1 3.00 13.00·13.06 13.06·13.30 13.30-14.00 14.00-14. 06 14.1)6.1430 14.30·14.45 t4.45-1 5.00 t5.00-15.06 t5.1)6. 15.30 15.30-16.00 16.00·16.30 16.30-17.00 17.00-18.00 18.00-18.06 18.1)6.18.30 18.30-19.00 19.00-19.06 19.1)6.19.36 19.36-20.00 2000·20.06 20.1)6.20.30 2030-21.00 21.00-2 1.06 21.06-21 .30 21. 30-22.00 22.00-22_06 22.1)6.22.36 22.36-23.00 2300-23.06 231)6.23.30 23. 30-00.00

I

TIme

Monday_ l rlJl!S(ja\, JWednesday I Thursday

ASla Udlng (EngEsh) Asia Calling (Indonesian)

I

L~:~:! J

J

I,

I

I

47

Friday

_J. Saturday

I

Sunday

Time

old friend from the days of fighting against media repre,sion, Her u Hendratmoko_ His commitment and dedication have been instrum en tal in the growth of KBR 68H. And fortunately, over [he past senn years, KBR 68H has been a hotbed of growth for dedicated, high-calibre radio journalists_ KBR 68H is managed under th e leadership of programme manager Ade Wahyudi, while AliI Imam N urlambang is in charge of managing our local radio station, Radio U tan Kayu. At the end of 2005, Heru assumed a new role as President of AjI, an alliance of independent journalists set up during the time of Soeharto's authoritarian rule. A mandate he is committed to

carrying out, too, since the working conditions of journalists

in Ind onesia are deplorable_ The lmv wage s. The frequent risks to personal security. Th e incessant gnawing awa y of press freedoms. Which in some cases such as the mob attack on the

Tempo offices, or the introduction of regulations on broadcasting -

indicate the return of that repression. So a m,ovement to grow

a strong alliance of journalists is clearly needed_ At a tim e when press freedoms are not assured, maintaining programme quality is paramount. That is the commitment of the production department. Continually improving the quality of programmes_j\nd the good news is that, according to a MARS surYey conducted in N ovember 2U().5, KBR 68H listeners are satisfied with our programmes. Loyalty has grown _ Most KBR 68H listeners tune into our programmes for news . Others are looking for a forum to discuss issues with others_ They tune into th e talk shows _

48

Public Radio in Spirit

Waves of Freedom

Compos ition of KBR 68H News Listeners

Reasons for Listen ing to KBR 68H

16%

1.49%

9.45%

11.94%

.~

o Morning tjulletin 51.74%

r------......

• Brea king News

o Afternoon Bulletin o Around the Regions • News Summary

34.33%

o Sports • Asia Calling

o

To get information/knowledge

• To hear l ~tesUcurre nUbreaklng news

o

Other

Composition of KBR 68H Talkshow Listeners Favourite KBR 68H Programme Formats

6.47%

o

3.98%

Religion & Tolerance

• Chat with Ayu

3%

o

Health Clinic

o Around the Regions

34.33% Talkshows • In-depth reports

o

News

•

Legal Reform

o

Science &Technology

• Our Teachers

49

Waves of Freedom

50

Public Rad io in Spirit

51

The spirit of freedom flowed through the KBR 68H editorial

incredibly powerful. Mega put her whole heart into it, and had

office, generating creative ideas. Growing with the capacity of

to stop because she was sobbing so hard. So, \vhen Mega became

our journalists, taking shape in previously unthought-of creations

president, and continued the military operations in Aceh, we

of radio journalism. Whereas to begin with KBR 68H only

replayed that speech. Documentation reminds people to keep

produced short news programmes, within six months we were

their promises. Especially those that seek public office. And Sarapan Pagi, the

producing Billetill Sore, a 30-minute news bulletin. And it didn't Stop

the breakfast programme,

there.

Another milestone was the launch of the on-air magazine

IS

passionate

about

When Mega continued the military operations in Aceh, documentation served as a reminder to keep one's promises.

format programme, S arapa1l Pagi, which is broadcast Monday

documentation, about

through Friday, 06.30 - 09.00. The content of this prime time

strong research. This

slot for radio news stations in Indonesia is an analysis of the

programme provides a dynamic, rapid-fire start to the listeners'

day's news as reported in the daily papers. Radio amplifies the

day. Listeners want information, straight up, no messing. This

newspapers. And print journalists are key contributors to radio

programme also has a phone-in section, allowing listeners to take

broadcasts. So, the ch allenge for us at KBR 68H is to create a

part in discussion of public affairs. This recipe makes for an on

new programme for a prime time slot that is not just a rehash of

air magazine format quite unlike the prime time news

th e morning papers. The prog ramme has its own agenda, and

programmes of other radio stations.

the news is hot. Not yeste rday's news like the dailies serve up.

This on-air magazine has been deve loped too - especially

To design Sampan Pagi, we learned from how BBC Radio 4

for listeners in Jakarta - into Kopi Sore, an on-air magazine for

prepares the Tod,!)1programme. The team working the night shift

those caught up in the Jakarta traffic. Taking a more relaxed

overlaps with the presenters who start work in the morning. So,

format than Sampan Pagi, Kopi .)ore is just right for listeners tired

the support staff work for hours beforehand, preparing the topics,

from the day's work. Most people who work in Jakarta live in the

pre-recorded interviews, edited materials and ft:atures, and doing

satellite cities surrounding the capital. Two million people spend

what research they can. :--Jot onh' tht: text, but the sou nd, too.

an a\'erage of four hours a day commuting to and from work,

We are lucky that ever sinct K13R 68H \\'as st:t up we haYt: made

mostl~'

sound documentation in digital format \yhich is

cas~'

to scan.

This sound documenta tio n is vital. \Vi e once recorded a speech given by Megawati Soekarnoputeri in 1999, before she

gridlocked in the Jakarta traffic. Jakarta 'S appalling

transport makes for a poor quality of life. So we want to offer a radio programme that will keep listeners company and help keep their spiri ts up.

became president. During her speech, she wept as she talked

Next, we developed Saga, an in-depth, comprehensi ve

about Aceh. She said, "If Cut Nyak had been president, not one

journalistic programme. Reports on people, events o r

drop of blood would have been spilt in Aceh." This sp eech was

documentaries, never before tackled by radio stations in

52

Waves of Freedom

Public Radio in Spirit

53

Indonesia. \YJe pour ed our hearts, mone y and energy into

issue5 affecting the public; (d) co rrupti o n, that chronic disease

developing this programme. Saga is a 30-minute programme, aired

that ha s spread through the body of this nation, require s special

once a week. A shorrer, lS-minutc version is slotted into Sarapatl

attention. Th e war against corruption will neycr be won with ou t

Pagi every morning.

the conscious support of media managers.

Saga is a favourite of thos e who want to develo p radio

Armed with a clear proposition and news agenda, we try not get lost in the flood of events and opinion s that swamp the

journalism in Indonesia. And also of listeners who are looking

to

for in-depth information. T his programme has won international

editorial room.

awards. For in sta nce, for her work, "Keru suha n IvIei 1998" ("The May 1998 Riots"), f\yu Purwaningsih won an award from Th e International Federa ti on of Journalists (IfJ ) in a journalism

Joint programmes .As well as producing its own prog rammes KBR 68H also

On another

works with other organisations, especiall y to popularise the values

occasio n, Ayu picked up th e same IFJ award for her feature o n

of democracy, tolerance and pr ogress. A ,gall/a dan To/cram!, for

Indonesian women migrant workers.

example, a programme desig ned to pro mote religious tolerance,

competition on tolerance and pluralism in Asia.

To maintain the quality of KBR 68 H programmes, we se t a

is produced by KBR 68H in cooperatio n with Jaringan Islam

news agenda that befits our mission. To make sure that the

Liberal OIL). This programme has been well received by listeners,

reporting is n ot biased, that it presents a balance of current

although others have taken strong exceptio n and \vould like to

opinion, but yet is also directed by our vision . We realise that

sce it shut down . Acco rding to a 200S:-'LARS survey, the greatest

this media is part of the process of transition in Ind o nesian

proporti on (18.9%) of KBR 68H talk show li steners tune into

soc iet\'. A society that is moving from an authoritarian regime

A ,gaIlIC!

dall To/era/uj.

towards an open, democratic, and more civilized society. For this

Abo, in an effort to participate in election ed ucation , KBR

reason, we formulated an editorial proposition for our reporting

68H rolled out Dari Bilik Sliara, a special programme on th e

in the \.vords, "transitio n for the better". For the better - that is

general election, aired Thursd ays, 20.06 - 21.00. This mo nth ly

our compass, and the ethos of our reporting.

programme was produced in cooperation with the general election

Because these issues are so complex and broadcasting hours

monitoring committee, to discuss 2004 election viol ations. It went

limited, we have to make priorities, by focusing on the key issues

off air after the successful general election and direct election

of: (a) democr acy consolidation, fair, direct and sustainable

of a new president.

elections. We loo k at the importance of managing differences in

In 2004, KBR 68H launched a joint programme \\-ith

healthy, peaceful ways. Tol erance must be promoted, so that

Transparenc y Intern atio nal (Tl) Ind onesia, to promote the anti

pe ople become more used to livi ng with differences; (b) economic

corruption movement. Th e discus sions on KBR 68B revoh-ed

recm-cry, employment creation; (c) hcaltJ1, education, and other

around NlISa

G{-,"i;~

a sitcom o n corruption issues produced by

54

Public Radio in Spirit

Waves of Freedom

TI Indonesia. This talk show on corruption received an

Voice

of America (\lOA)

55

accesses KBR 68 H files for material

enthusiastic response from listeners, as this topic had been aired

for its reports. Journalists at KBR 68H are thrilled by this

some time before by TI Indonesia. In early 2006, KBR 68H

expansion, because it mean s we are not just consumers in the

developed another anti-corruption programme, this time in collaboration with Indonesian Corruption Watch. This talk show

free flow of information. We too have become active contributors to the global information

is called Sapu Bersih.

system. Thanks to freedom,

Another collaboration agreement was made on 8 August 2003 between KBR 68H and the then Minister fo r Research and

we can stand as equals with other countries.

Thanks to freedom, we can stand as equals with other countries. A contributor to the ~ow of information.

Technology, Hatta Radjasa, to develop a radio programme on science and technology. This one-hour programme went on air

Asia Calling

in September 2003. The purpose of this Tuesday night talk show

In August 2003, KBR 68H launched an Asian ne ws

is to popularise technological developments and interest listeners

programme in English, called A Jia Calling, which is broadcast

in science and technology. After being introduced to the KBR

weekly on Saturday mornings. The English version is sent to

68H network, today !ptek is relayed by more than 50 radio stations.

Cambodia, East Timor and the Philippines, where it is translated and re-broadcast in the local language. In the near future, this

A player In global information

programme should be aired in Thailand, Australia, Pakistan, and

KBR 68H is also a regular contributor of news to radio

Afghanistan. Asia Calli/~~ in Indonesian is rebroadcast by more

stations overseas, such as Radio SBS in Australia, Radio Nederland

than 80 radio stations across the country from Sumatra to Papu a.

in the Ne therlands, and DIP in Germany. As agreed between the

To produce this news about Asia, KBR 68H has built up a

editorial staff of the radio stations concerned and the KBR 68H

network of cor r espondents with around 20 journali s ts in

editorial team, the se programmes are produced in Indonesian.

countries throughout the region. They include regular

They are then sent via the internet or FTP, and broadcast via

correspondents based in Manila, Bangkok, Hongkong, Seoul, Dili,

their networks in Indonesia. In this way, KBR 68H expands its

Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and Beijing. They work under the

coverage to include radio stations that are not part of our

coordination of the Asia Ca/ling editor, a position held by a native

network.

speaker of English with experience in radio journalism. Thi s

OccasionaUy, we also fill requests from private radio stations

ensures the quality of the programme. For Asia Callil1g, and for

in the United States to produce features in English, such as for

its foreign news, KBR 68H received the Adam J\t[alik Award from

the radio programme Democracy N o)}! and for public radio in San

the ~fjnistry of Foreign Affairs.

Francisco.

56

Waves of Freedom

Public Radio in Spirit

57

As well as journalism a\ords, KB R G8H has al so received

Particularly moving for us was an award KB R G8H received

awards as an in stitutio n. These awards '.'.·cre p rese nted to KBR

from the arts community in Aceh, for our involvement in the

G8H for its role in opening up public acce ss

recons truction of radio statio ns and the rehabilitati o n o f access

to

in formation by

making use of technological dcn:lopments. One was a 2003 Tech

to

information in this region in the wake of the tsunami.

Museum Award from the L nited Sta tes, and was presented at a mega e"ent in San J ose ..\ similar award was bes towe d by the Gateway Found atio n in Germany, two years running, in 2003 and 2004.

"

,.

) /

~~ ~.The

Philippines

The Tech Mllmllll AII Zlf"{i 2003 -·eJItta ~··

"

KBR 68H Asia

Ca//il/,~

Timor Leste

(J/'eTseas rdC!)' .rIa/ions

58

Public Radio in Spirit

Waves of Freedom

Radio Utan Kayu One day in early 2000, we inter viewed Sabam Sirait, a POI

59

any further than the length of the radio tower itself." A challenge indeed, and an unavoidable one at that.

Perjuangan party leade r. He asked, "Where can I tune into your

Also disturbing was that while preparation of programmes

sta tion?" Our answer to this question was n ecessarily long, and

for this radio station were going ahead without a hitch , for

often confusing, to the listener. "At such and such a time o n this

technical reasons we were unable to air. The presenters started

radio station, on such and such a frequency. The time differs

getting restless, "When are we going to stop being astronauts?"

from stati o n to station. Ou tside J akar ta, the frequencies are

Going through the motions, but with nobody listening. People

different too. It depends on the city." N o t a very practical answer.

we had interviewed might lose faith too, if nobod y could hear

And not one that instilled confidence , ei ther. But we had no

their interviews. But, luckily, in the midst of all this chaos, we

choice, because for the first three years o f KBR 68H operations,

got a chance to work with Rt:zdio Suara Metro, which we picked up

,ve didn't have our own radio statio n in Jakarta.

on straight away as the vehicle for KBR 68H to talk to listeners

So, while producing programmes for broadcas t on o ther radio stations, we dreamed o f h aving our own sta ti on. It was n't going to be easy because all the FI\I fre quencies in Jakarta had been

in Jakarta. This local radio station was officially launched on 26 July 2002. Its main programmes were the on-air magazines, Sarapan Pagi

snapped up. There were no channels \'acant for us to manage.

(06.30 - 09.00) and Kopi Sore (16.30 - 18.30). These programmes

Purchasing a freque ncy was not an opti on for us, a new media

were also re-broadcast by several other radio stations, such as

entity that had grown out of NGO activities. In any case, it is

Star FM in Dumai, Gema Pertiwi FM, Bacan, in Maluku, and Suara

illega l. Th en so me one came up with a rash idea: how ab out

A/am FM in Kendari . Today, more than 50 stations broadcast

broadcasting on Ai\ I? Maybe no t a favourite with city people,

these on-air magazines.

but there were lots of channels a\'ailable. It wouldn't be hard to get a licence, and it would be cheap tOo.

Then other programmes were developed. There have been radio plays and book readings. The radio play, Merabah fa/an

Confident in our decision, we immedi ately started making

Setapak, was an alternative packaging of the concepts of law

the tech n ica l pr e parat ions . A tower was constructed in

reform. This play was produced by an external team, which in

H amb alang Bogor, away from the already crO\vded community

the 1970s scored a rut with Butir,Butir Pasir di Laut, a play that

at Utan Kayu. But the technical problems with this AM channel

encour age d Indonesians to p articipate in the government's

p roved remar kably com plica ted . Time and again we had to modify

planned parenthood programme and that managed to bring the

the tower. The powerfu l trans mitter wasn't able to get a signal

rate of population growth under control.

Jakarta. It even go t to the point where a friend o f

We also produced a unique programme: book readings on

mine, Ging Ginanj ar, a journalist who now works at DeNtsche

the radio. The first novel we selected was Pramoedya's Bumi

U;ielle, blurted out, " I sometimes won der if our signal reac he s

Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), which was read by Sitok

through

to

60

Waves of Freedom

Srengene, a presenter and Komunitas Utan Kayu activist. These

Public Radio in Spirit

FM 89.2 Utan Kayu Programme Schedule

plays and book readings have a 15-minute slot every day, at night when listeners are too tired to listen to news. Another favourite with listeners is the regular Thursday talk show transmitted from outside the studio, popularly known as Diskusi Kamisan. This is a forum for exchange of ideas on social ,.

issues. Its audience is growing. And there's lots of interest from organisations that want to appear on the show. Most are social

Time

10.06-11.OC

Since early 2006, we have focused more intensively on our local radio .station in Jakarta. It is now a separate entity from KBR 68H. This new station is called Radio Utan Kayu. It still airs on 89.2 PM. Several new programmes have been developed to

impr~ve

our service to the public in Jakarta and surrounding

area~. 'We call it: The Station that Listens to YOU!

I Saturday

II

Sunday

MomIno MuSIC Deutscl1e Welle no,'","""

0500.os.<;lI 05 5O-C
. Partnership, and WALHI. Several social movements have grown

response to the tsunami in Aceh.

IWednesday I Thursday I .Friday

[;I 3tW5 00

09.30-10.0( 10.1JO..10. "

commission, Komisi Darurat Kemanusiaan (KDK), a civil society

Monday I Tu05day

r

organisatiofls, such as lCW, INCREASE, Pokja Papua, out of Dzskusi Kamisan, too, including the humanitarian disaster

61

"'0""

Good Momino All

Mominn All Mn mloo All GOOd Momi no ,.,

(',ood

('.twYi

KBR 68H

Make Us Laugh

Timo

04 .J0.05.00 05.IJO.OS.SO 05.30-06.00 06.00-06 .30 06.3(H)7. 00 07.()().()8.00 08()().()8.30 08.3().Q9.00 09.Q0.09.3O 09.30-10.00 10.1JO..10.06

Chat With

Lisleners' Complaints (KPK)

KPK

10.06-11.00

r; ", n", 11.1JO..11 .00 t1.06-11.3O 11.30-12.00 1200.120 t2.06-12.3C 12.30-13. w 13.00-13.01 13.06-13. 30 13.30-14.rv 14.00-14.0! 14.06-14.3C

KBR 68H Lisleners' Co~laints (KPK)

I

KPK ~D"

~D~

KRRAAH

Lisleners' Compla inls (KPK) KBR 68H Thursday

1'"

After Lunch (SMS)

After Lunch (SMS) 14.30-1S.C
KPK

....

I

KBR 68H

I

SMS I KBR 68H

Thursday

DlScusslOfl

I

I

Wome n's Hour

VDV

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vm

vo,

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About Jakarta

Jakana

KB!l 68H

About

Aftemoon Programme

AsiaCalli~

11.00-11 .06 11.06-11.30 11.30-12.00 12.00-12.06 12.06-12.30 12_30-13.00 13.()()'13.06 13.06-t3.30 13.30-1 4.00 14.00-14.06 14.06-14 .30 14.30-15.00 15.00-15.06 15.06-15.30 15.30-16.00 16.00-16.30 16_30-17.00 17.00-18.00

'D~ \

18.00-18.0 18.06·18.31 18.30-19." 19.00-1901 1906-19.3( 1936-20.CX 2O.00-2C.Of 2O.06-20 3(

KBR 68H Aftemoo n Programme

I ~::~~ I

2O~n1. (J(

21.00-21.01 21.06-21.'" I ln\~ctiuo 21.30-221)( f-,Joum'" - I 2200-22r.1 2206-22.J1 Sexand I 22 36-23.1W t"" (" '" 23.00-23.!l 2300-23. &1 Sex and L23 30-00.00 the Cilv I [2im; Monday I

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KBR 68H Ewni'lQ Hour Evening Hour KBR 68H

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KBR 68H Inl. _ _

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18.00-18.06 18.06-18.30 18.30-19.00 19.00-19.06 19.06·19.30 19.36-20.00 20.00-20.06 20.06-20.30 20.30-21.00 21.00-21 .06 : 21.06-21.30 21.30-22.00 22.00-22.06

Inlo" rl'~ I Puooet.Bhow 22.06-22.36 j loleract;·" , I Puooel Show 22.36-23.00 23.00-23.06 InteraC1ive I Puooel Show 23.06-23.30 In1eracIive I Puooel Show 23.30-00.00 ' Saturday I Sunday Time I

4

T

From dispatch rider to satellite

at motorbike, at 3 p.m. wlthout fail, would be parked in front of the KBR 68H studio. A dilapidated bike, rui n ed from running round Jakarta. The driver o ften

wouldn't even get down off the sad dle. He just waited for the cassette, wi th the recording of Btl/eli" .'lore we had produ ced that day, to rush post ha ste to Radi(} Pelita Kasih (RPK) in Cawang, not far from our studio. Back in 1999, we had no choice but to rely o n motorbike di spa tch for ddinr y; that was the most effective form of deliver y open to us. N o t hi-tech by any stretch of the imagination. Wle began working with RPK when KBR 68H was fir st set up. And they h ave b een a ver y loyal partner. We are grateful them, and

to

to

the o th er network members. RPK aired short file s

produced by KBR 68 H that they downloaded from the internet. For th e 30-mi nute programmes, RPK reli ed on the cassette recordings delivered by courier. Coming up

to

4 p.m. RPK should

be about to broadcast the recording o f Bflil'fill Sore. The entire KBR 68H crew would gath er round to listen in on the small

the

/ rJlllUllIi

63

64

Waves of Freedom

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 65

radio in the office. That was the only way we had of monitoring

distribution. That wasn't all. Because we hoped that they would

our work, because in 1999 KBR 68H did not have its own radio

send us news flies from their locations, too, we had to come to

station in Jakarta.

an agreement on work methods. Right down to the naming of

It's past four o'clock. Buletill Sore is not on air yet. Half past

news files, and how we would incicate the date, name of the

four, the bulletin should have finished by now, but we still aren't

reporter, name of the reporting station, and the theme of the

hearing anything on the RPK airwa"es. A colleague, trying to be

news. Those first seven stations were DMWS Kupang, Nebula

optimistic, says, "Maybe it's just a technical hitch ." But by 6

Palu, RPK Jakarta, TOP FM Denpasar, SPFM Makasar, Nikqya

'o 'clock, the bulletin is stili not on air. \v'e've given up all hope.

Banda Aceh and Unisi Yogyakarta.Another seven stations were

to serve our listeners the information they need. But why? \:Jle

soon to join them as network members. To begin with everything ran ~moothly. Especially for the

were tired and fed up by the thought of a day's work ,vasted.

short audio files of maximum 6() seconds duration. So, we

That day's bulletin is definitely not going to air. We have failed

But our frustration soon evaporated when a friend told us,

prioritised production of news bites, on-the-scene reports, and

"The dispatch rider had an accident. The cassette got broken."

packaged them as radio news. Then dispatched them immediately

Oh! So that was why listeners hadn't got to hear our production.

to the network members. There were no deadlines. The principle

We understood. We felt so sorry for the brave dispatch rider.

was, as with other news agencies, get the news out to the network '

Hopefully his injuries \veren't too bad. And, really, it was time to

as soon as it is ready. And these network members, broadcasting

find another way of delivering our radio program mes. Imagine,

in cities far from Jakarta, wanted KBR 68H products because

a radio news agency relying on motorbike dispatch!

this up-to-the-minute news, delivered from a critical and

In point of fact, when this news agency was first launched,

independent standpoint, had a different feel to it than the

the pla'n was take advantage of the advances in information

government radio news they had been forceq to relay in the past.

technology. The programmes produced at Utan Kayu would be

Interest in KBR 68H news products grew. But it was still

dispatched immediately via the internet to radio stations that

limited to internet savvy stations. And their number was negligible

wanted to broadcast them. For that, a digital production, storage

in comparison with the radio station population. Most stations

and distribution' system was designed with the help of colleagues

were light years away from using the internet. This also has tq

from MDLF. Sound editing has been digital from th e outset.

do with the low level of penetration of this information

KBR 68H also shares

technology among the general public. As of last year, only around

this work method with network members,

making sound editing faster and more effective. , To speed up distribu:ion, when the network first came into being we invited the seven radio stations that had been the first to express interest, to take part in a workshop Dn internet

7% of the Indonesian population were internet users.

66

Waves of Freedom

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 67

Growth in the Number of Internet Customers and Users

16.00. Some stations br oadcast it next morning - hardly in keeping with the nature of radio news. The immediacy was lost.

I

Years

Customers

Users

Some only broadcast the programme the following afternoon.

1998

134,000

512,000

The internet proved even less reliable than the motorbike

1999

256,000

1,000,000

dispatch · for RPK - accidents aside. But, there was no way we

2000

400,000

1,900,000

could send programmes to

2001

581,000

4,200,000

the far flung islands by

2002

667,002

4,500,000

motorbike dispatch . This I

2003

865,706

8,080,534

technolog y

I

Completely stifled and repressed, radio stations were unable to make use of satel/ite.

problem

2004

1,087,428

11 ,226, 1431

concluded 1999, the first year of KBR 68H, with a very

2005*

1,500,000

16,000,000 I

challenging assignment: find a solution to the distribution

*Estimate

problem. Indonesia spans thousands of kilometres, covers tens up to tbe end of 2005

Source: Association of Internet Service Provider.r

However, the biggest problem with distributing radio news via the internet was the very slow access in some locations. Old telephone lines and few providers make for a system that is only suited to sending mini audio files . Whenin August 1999 KBR 68H started producing Buletin Sore, a 30-minute programme, downloading became a serious problem. This news bulletin was supposed to be br oadcast simultaneously at 16.00 Western Indonesia Time. So, the KBR 68H editorial team aimed to get it wrapped up and ready for dispatch by 15.00. We h oped that the stations would be finished downloading in 30 minutes, and broadcast it simuhaneously. What ha'Ppened ? Radio DMWS in Kupang reported that it took them 6 hours to download Buletin Sore. Radio Nebula in Palu didri't finish

~ownl oa ding

it until the middle of the night. So,

there was no way that it could be broadcast simultaneously at

of th o usands of far flung islands and, with its poor telecommunications infrastructure and low telephone density (as of 2006, only 4% of the population has fixed telephones), another solution was clearly needed for the radio network. It happened that solution was available. One of the good legacies of the Soeharto administration was satellite. Of course, many legacies of the New Order regime were bad, destructive to the nation, such as corruption, the unspeakable bureaucracy, and the destruction of our democratic institutions. But satellite was a goo d legacy. Realising the problem with communications, the New Order government launched the Palapa Satellite on 9 July 1976. Indonesia was one of the first countries to use satellite for its communications. This technology is well suited to the geography of Indonesia. But, completely stifled and repressed, radio stations were unable

to

make use of the satellite. At that

time, only government radio and television stations were allowed to Use sa telli teo

68

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 69

Waves of Freedom

The problem was one of freedom : radio stations so repres sed

who were determined to expand the network to the four corners

that they weren't even allowed to think about networks, naturall y

of the archipelago. Amid

never went as far as to eye this technology with a view to

meet some of the biggest names in the private satellite business

expanding their coverage. Ironically, the first to lease Palapa

in Indonesia. They managed some of the Palapa C2 Satellite

Satellite channels were radio stations in the Philippines, to expand

channels. And they still had channels that were not being used.

their industry. I heard this story when I visited the biggest radio

W1asting no time, we jumped at this chance to use satellite to

network in the Philippines. The director told me that they don't

distribute KBR 68H programmes. In 2000, we began using this

use Palapa anymore, but in the 1970s they leased satellite channels

technology. Equipped only with a parabola antenna and digital

from Indonesia.

all this paranoia, I was very lucky

to

receiver, radio stations can relay KBR 68H programmes direct.

The private television stations that appeared in the 19805

The same method and equipment is used by overseas stations,

used satellite to expand their broadcasting coverage, too. It was

such as VOA, BBe, Radio Nederland, and Deutsche Welle. The only

easier for private television to access satellite, thanks to the close

difference is that KBR 68H uses a local satellite. No costly, special

links their owners had with the seat of power at that time. Indeed,

pre-set receiver is needed either; just an ordinary, cheap multi

this industry was awash with cash and enjoyed political protection.

channel receiver.

But private radio stations seemed slow to make use of satellite

Installing antennas had a pleasant and sometimes surprising

technology. Perhaps because the leasing fees were prohibitively

effect. One day in June 2000, we were in Jayapura, Papua,

expensive for the size of the radio industry.

responding to a request from Radio 5t1ara Kasih Agtlilg (RSKA)

Another factor impeding growth in the number of radio

to join our network. We were in the middle of doing a radio

stations using satellite had to do with New Order policies that

journalism training, and at the same time installing a parabola

for almost three decades had muzzled radio news. Banned from

antenna and receiver at the station. As usual, we had brought a

producing news, radio stations were forced to package products

receiver from Jakarta. But when the local technician opened it

for entertainment. Music was the mainstay. The character of the

up, it was broken. So, we decided to look for one locally, and it

stations was very local. The possibility of having a national or

turned out that there were lots of digital receivers to choose

regional station was unthinkable. Even news networks did not

from in the local shops. Since then, we trust that digital receivers

flourish.

are freely available in nearly every corner of the archipelago.

After the 1998 Reformation, we were in a different situation.

There is no need

to

bother bringing receivers from Jakarta. Radio

Would radio stations still not be allowed to lease satellite

stations can find their own receivers to begin building a satellite

channels? It may well be that it had never actually been prohibited

link with KBR 68H.

in writing. \"ias it just a tradition that no one had ever tried to change? These questions bothered us, the KBR 68H managers,

That evening, in the yard of Paulus Church in Jayapura, ,vhere .

RSKA is located, we gathered to wait while the digital receiver

70

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 71

Waves of Freedom

was in stalled. It was coming up

to

18.00 local time, the time to

broadcast Buletin Sore. We were crowded round a small transistor radio, and suddenly the sound of the presenter in Jakarta filtered through to our ears in Jayapura. We felt amazed, delighted. it was as easy as that, making a radio network. Having the right terhnology was an enormous asset to this programme. Listeners

PALAPA C2 SATELLITE

)n. Jayapura were even more delighted because in this bulleti n there was an interview with Tom Beanal, a Papuan community leader whose voice, at that time, was seldom heard in the local

430 KBRs8i? network stations receive programmes using a parabola and a dig ital receiver

media. The managers of other radio stations in Jayapura were so excited that some even relayed RSKA so that they could broadcast the progJ:amme. Wnen we started using satellite to dispatch KBR 68H news the number of network members increased sharply and has been growing ever since. It is so easy and inexpensive for our new members to access KBR 68H products. This system is so efficient that there is less than a one second time lag bet\veen what the presenter in the KBR 68H studio says and what network station listeners hear. In other words, these programmes are

SATELLITE UPLINK

~

EPHONE I INTERNET

broadcast direct from KBR 68H in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, to TELEPHONE SMS POLLING

listeners in hundreds of cities in Indonesia, via local stations. This system can be visualised like this: STUDIO KBRS8i7

Tbe KBR 68H Net1lJo rk Sj'stem

~

~ LISTENERS

72

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 73

Waves of Freedom

Satellite technology allows for broadcast coverage not limited

that K13R 68H must rise to. We wanted to produce software that

by a country's borders, but only by the range of the satelli1e

would help clients monitor whether or not their programmes or

signal, or footprint . For the satellite used by KBR 68H, th e

. adyertisements were being broadcast by network stations.

footprint covers more than t'wenty countries in Asia Pacific. So,

In 2003 KBR 68H, with support from MDLF, developed

technically, listeners throughout Asia Pacific countries could tun c

that software. Called KBR 68H Logger, this software is used to

into KBR 68H broadcasts. Of course, in the case of news

log broadcasts by KBR 68H netwo~k members: are they

programmes, the problem would be one of language because

broadcasting KBR 68H programmes or not? This logger works

Indonesian is used by a limited number of p eople in Asia. In

by making a digital record that differentiates between locally

2001, KBR 68H had the idea of producing an information

produced programmes and KBR 68H programmes. The radio

package for listeners in Malaysia, but it never got off the ground

operator needed only

because of the strict censorship and harsh repression in that

local, and the data is collected and accessed once a day by the

country.

KBR 68H server.in U tan Kayu. The data is then uploaded

Network radio using satellite and internet technology, was, it seemed, very easy

duplicate and suited to a wide geographical

to

click one of two switches, KBR 68H or to

on

a special website that can be accessed directly by the advertisers

area. Connecting places previously isolated from each other. This

using a password. The' KBR 68 H Logger was officially launched at the Hilton

was proven by our partner in Nepal, Communication Corner. After

Hotel on 28 May 2003 , in the presence of around 300 people

doing a comparative study at KBR 68H, the management of

from advertising bureau and clients. This technology is quite

Communication Corner set out to look for satellite facilities in Nepal

amazing, and did much to raise the credibility of KBR 68 H in

and began building its own network. Unfortunately, this initiative

the eyes of advertisers. Unfortunately, only a few of our network

was muzzled by the repressive king of Nepal in early 2005.

members have the supporting equipment needed to operate this

Without technological freedom, its purpose was lost.

software. It is estimated that only 30% of KBR 68H network

to

members have computers that are equipped to deal with this

The KBR 6aH Logger

installation. For this reason , growth in the use of this equipment

One reservation that advertisers have about network radio

has been very slow. By the end of 2003, only around 50 sta ti ons

is an assurance that their message will be broadcast on distant

were using the KBR 68 Logger. Great technology, but not ver y

radio stations. "How can you guarantee that our advertisement

practical.

is being aired in Merauke or Sabang?" asked one KBR 68H client.

Another obstacle was that the data input depended on the

A very logical question, given that the client may not have an

operator clicking the switch on the Logger. The network radio

office or people that can monitor the radio stations in these

operator might, for some reason, forget to click the switch every

distant locations. Client demands such as this present a challenge

time from local to KBR 68H relay, or vice' versa, so the data

74

-

Waves of Freedom

From Dispatch Rider to Satellite 75

\\.ould not be recorded. \\Je found this to b e a very serious problem. So \\'e needed to make an upd ated versjo n, one that did not rely o n this manual input:. The software should be able to

automatic ally detect the prog ramm e being bro adcas t and

differenti ate b etween local prog rammes and KBR 68H products. We didn't gi\"e up hope. \'
than twO years before we

The KBR 68H Logger allows them to check whether their advertisements are being aired in even the most remote locations.

\\'ork e d ou t h ow t o modify the Logger. We embedded a special tone in programmes and advertisements relayed by KBR 68H to network members. This tone differentiates our programme s from local programmes. So now \\"e are able to kn m,\" for sure whether station A in East Nu sa Tenggara is airing the programmes it has agreed to air. Development o f this software and implementation of this system took a great deal of time, energy and res o urces. But we forged ahead, certain that the use o f this approprja te technologv would help improve the performance o f the radio industry as a whole. Advertisers could set as id e their doubts. Now, they can check for themselves w hether their advertisements are being aired in the far flung corners of Kalimantan o r Maluku, pro\'ided th at the network member there is using the KBR 68H Logger. \Vic want to share this technology with network members. Local Studio Client

H ow the KBR 68H Logger JlJork.s

5

I

Training

and training

will never tire of telling this tale of my stupidity. A very valuable lesson from my own experience, when in 1999 I interviewed Xanana Gusmao, the leader who is now

President of Timor Leste. Although it was no t my first interview

with Xanana, I felt a bit nervous, because this was the first time I had done an interview for radio. With no training whatsoever, I set off armed wi th the skills of a newspaper journalist. A.fter talking abou t this and that for about an hour and half I fe lt I had enough in formation from the inter view. I rushed back to the studio, an d transferred the recording into digital format - a standard procedure at KBR 68H. I scanned the recording for a suitable pull quote for a short news programme. The longer versio n of the interview I could use for a longer programme. But never mind the longer version, finding even a short quote proved almost impossible. E verything that Xanana said was masked by a background noise, the continual whirring of a fan. Then I remembered . The jail was so hot that Xanana lived with Bifore feedif/g his COl/ lj; ajlmlJer IImi.r /1) li.rltll /0 thr mdio. KHR 68H skiff lilStolled 0 .rbeaker at tbe en/mllcr 10 a Iii/age i" "" lr,./J 131'.((/r

a fan beside his chair. The noise of the fan could not be erased. 77

78

Training and Training

Waves of Freedom

That noise ruined my debut as a radio interviewer. If I had

79

\X:'c also had a journalist from the United States' National

worked for another station, I would probably have been fl red.

pI/bile Radio (l\TR) working in the KBR 68H office, and used

A fabulous source, but nothing to show for it because of a fan.

thi s oppo rtunity to learn and acquire skills from her. On another

Luckily, the ne\\' staff that came on board to develop KBR

occasion we worked together with D wtsche IVeile to produce a

68H were much more skilled and far quicker learners than me.

joint current affairs programme, Several KBR 68B staff have

The y didn't need to make the fatal kind of mistake I had made.

studied a t the Centre for Investigative Journalism in the

That is also what motiyated KBR 68B to continue prm·iding

Philippin es. In these ways, we try continually to build the capacity

training. Both for its own staff and for network members around

of KBR 6RH staff. Training is not only for journalists, bur

Indonesia. Helping colleagues

technical staff, too, such as making a technical comparison of

to

become skilled radio journalists.

AM Stereo with DZRH in IVIani la. In short, we train and train.

No shame in learning

\'{!e learn fro m anyone who has something to teach us.

To build staff capacity, KBR 68B has invited many foreign journalists to internal training sessions. Also, we send journalists

Motivating others to train

to take part in training programmes overseas. The first time was

Recognising the importance of raising the quality of human

in July 1999 when we invited a BBC journalist to share h is

resources, radio journalism training has become an important

experience of producing a 30-minute current affairs programme.

activin' for K BR 68H, After news production, of course. l\1Iost

This one-mo nth training programme was for all KBR 68H staff

of tbis training in basic radio journalism skills takes place in

- at that time, just six people. The result was Bli/din Sore, which

locations outside Jakarta. To facilitate the transfer of knowledge

went on air in Augus t the same year.

and skills, a large part o f the training is hands-on. The basic

After that we regularly sent journalists to study at the Rad io Nede rlands Training Centre, and to Sweden

to

take p art in th e

training is g e nerally given by a team of KBR 68H staff (jo urnalists and tecbnicians) dispatcbed

to

the location.

FOJO programme. KBR 68H has sent journalists to the Unired

As an illustration of the intensive nature of tbis training,

States to learn more about radio there. ' V
bet\veen January and December 2000, KBR 68H ran 12 training

comparative study to find out how BEC editorial teams work,

programmes - 9 in the regions and 3 in Jakarta - for 156 people

especially in managing Radio 4. To be honest, managing the BBC

(55 \\'omen and 101 men). In the years since, we bave continued

is easicr than managing an organisation like KBR 68H, because

to run training courses in various locations in Ind onesia. So tbat,

the J3J3C has full financial backing from the public, through tbe

b\ its se\-:-entb anniversary this \'Car, KBR 68H bas provided

national budget. Kl:3R 6RB, meanwhile, in its desire to serve

d lC

training for no less tban 2,000 crew from KBR 68B nenvork

public, has to seek funding suppOrt from commercial and soci al

Stations and other radio stations. Most were radio presenters or

organisations.

80

Training and Training

Waves of Freedom

reporters,~There

was also training for technicians, marketing staff

81

pontian:l k, stjmuJated the growth o f new reporter~ in those location s.

and radio managers. Training in Radio News Production for Journalists and Technicians, 2000

1N0

Type of Training

Location

~

Date

Participants

1.

Basic Training

Pekanbaru,Riau

19·23Feb

M 11

F 3

2.

Basic Training

Jambi

22·27 March

12

4

3.

Training and Evaluation of 68H Network Basic Training

Jakarta

1·6 May

11

6

Trainer

Total 14 KBR 68H and Radio Gress FM 16 KBR 68H and Radio Dian Irama KBR 68H 17

Jayapura

5·9June

6

10

16

Training for Campus Radio Joumalist

Yogyakarta

13·17June

11

4

15

6.

Training: Reading and InteNiew Techniques

Jakarta

19·23 June

11

7

18

KBR 68H

7.

In·house Training For Winners of ISAI Awards BasIc Iraining

Jakarta

31 July ·13 Aug

4

0

4

KBR 68H

Banjarmasln

9

5

14

Basic Traini~ Basic Training

, Mataram Medan

25 Sept· 3 ct 23·27 Oct

6

10.

5

5 6

11 11

11 .

Basic Training

Lampung

13·17 Nov

9

1

10

KBK 6~H and Radio Smart KBR 68H andQE KBR 68H and Radio Sonya KBR 68H and Radio Yu distira

cooperation with several Other organisations, Throughout 2001,

12.

Basic Training

Pontianak

26·30 Nov

6

4

10

KBR 68H and Volar<

for example, KBR 68H worked with the Institute for the Studies

4. 5 1

8. ~.

I BasIc

4·

~

::;ept

KBR 68H and Radio Nusa Bahagi. KBR 6HH an~ Radio Unlsl M

'hailling for Radio J Olln1a/isfs il1 i\ Torfh SlllJ70tTa

To run th ese training programmes, KBR 68H works

In

on Free Fl ow of Info rmati o n (ISA I) to run three training programmes for around 45 participants in Kupang, Kendari, and At each training session in the regions, participants come

Bengkulu. These th re e programmes were funded by The Asia

from private radio stations in that area. For example, when we

fo undation. ISAI, which has experience in running journalism

ran a training progr amme in Jayapura, all the private radio stations

training programmes, th en de\doped the School for Broa dcast

in that city, and from Wamena, enthusiastically sent their staff

?I Iedia , Operating since 2005, this institute provides education

along. That training was followed by invitations for participants to become KBR 68H correspondents. So, since the training in

sen 'ic es for radio and TV journalists, The people taking parr in KBR 68H training programme s

Jayapura, KBR 68H has had permanent and reli ab le

Me generally enthu sias tic because the training is so practical.

co rrespondents for the Jayapura and Wamena areas, Like'wis e,

The" also Lile the fact that there is follow up to our training,

our training programmes in Pekanbaru, Jambi, Yogyakarta and

Wh en the training is over, they are giYe n the ch ance to become

82

Training and Training

Waves of Freedom

stringers for our radio news agency. That means that they continue to work for th eir usual radio station, but ge t th e chance to have

83

Here are so me comments fro m people who took part in a KBR 68B training programme in Flores:

their coverage broadcast to a national audience, through the KBR

68H network. They get extra income for each broadca st on KBR

) itliafla l \fera, Radio Siaran Pemerinrah Daerah,

Ea~t

Flores:

68H. At least 20% of th ose that ha,·e had training become regu lar

Thi s training \\-as great. \x: hen 1 got back

contributors, enhancing KBR 681-[ programmes.

immediately shared my experiences with my colleagues. \1\. boss

to

the station, 1

was delighted with the new things I had learned. J once went on another training programme, but it was nothing but theory. \\lith KHR 68H we could tryout that theory straight away. The KBR 68H training manu al is useful for operators and technicians, too. Rq),llerFi"allJi.rkllJ, Radio Cakram, l\laumere: The training

fre ll11 KBR 68B was really useful. As well as learning about

producing radio programmes, 1 also got to meet lots of people and learn from their experiences in managing radio statiom in Flon.~ s.

That was something that I'd never experienced before. h-allJiskllS AllgNs/illa remal1des, Radio Cakram, Maum ere:

After the training from KBR 68H I realised that producing radio news was not as difficult as I'd imagined.

Training f(Jr Asiall j(Jl/rna/isls, A sia Cal/iJlg slringers

In-house training and internships

In 2003, we added to our training sessions by inviting gues ts

Since 2003, K13R 68 H has developed in-house trai ning

alon g. For instance, we invited Indonesian Corrup tion Watch

for 21 radio station s in Ind onesia. These intensive two-week

(I C\'{l) activists to o ffer perspectives and practical tip s o n

training programmes have been run at radio stations in Tu al,

producing reports on corruption. T his organi sa ti on is headed

Mano kwari, Sampit, Bintuni, i\Iasohi, Ambon, Banda Aceh, and

by T ete n Maskudi, a ci vil society activist and winn er of the

DUl11ai . Journalists fr o m these sta ti o n s hayc also had the

Magsaysay A,,-ard, and a ver y influential figure in the anti

opportunity to attend two-week internships at KBR 68B. This

corruption m O\-emen t in Ind onesia.

prog ramme gi,-es journali sts from a number of cities a chance to observe and be directl y im-olved in the workings of KB R 68[--1. And KBR 68H journalists have th e chance

to

see with their

Own eyes th e situ ation in our local affi_bate stations.

84

Training and Train ing

Waves of Freedom

85

KBR 68H also provides internships for students from

That \\'as also to be the yea r of the direct presidential elections,

campus radio stations and pe ople from other medi a tha t are

and direct electi o n of members of the house of reg ional

intcn:sted in developing radio programmes. E very month th ere

representati ves, the DPD. Radio had to be involv ed in

arc about four students from various campuses doing th ese

popularising this new system so that people would be better

internships in our offices. r-.Iost of the people on internships

equipped to deal with the elections. So, training needed to be

from other media are from TEMPO. In 2002, whene'-er we were

internships for radio journalists fr o m Voice of DemomJC)' in

pro,-ided, to make sure that the journalists were better prepared too. The KBR 68H

Cambodia.

programme, jurnalis M el/pll! Pemiltl, kicked off with two training

recruiting new reporters, T EM PO sent two candidates to work with KBR 68H for a fortnight. We also provide regul a·'

KBR 68H has prOVided training for no less than 2,000 crew from KBR 68H network stations and other radio stations.

sessions for prospective trainers, which were held from 15 to 18 and from 22 to 25 July 2003. Sixty journalists from 32 provinces were invited to attend this training to become trainers and run similar training programmes in their respective provinces. This training consisted of two main components: balanced election reporting, and an introduction to the new regulations on th e 2004 election system. Competent speakers were invited to the training to talk about the general elections and the position of journalists in this kind of political event. They came from KPU, Panwaslu, JPPR, I<JPP, AJI, and the Press Council. To support this training, KBR 68H published three books on the elections: (a) A Guide to Monitoring the 2004 E lections, published in cooperation with the independent election watchdog,

KOllJite II1c/epe;;den Pel1lal1tatt Pe1l1iltf (KIPP); (b) A Handbook for

Training in election coverage

TV / Radio Journalists, a trans latio n of an Article XIX book

Training in 2003 focused on election monitoring. Support

previously published by ISAI; and (c) j ac/lral Pel//i/u, a reprint of

for this programme came from Free Voice, an organisation for

a KPU brochure of the election timetable. T hese boo ks were

independent media in the Ne therlands, and from The Asia

distributed to radio journalists, to broaden their insight and

Foundation. This training ,vas vital, because a very new style of

enhance their kn owledge. Thanks to this train ing and th ese

ge neral election for Indonesia was due to take place in 2004.

publications, radio journalists were better prepared to cover this

86

Training and Training

Waves of Freedom

87

extremely important e vent. In some way at least, this contribu tt:d

~aturaJly, it contains a g reat deal of informati on and a great

the success of the 2004 elections, which included di rect

mJny examples of the British experience, Or, perhaps m o re

presidential elections, a new mile stone in democracy in Indonesia.

precisely, the RRC exp erience. So, understanding the context,

to

rcaders should be able to choose which pans need

to

be read

more closely, and which parts can be glo ssed over.

Literature vac uum '\ s well as training, KBR 68H has also felt the need to publish

Radio :r Niche M arketillg Retlo//.Ition: by Godfrey WI. Herweg and

various bo oks on radio journalism. The publication of th ese

Ashle y Page H erweg. This 360-page tome was tran slated and

books, six of wh ich were sponso red br MDLF, is a \yay of

publi shed by KBR 68H in January 2004. This

encouraging learning in this somewhat neglected fi eld. So that

book discusses a new perspective in radio

those interested in taking up this profession haye access to enough

marketing, one that focuses on niche marketing.

information to get ,tarted . . \nd those who already h aH

This b ook is very useful for radio marketing

experience in radi o journalism can draw on the expe riences of

staff, advertising pe op le and the like . It is

those \\'ho han: expertise in

thi~

published in Indonesian as RCl'o/Nsi PC!J1osoran

field.

The purpo se of these KBR 6SH publications is to enrich our store of knO\.\'lecige of radi o journalism. The y include: Sen!

~Va}j/allca/'a

R Cldif) , a rransla ti o n

0

Illtenir:willg for Rae/io . Jim Beaman is a se nior

f Jim B cam an 's _

......- -

Rcu/io. Experienced radi o managers placed order~

for this book because it enriches their

knowledge of the radi o business. Illside the BEC ond C;S[\'-: by Lucy Kung-Shankelman, was

at Universit y

originaUy published by Routledge, London. This book has been

College, England. He has worked as a trainer

translated into Ind onesian and given the title

at the BBC Trainin g Centre, H e also has

Inside BEC dan Cj'VN: Pervour/illgol/ Budo),a

practical experience in radio journalism, as a

Orgallisasi !Hedlo. The first edition came out in

presenter, reporter and producer at the BBe.

D ecember 2003. This book is the result of

This author's background as an academic and

research into the work environments and work

practitioner makes this a valuable resource for us to learn fro m.

cultures in the editorial rooms of CNN and

The English edition of this b ook was published by Routledege

the

in 2000, and we are grateful to this celebrated publisher for

orga ni sations were chosen as a case study for

lecturer in radio

journ ali~m

BBC.

These

twO

entrusting KBR 68H \\'irh the publication of the Indonesian

the purposes of comparison, allowing readers

version.

learn from these experiences.

to

major

medi a

understand and

Reading this translation, the first thing to remember is th at

In 2003, KBR 68H published a book entitled MediCI dall

this book \\'as '.Hitten in a context guite different from ours.

KOI!lIik Ambo/l. This book \\'as the result of reportage by KBR

88

89

Training and lraining

Waves of Freedom

68H, together with Pan tau magazine and

,,
several journalists from the i'vlaluku Medi a Centre. Led by researcher Eriya nto, this team

ncrwO rk . This book, published under the title Gelolllball,~ Kemalian, was

reviewed do cuments and interviewed many

launch ed at an A]I bo ok ex hibition at T aman I zmail i\ Iarzu ki.

peo ple on the role of the mas s media in the

Discussion of thi s b ook prompted a p ositive re sponse fr om,

conflict in Maluku between 1999 and 2002.

all10ng oth ers, Atmakusumah, former chair of rhe Press Council.

C;r!oll/ballg KelJlatiall talks about th e fatal role of radi o in Rwanda,

The book de scribes h ow difficult it had been to r ema in imp artial as the conflict es calated a nd the

which was used to fan the fl ames o f ethnic conflict.

community b eca me more and more segregated . Some medi a th at

publicatio n of Article XIX is essenti al reading for b road casters

had started out b eing plural and rational were influenced by the

in Indonesia, to avoid a recurrence of these mi stakes.

v io le nce and found it harder and hard er to m aintain th eir

Participati/;e M.arkelillg for Local Radio, b y

independence. Most media were not adequately trained to deal

Dennis List. Published by Origin al Boo ks. T his

with such seri o u s co nflict, and failed to maintain th eir

book \vas distributed by KBR 68 H at the end

independence.

of September 2004. It di scusses particip ative

This

Thi s book gives a d esc ription of the local radio and

marketing for local radio, and desc ribes simp le

newspaper s in Ambo n, which got caught up in the religiou s

re search meth ods for ide ntify ing li steners '

conflict. Tragically, the problem was exacerbated b y the hand s

need s. Translated in to Ind onesia n as Pelllosaran

o f evi l, hiding behind pen s and micropho ne s fann ing the flames

Partisipatif untuk R(/dio Lokal, this book is a respo n se

of conflict. T he damage do ne by the media in Ambon was not

paucity of books on radio marketing, especially for small stations.

as bad as that done by the media in Rwanda. But, we must

This book ha s proved very p o pular with managers o f local radi o

remember the dangers o f a partisan media in physical conflict. \Y./e recorded these experiences so that jou rn alists will never repeat

statio ns . IWriting Broadcast News: S/?orter, Sharper,

these mistakes.

Stronger, by l\:Iervin Block, publish ed by Bonu s

Broadcasting Genocide, Article X IX. Thi s book is ess ential reading b ecause it reminds us of the potential for misuse of broadcasti ng. Radio can be used to spread hate and enmity.

..

',~-~~ ~

to

the

Book Inc. , Chicago. Th e tran sla tion of thi s 343-page book has been fl ying off rhe shelves. And this "vas no r a direct transla ti o n, either. \'(/e

gave senior jo urnali st, Bambang Buj ono,

Copyright on this 192-page b ook was granted

the job o f adapting it and supp lementing it

to KBR 68H and, with the supp ort of MDLF,

with hi s own experi ence. Thi s adapt atio n was

it was published. On this publication, we also

giYen the title M ellll/is unt1lk Telillp,a. This handb ook fo r radio

....

~------------------------------------- --

90

------

-

Training and Training

Waves of Freedom

journalists on how to write for radio gives plenty of examplt:s. Bas ed on the experiences of the w ri te r as practitioner an d academic, this handb oo k help s radio journalists to improve th eir writing, making it: shorter, sharper, and str o nger. As well as tran slations, we have also publish ed our own bo o ks, containing tran scripts o f KBR 68 H programmes. Two of these are Ttlllibflb di

Tel~gab

Krisis, a coll ectio n of transcri pts

fr o m the Ouralall EkolloJlli programme, and Melawal7 Ko mps/, tran scripts of RejorlJlasi Huk 1flll and Daerab Bieam, published with supp o rt from Partnership for Governance Refor m. Thes e bo oks fill a liter ary vacuum in broadcasting. Especially for ra di o journalists.

Sti!Jerdesk . the KRR 681-/ editoriallearll

91

6

Rj

The social

market

diO is often referred to as a dirt cheap media. And

therein lies its beauty. Transistor radios can be bought or as little as Rp 10,000 ($1.15). There are, of course,

plenty of more expensive models available too. This means that

in terms of range, distribution and diversity, users of radio surpass users of o ther media such as the print media and television. Tho se who are poor, who live in remote villages with no electricity, and even those who are illiterate, can enjoy radio broadcasts. Radio penetration is estim ated at 55% of the Indonesian population, or more than 100 million people. For manage rs, radio s tations are seen as fairly flexible investments. There are stations run as a hobby, or community radio stations, started up with an inves tment of o nly a few hundred thousand rupiah. No need for an o ffice . The studio can be set up in a room in someone's house or in a village hall. Naturally, investment in a professional private station in a major city could run into billions of rupiah. But this wide variety of stations is a plus. At least, it would be very hard for anyone to even dream of monopolising radio in Indonesia. They would be 93

94

The Social Market

Waves of Freedom

95

up against three thousand private and community radio sta tions,

had a programme to help those who intended to return home to

which for all intents and purposes are autonomous. From the point of view of those who want to put a message

Timor Leste. KBR 68H proposed a concept for communicating

across, be they advertisers or social organisations, radio is clearly

information about this UNCHR programme, and about the kind

a very low cost option. To achieve per head targets, the money

of assistance that would be available to refugees if they returned.

they have to spend is negligible in comparison with other media.

This programme was aired

But, unfortunately, not many realise this, so radio invariably makes

on just six radio statio.ns in

up a very small portion of advertising spending. Much smaller

Kupang,Atrunbua,Soeand

than the amount spent on advertising on television and in

Maumere, the towns where refugees from Timor Leste were thought to be.

newspapers, and in no way comparable to its penetration.

The hope was that they would return home and live with differences in peace.

This is indeed a low cost media. On top of this is the friendly

They were able to hear these programmes broadcast from

character of radio, the close relationship it has with listeners,

the studio in Utan Kayu via these local radio stations. Naturally,

which serves as a catalyst for creative and innovative ideas about

we were delighted to hear that several refugees had gone round

the way these stations are managed. Programmes, naturally, cater

to

to listeners, and that creates a niche market. We at KBR 68B encapsulate this in the term "Social Market". A market created

do we go about getting home?" We revisited the refugee problem in a joint programme with

from social concern, activities oriented to the public. For KBR

the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in North

68H, the potential is even greater, because of its wide network,

Maluku. The scope of this programme was wider than just

reaching out to the most remote villages, and because it is flexible

providing a service for displaced people. The target a,:dience

enough to make programmes that address regional concerns.

was the entire community of North Maluku, torn to shreds by

the studio in Maumere to ask the people from UNHCR, "How

armed religious conflict. Some had fled to North Sulawesi, others

Reaching displaced people

to Maluku. So this programme focused on these three locations

In the immediate aftermath of the 1999 referendum in Timor

in the hope that they would teturn home and live with differences

Leste, the problem of displaced persons had to be dealt with. Thousands of people had been forced to cross over into West

in peace. This programme with UNDP involved not only radio talk

Timor because their villages had been burnt to the ground or

shows and public service announcements. These were backed

because of political differences unsettled even after the poll. In

up by advertisements in the print media, and direct campaigns

any case, most were in Atambua and Kupang, and some had

that involved producing and distributing promotional goods. We

gone as fat as Flores. The United Nations High Commission on

helped to design T-shirts and stickers, and distribute them via

Refugees (UNHCR), the UN body that deals with refugee matters,

radio programmes, for example as prizes for quizzes on the theme

96

The Social Market

Waves of Freedom

97

of reconciliation. These peacebuilding initiatives through raw

public service announcements. This campaign, called Gen Plltih,

programmes are believed to have had a positive impact, assisting

was designed to be participator y. On the radio we held a

the peace process and helping bring an end to the violence.

competition for listeners to design a radio jingle and almost 200 p eople sent in their creations. This roused anti-violence sentiments in Indonesia. At KBR 68H network stations that took part in this programme, we put up banners with anti-violence messages. '\fie wan ted this anti-violence stance to spread to the public. The violence w e oppose is not only ph ys ical. We have recorded many incidents of non-physical violence, notably discrimination against minority groups . On this issue, for example, KBR 68H has worked with UNAIDS to campaign against discrimination against people living with HIV/ AIDS. These people are often stigmatized and stereotyped, and these stereotypes affect how other people respond to people with HIV/ AIDS. We have tried to diminish this kind of behaviour by

One

0/ the tools 0/ the peace campaign in N011h Malttku.

There IPere T-shirts, banners, and stickers, too.

broadcasting radio programmes in cooperation with UNAIDS. This began with training for our own radio journalists, so that they would not discriminate against or perpetuate the stigmas associated with people with HIV/ AIDS.

Anti violence KBR 68H is against violence, and works to popularise this principle. We encourage communities to settle their problems,

Polley communication The platform built by KBR 68H with its nationwide network

their differences of opinion, and interests, peacefully. That why

has also proved useful for the government. They can use this

we seized the chance to work with the Indonesian National

instrument to communicate policies, especially urgent policies

Commission on Human Rights, Komnas HAM, in its campaign

that affect the lives of many. The network pioneered by KBR

against violence, itself a response to the violence that erupted

68H is far wider than the government's own network. That is

after the fall of the authoritarian regime.

why the people who are aware of this advantage do not hesitate

This joint programme with Komnas HAM involved regular weekly talk shows and la'ter the production and broadcast of

to make use of it.

98

The Social Market

Waves of Freedom

99

about polio vac cinations

In almost 140 of the se regencies, KBR 68H has network

through a four stage campaign. This programme is vital because

members. In the remaining 60 or so regencie s, there are no radio

after years of being polio free this crippling disease re-emerged,

stations at all. It was this radio network that we offered to the

affecting more tnan three hundred children in seyeral provin ces.

state minister in order to reach those living in underdeveloped

The call to vaccinate 20 million children obviously required a

parts of the country. KBR 68H immediately set about creating a

\vide reaching, in expensiye and easily accessible instrument of

special programme to discuss both the potential and the problems

communicati on. Likewis e, when the government was srruggling

in these regencies. This programme was given the name 1I1itra

to explain the fuel price hikes - never a popular policy - K BR

DoeI'd (Regional Partners). The aim: to provide a forum for

We helped to spread the

me ~sage

the message across. So,

underdeyeloped regencies to promote their potential and attract

any intention on the part of government to downsize the K BR

investment. Mitra Doerah also gives people an opportunity to

68H network to just a few stations would be inappropriate, which

voice their aspirations for their home regions.

68H worked with the government to

ge~

is what Government Regulation N o. 50 / 2005 does by limiting the coverage of a radio network to 15% of the total number of districts. As well as government departments, state owned enterprises have rapidly come to recognise the benefits of communicating via a radio network as wide as KBR 68H's. In recent times, we have helped communicate messages from several publ ic companies, including PL'\J, Pertamina and the government-rull pawnshops.

Mitra Daerah (Regional Partners) One day at the end of 2004, the State Minister for the Dcnlopmen r of L nderdevel oped Regi o ns, Saifullah Yusu f, announced that there were 199 underdevel o ped regencies in

rlale Millister/o.,. thr De!'CIrrpllleJIl 0/ Ulldm/I've/oped RegiollS, Saiji,//ah Yusuj, rllld Faisa/ Bam~

011

the jirst Mitra Darra/) talk

J/)OUJ

Indonesia. One of the characteristics of these regi ons is a lack rh e ~e

The .\.[itra D t/c1ra b programme was launched by the minister,

develop these regions, adequ ate

In a first edition that also featured economist Faisal Basri.

of access to information. Communication facilitie s in districts are minimal. Yet

to

Subsequent editions featured regents and social activists

information is a mu st.

Concerned about the deye!op ment of underdeveloped regions '.

100

Waves of Freedom

in Indonesia. This programme again demonstrated the relevance

--

101

The Social Market

managing advertising spots, which were very limited. There

participation across Indonesia. From one end of the country to

weren't enough spots to meet demand. Public enthusiasm for the 2004 elections, largely

the other, we are there.

motivated by the direct presidential elections, helped to improve

of KBR 68H in communicating information and inviting public

the performance of KBR 68H. We became more confident that

Direct general elections We tend to look back at 2004 as a positive year. N ot only because of the business opportunities afforded by th e general election, but also because the advantages of a wide reaching radio network like KBR 68H were clearly demonstrated.

Mitra Daerah responds to the lack of access to information in underdeve/ oped regions. From one end of the country to the other we are there.

our business model, targeting the social market, benefited the public and thereby

gave us the chance for survival.

That year, Indonesia held two elections. First, general elections for members of parliament (DPR) and the house of regional representatives (DPD). And second, a direct presidential election,

Illiteracy Today, one of our biggest challenges is eradicating illiteracy. In Indonesia, there are still around 15 million people who are

the first in Indonesia since independence. We began by producing election education programmes,

illiterate. They are concentrated in 9 provinces, including East

such as Dari Bilik Suara (From The Voting Booth) long before

Java, Central Java and Papua. Most of these illiterate adults, as

the elections. This was crucial, because for voters the 2004

one might imagine, come from poor families, isolated from

elections were new in many ways. Election laws had

various kinds of information access. B'l.t they can probably be

to

be

participation. These programmes gained broad support fro m

reached by radio broadcasts. The Department of National Education has a target

organisations like the General Election Commission (KPU) and

the number of people who are unable to read and write by 2009.

the Election Monitoring Committee (Panwaslu), as well as

That means around 7 million peopl,e will have to be helped so

independent election watchdogs.

that they can learn

socialised and election schedules publicised to ensure public

to

to

halve

read within the next four years. Radio

Then, when the campaign season was decided, the KBR

could playa major role in this. Especially a radio network like

68H network attracted the interest of candidates and political

KBR 68H. We could produce programmes that would help

parties. We had to work hard

illiterate people

to

make sure that all contestants

to

learn to read. Is radio not a theatre of the

got a fair shot at the limited opportunities available. No one

minJ? We could be a vehicle for the education of this marginal

should get more exposure than the others. The time around the

group.

general election was the one and only time we have had a problem

7

I

To the ends of the country

t'S daybreak at Bintuni Bay. The fresh aroma of steaming earth rises up from the road . The only road in this newly formed regency. It's only about 5 kilometres long. No

crossroads. No traffic lights. The office buildings are all lined

up on either side of the road. Including Radio Merbau, the first and only radio station in this area that become a regency in 2003. The station was set up by a small g roup of young local people w.ith the help of KBR 68H. Suddenly, the road is filled with the shouts of children chasing a deer. That morning, an unfortunate deer had wandered on to the road, which is no t far from the edge of a fo rest. And the teenagers immediately gave chase. Very soon, it might turn up as dried meat in Bintuni Market. This was the first time I had ever seen a deer nearly pay a visit to a radio station. But that was just a small part of the unique experience we have had o pening up access to information in remote areas by helping colleagues set up radio stations in regencies that were previously devoid of media. In Namlea on Buru Island, we set up a radio station before there was a power supply to the studio. 103

To the Ends of the Country

105

After almost two years of waiting, we were relieved when

-

electricity poles were erected in front of the studio even though

conflict, human rights violations and other problems. Which is

there was still no power supply

whY an independent media as a source of information and a

104

Waves of Freedom

to

light up Radio Rana, the fir st

radio station on Buru Island. In Tual, we were pleased that the initiative to set up a radio . station was warmly welcomed by the local people. The station was even officially opened by the Tual regent, accompanied by the ranks of local government officials. But a few months later,

operation of this scale is fertile ground for social problems, land

means of public participation was a must. Radio Merbau FM, which airs on 82.9 FM, is named after a much sought after and co stlv kind of wood from Papua. The Radio M erbau

The station in Bintuni was set up because this is a very isolated area, despite being the location of a $ 6.2 billion investment

aired on this station. He was very much instrumental in an attempt

building, which stands on the side of the road, is quite high up. Its location is very strategic

to force the closure of this radio station.

and practically everything going on among the inhabitants of

the regent became overly sensitive to the criticism and talk shows

this small town reaches the Merbau studio. Construction was

Radio Merbau, Blntunl, West Irian Radio Merbau went on air for the first time in March 2005,

delayed because of difficulties getting materials like cement, steel, and ceramic tiles. The completion date was to have been

about a year after the idea was first conceived of. This racli

November 2004, but this kept getting put back, and the building

station for the people of Bintuni was one of the hardest to set

was finally completed in February 2005. Even then there was

up, given the technical challenges and transportation problems,

still no water supply. If they needed water, the Radio Merbau

and the difficulty of procuring spare parts and making necessary

crew had to go and fetch it from a neighbour's house. Once the

repairs. But thanks to the dedication of the local crew, headed

building was up and the station on air, we turned our attention

by Anni Ukru, Radio Merbau is doing well. The station ran on a diesel generator up until January 2006, when a power supply

to building a well. When the Merbau studio building was ready to move into,

was finally installed.

we focused on getting the equipment out there. Almost all this

The idea for a radio station in Bintuni arose because this is a

equipment was ready and waiting at KBR 68H in Jakarta. The

very isolated area, despite being the location of a US$ 3.4 billion

transmitter, the tower, the studio equipment. All this was shipped

BP drilling ope'ration. If everything goes according to plan, by

from Jakarta on 14 February, and arrived in Bintuni on 21

2008 these gas fields will start production. The government will

February 2005. Then we put up the tower, installed the studio,

rake in revenue of US$ 6.2 billion over 20 years. Our question

and did test broadcasts. Radio M erbau, Bintuni, went on air for

is: What impact will this have on the local people? Before Radio Merbau was established, there was no radio

the first time in mid-March 2005. This station immediately began functioning as an information

station or local print media in this regency. Usually, a drilling

source, including for the regent elections scheduled for September

106

To the Ends of the Country

Waves of Freedom

107

2005. ;\Ierbau provided a way for candidates for regent to pr esent

isolated regency. Out of the blue, it is at the centre of a billio n

their work plans, a nd th e public could ph o ne in with th cir

dollar international project. That is why media are needed. To

comments. The regent elected was one of the candidates "'he

bridge the huge gap between the se two worlds.

regu larly made use of the opportunities offered by Merbau

f(lf

Radio Matoa, Manokwari, West Irian

by voter education. Setting up Radio iHerbofi also boosted grow th in sa les ot

Radio Matoa was the first radio station to be established under

tran sistor radios. Shops that previousl y neve r sold any radios

the MDLF and N e therland s Emba ssy radi o devel o pment

were now sold o ut. This ha s helped stimulate the economy a bit

programme in Eastern Indonesia. This station is three years old,

and the se shops now advertise the electronics they sell.

counting from the date o f its conception. And it is two years since it first went on air. This station plays a key role in information distributi on in Manokwari. On the KBR 68H talk shows that are relayed to Matoa, many of the callers are from Manok\\'ari. They participate in public dialogue on various issues. The station also contributes reportage, on illegal logging for instance, and particularly on the controversy over the se paration of the province of West Irian from Papua, A favourite topic of Radio llifatoa listeners is the for matio n of the Papu a People's A ssembly. This is a crucial issue, one that is raised by various civil so ciety groups, thereby demonstrating the seriousness of their participation in local poli tical processes.

Radio M erbaJl FM, Billllllli, West Iriall. The bllildillg backs on to forest

Radio Jl.1atoa was also acti\-e in conducting voter education

Radio Mer/Jail is the o nly m edia, the only information bridgc

for the gubernatorial elections in this newly formed province.

between the multi-million dollar natural gas project in T angguh

The election was postponed repeatedly, as a result of a con flict

and the local communities living around it. On severa l occasions.

of interests b etwee n the loc al elite, who were against the

Jiscus si on ~

separation of the pro,-ince, and civil sen-ants in Jakarta who

on this station to explain its policies, for example on recruitment.

were pushing for setting up the new province of West Irian .

This is important in stopping local people and m igrants who are

Radio played a key role in publicising these changes, keeping the

looking for employment at BP from raising their ho pes too high.

local peo ple up to date on when the elections would take place.

BP has stepped into the public arena, taking part in

when job openings are few and far between. Bintuni is a sm all,

To the Ends of the Country

109

A nd providing infor ma ti o n abou t th e c411dicia tes and rl1 eir

-

platforms.

rq~ent , and public response has b een g ood. RI,difl M alon, whose

~08

Waves of Freedom

This radio stati o n '\Vas officiall,' opened by the i\:[anokwari

The idea to se t up Radio1\10100 in Manokwa ri was first thought

name is take n from the name of a Papuan fruit, is bec oming

of in 2002 by Yan \\7arinussy, a dedicated human rights activist

more widely know n, A gww ing audie nce is tuning into its

in Papua. For his work, he received a human rights award from

programmes - including the ones su pp lied by K13 R 68H. Visits

an organisation in Canada. Rudto ,\fatoa was established to provide

to

information to the local people. At that time, there were no p ri\-ate

identified personnel management as a major problem. As a result

Radio 1\1&//00 and communications \\-ith its management have

radio station s in Manokwa ri. Th e station's local stakehold ers

of rapid staff turnover, ne"- personnel have to be recruited,

include NGO activists, journalists, and local investors. Together

making im'cstment in human resource s dcyelopment more

with KB R 68H, they then set up a company, PT Gunung I\ l cja

difficult.

:Media, to manage Radio M aloa. T his limited liability compam received assistance to se t up the station and to cover its ini tial operating costs. But owing

to

delays in prepara tions in

Manokwari, it ,vasn't until D ecember 2003 that the station was officially opened and started broadcasting, alm os t 18 months after the idea was first discussed.

RadilJ Nlaloa:r direrf(!!; H e/"/l/(III L mgalll.

COIlr!IIc1illg a ll i lllcrl'iell"

Prom the technic al aspect, dIe location of the studio far from a major populatio n centre presents a problem in itself. It is difficult for listen ers

to

visi t the station, and the journalists han

to spend more time commuting to th e office. Its loca tion presents [\t/(/io MalOtI, '\ [" lIoklnm; IFi'sl f rial/.

0"

.\1OIlIlIlICIII

lop oj a

hi/I,

doSt 10

!/Ji" j ap allese

a challenge for market in g staff, too, as m os t po tential clients ha\' c their office s in Manobvar i w\\·n . Bu t , in t erms of

Waves of Freedom

To the Ends of the Country

transmission signal, this is a strategic choice of location because

-

the transmitter is on the top of a hill, and Matoa broadcasts can

from the people of Tual and surrounding areas.

110

1'avlul has continually improved its performance, gaining support

.....

be heard in other districts, such as Wasior.

111

-.-

Radio Gelora Tavlul, Tual, Southeast Maluku R£zdio Celora Tat'lttl is an example of a successful local radio station. This station was started on the initiative of the Hivlak Foundation, an environmental NGO in Tual, headed by Yos Rettobjaan. Established in 1995, the Hiv lak Foundatio n is involved in many activities, especially for coastal and marine conservation in Tual. When the Ambon conflict spread to Tual in 1999, the foundation's activists played a key role in initiatives to build peace between Christians and Muslims. Tavlul is the name of a rock in the sea close to Tual, used by locals as a signal of incoming winds or waves.Tavlul is the bringer of ne\vs, and a landmark for fishermen at sea. And that is the

Celom 'favllli director, Yos Retto/::jaan, gil'ing a speech at the official opening of the statioll. This media is q{ erJortnOIlJ importance to the local community

purpose of Radio Celora Tavlul. Gelora Tavlul was officially opened by the Tual regent on 2 August 2004. This opening was far later than planned, owing

Although this radio station was officially opened by the

to

regent, a problem subsequently arose because its talk shows and

technical problems that arose when setting up this radio station.

coverage were seen as overly critical of this leader. Tavlul exposed

For example, the GO-metre tower that was to have been erected

cases of corruption in the local health service and in the

in the centre of town had to be moved because it interfered with

development of housing for displaced people. The regent voiced

air traffic control. The tower was moved to the yard outside the

his objections on a number of occasions, and then asked the

H;vlak office, along with a 3,000 Watt transmitter. This means

:Ministry for Communications and Information to close down

that Radio Celom Tavlttl has broadcast from

The opening ceremony attracted quite a crowd. The regent

the station. But sympathy came from community groups that did not

was joined by his deputy, local government officials including

want the station to be closed down. Solidarity came from within

the local parliament leader, local police, the head of RRJ, and

Indonesia and from overseas. Letters of support from overseas

around 50 other guests . Speeches made at the event were

came from organisations such as the Committee to Protect

broadcast live on R£zdio Celom Tav/tli. Since going on air last year,

Journalists (New York) and the Brussels-based International

twO

locations.

112

Wa ves of Freedom

Federation of Journalists. l.etters of pro tes t addressed

--

To the Ends of the Country

113

the

Some o f Gelora Tadul's programmes are relayed from KBR

r egent \\' ere se nt by tbe national and f\Ialuku offices of the Indon esian Broadcasti ng Commission.

68H, but m ost are local prog rammes, especially news and so ng

-\t the end o f N ove mber, the Koba,. Al a/llkll tal k ~ho\\.

were trained at KBR 68H or DAIS Ambon, but co nsistency can

Lo

discusscd the regent's attempt to muz zle Radio C elora Tal'/Ii/.

request programmes. Some of th e staff at Radio C elom Tav/tli

be difficult

to

achieve becau se, o nce trained, they tend to move

Listeners' reaction s varied, but most were critical of the regent

on. Although most

for interfering \\·ith the How of information. Callers hail ed nOt

staff are new to

only from Tual, but from other districts in i\ Ialuku, su ch as

rad io, they do appear

Namlea and l\Iasohi. They backed Tadul in the face of th e threats

enthu siastic. Some

made by the regent. This problem has yet

haye experience as

rege nt still

\Ya11t S

to

Radif) C e/o ra Tarill / closed down, bur th e

management of this radio station is determined do not want facilit\·.

to

be resoh-ed. T he

Tavlul is the name of a rock that gives warning of incoming winds or waves. Tavlul is the bringer of news, and a landmark fo r fish ermen.

newspaper jo urnalists.

hold out. They

Personnel problems aside, the station has been plagued by

Stop bro8dcasts from this station, this pub lic

technica l hitches too. For in sta nce, during talk shows the voices

to

of listeners calling in are not clear enough to be aired live because the station does not have h~·brid telephone facilities. For reporter s, there is a de sperate shortage of recording equipment. To entich staff knowledge, the station subscribes to new spaper s and magaz in es on healt h and sports and other sources of informati on that does not stale quickly. In January 2005, a Gelora Tadul reporter was again invited to train at KBR 6RH. I Ie joined six othe r reporters from;\faluku (Masohi, Namlea, Saumlaki, Ambon, Banda Neira and D obo) on the two -week internship. As well as honing th ei r journalistic skills, they also made plans for a spe cial Maluku news programme, called Kabar Mal/(k/(, which is broadcast daily. This progr amme was later developed in cooperation \\"ith the J\·Ialuku Media Centre, an organisation 'in l\mbon brought into being by Alliance of

Tbe regeJI/ officia/!)' opflli/~g tbe Radio Gelora Tadll/ stlldio ill "Fila/,

SlJlltbea.rt .\ {a/Ilk/(. J .(ilr,. b~ 1/I(/1l1~rI it r/oJed dOIl'1I

Independent Journalists (l-\JI) . Initia ll y, K'1ba r Ala/Ilk/{ broadca st news contributed b y reporters from these seven regencies, but has since expanded to

114

-

Waves of Freedom

North Maluku. For the first time ever, they are able to get rapid and regular updates on what is happening in the other

regencie~ .

This programme is a firm favourite with listeners, as e\-idt::nCt d by the fact tha t when Radio RCJO' ll'1111ia in Banda N eira s uffered damage to its transmi tter and was unable to broadcast, many listeners used their parabola an tenna to tune into this programme direct from sa telli teo

--

To the Ends of the Country

115

Radio Billojlo went on air for the first time in January 2004,

se : months afte r the team was formed. This was fast work, n n ~\"cn the difficulties in getting the equipment for a radio sta tion out to a place like Masohi. Setting up the station, th e team

naturallY ran into plenty of tethnical hitches - no power supply and a broken generator, to name just two. But th ese problems we re iro ned out. The station was officially opened by the Central }\Ial uku deputv regent on 26 April 2004. The opening ceremony

Radio Binaya, Masohi, Central Maluku Radio Billa)'a is managed and ow ned b y PT Radio Suara Masohi. This limi ted liability company was set up on the initiative

was attended by local government officials and lo cal members of parliament, as well as representatives of partner organisations, including UNDP and local NGOs.

of KBR 68H, Radio DMS, NGO activists in t-.lasohi, and local investors. The idea beh ind the formation of this team wa s to have a group of people who shared a common perception of

RCldio Billqya 's public service mission, and who would manage the station sustainably. One might say that this station was built to replace Radio Du!a A1/1.iik SeraJi, which was burned to the grou nd by a mob during the riots on 1 January 2000. When the company to manage this radio station in Cen tral :-hluku \\'as being set up, prospective backers were informed of their rights and responsibilities. KBR 68B was to be responsible for provision of equipment, technical assistance and managerial suprort, and local ilwcstors were asked to provide the land and building for the studio. NGO activists and local journalists would have the job of managing the st.atio n. Land was provided by local inn: stors, and equipment provided by KBR 68 B with

SO!Jle of tbe Radio Billl!J'C! rrm' pOJe/ or a photo olltJide tbe stt/dio

assistance from MDLF and UNDP. The equipment and building, and th e land o n which the station sta nd s, are assets of the company.

In its early days, Radio Billaya relayed a lot o f KBR 68B programmes. But \\"ith the incre ase in staff capaci ty through training, the number of KBR 68B prog rammes th e station

116

To the Ends of the Country

Waves of Freedom

117

rebroadcast gradually dwindled, to leave only na ti ona l

revenue, as do joint programmes. This station even reached the

programmes like B1I/etin, Kabar Baru and talk shows. Instead, local

stage where it had to make tables and benches to put in the yard

programmes were developed, such as the morning news and Chat

outside the studio to accommodate listeners who want to submit

programme, Se/amat Pagi Masohi (Good Morning, Masohi), and

song requests. Radio Binq)'a allows the people of '\[asohi talk to each other.

the afternoo n programme, A 1I/boina Song. These local news and talk show programmes take up about 2.5 hours of air time every day, excluding programmes developed in cooperation with other

It also serves to remind us all: Reqllesting songs for each other is

preferable to bllrning d07lm each olber's houses.

partners, such as the talk show produced with the regional general election commission ahead of the 2004 general election!

RadIo Rana, Namlea, Buru Island The process of setting up a radio station in Namlea on Buru Island began in February 2004, with a meeting of the members of the team that would be "vorking on this pr o ject. But consolida tion took time because the meetings were held in '\ mbon, making it difficult for all the proposed team mernbers to

attend . A meeting in April 2004 had to be abandoned when

violence suddenly erupted again in Ambon. The team members split up and returned home se para tely to Namlea.

A lVidio i3il1a)"CI presmfer relllinds lo(al people to refraiHfrol7l lIiolence. Smd ill a so,~ reqlfest instead

Radio Billl1'y{I S prospects for growth are good, because thi s is the only radio station in Masohi and advertising is an established behaviour among local bu siness es..Also, song requests bring in

Radio Rana stl/dio, Nallllea, Burt! Island

118

Waves of Freedom

To the Ends of the Country

119

But communication ,vas maintained, and priority was given

the front of studio. Electricity penetration fo r households in

getting the loc ati o n

Indo nesia is still low. Even in West Java and Banten, close to

ready. A local inve sto r

Jakarta, 40 percent of homes do not have electricity. Never mind

provided the land to build

outside Java. So, we were pleased to see a substation being

the office and studio On.

installed in front of the

The team foc u sed it s

studio. After almost two

efforts on comple ti ng

years, we were still

construction

the

waiting for a power

building and getting the

supply. We were upset at

equipment ready to go on

the thought of the directors of PLN enjoying their bonuses even

air.

though the company was in the red.

to

A parabola, the llIoin piece of eq1liplJ1e1lt for a satellite based radio lie/work

of

In the past, you could lose your life on this island just for reading a newspaper. Now he's back, helping to get information to the people living on Buru Island.

One of the bigg es t

In the meantime, to supply Radio Ranawith electricity, a petrol

problems was with th e

generator was installed, even though this would mean higher

power supply. The local

operating costs. The station management tried to be patient, as

office of PLN, the public

calm the station's namesake, Lake Rana.

electricity utility, h ad promised to connect the

Radio Rana went on air in November 2004 . But the station

was plagued by technical problems, mainly due to the un stable

Radio Rana office for the regular fee. When Rana agreed, PLN said that there would be an

power supply. In Januar y 2005, the blower in the transmitter

additional fee for the three electricity poles needed to reach the

broadcasting. Fixing the damage took some time because the

station. This was the cause of some consternation for Radio Rana ~

blower had to be taken to Jakarta for repairs. Fortunately, that

management. During the negotiations, PLN then revealed that

month KBR 68Hwas conducting a technical training so the

there \\'ould be other additional expenses, because Radio Ral1a

blower could be fixed at the same time, after which broadcasts

would need its own substation which the station would have to

returned to normal.

pay for. Wie decided not to install electricity, and to wait instead until the regular electricity lin es reached as far as the station.

stopped working, causing the transmitter to shut down and stop

And, on 7 March 2005, this station was officially opened by the Buru regent. Attending the opening ceremony was a member

We \vere delighted by each small step in the advance of the

of the Board of Commissioners of KBR 68H who had personal

power lines towards the studio. \Xfe were sure it was juSt a matter

experience of this island. Pak Tedjabayu was imprisoned without

of time and we would have electricity, because the regent's office

trial on the island for years, his liberty seized by the New Order

is nearby. We cheered when the electricity poles finally reached

regIme. His crime, if indeed there was any, was never proven.

120

To the Ends of the Country

121

He was one of hundreds of thousands of victims of the stJll

-

obscured dark history of 1965. Along with tens of thou sands

format is broadcast for an hour o n Saturdays (15.06-16.00). A

of other political detainees, Pak Tedjo was dumped on Buru

free phone line is available for listeners to call in at no cost.

Waves of Freedom

Island. This time he was returning a free man.

~Ionda\' to Friday at 16.30-16.45 local time, and a talk show

As weU as the day's news, Kabar Maluku has also aired public

In his address at the opening ceremony, Pak Tedjo recalJed

sen'ice advertisements on the direct district head elections. This

that once you might have been beaten to death on this islan d

\'car several regencies in lv[aluku, such as Southeast Maluku, are

just for reading a newspaper, an ac t strictly forbidden by the

holding direct district head elections. So, there is a need to

military authorities. Now he was back, helping to get informa rj o n

publicise the various election related regulations and polici es.

to the people living on Buru Island. Hi s moving words tOuched

Kabar Ma/uk1f. also exposes irregularities in development projects

the hearts of everyone present, including the regent an d districl military commander.

and corruption in local government, for instance, cases of aid

Kabar Maluku

funds allocated for displaced p eople that never reached the people they were intended for. To begin with, the programme was relayed only by KBR 68 H

T his programme seeks to fill the information vacuum th at

network stations in Ivlaluku, such as DMS (Ambon) , Binaya

exists in Maluku where the population is spread across a number

(Masohi), Gelom Ta vbti (Tual) , Rana (Namlea), DejiJatar (Saumlaki),

of islands. There has never been a means for people living in

and radio stations in Banda Neira and Dobo. But in time, because

these regencies to interact rapidly and easily. For example, people

it was considered appropriate, stations in North Maluku (Gema

living in Namlea or Southeast Maluku rarely know what is

Hikma/J in Ternate, SPB in Tobelo and Gema Pertill)i in Bacan

happening in Central Maluku. The regencies are far from each

Island) also began relaying Kabar j\1aluku. And the reports from

oth er, separated by sea, and transp ortation is poor. All of which

North Maluku added variety to the programme and its content.

impedes communication. Newspapers printed in Ambon take

Since its launch, the number of statio n s broadcasting Kabal'

days to reach Saumlaki, and even then delivery is unreliable.

J\Ja/lIku has doubled to fifteen.

The spread of the conflict in Ambon to o ther regencies

The Saturday talk show, which was originally 30 minutes long,

pointed to a need for efforts to promote peace and tolerance to

is now a one-hour programme. The time was extended because

the islands outside Ambon. :rhat why the regular radio broadcasts

of the high level of participation of lis teners in Maluku each

of Kabar Mall/ku are so important.

time the programme was aired. On the 60th an~iversary of

Kabar Malt/ku consists ,of· a compilation of reports from

J\'faluku province, for 'instance, the flag of the South MaJuku

various regencies in Maluku, put together by the KBR 68H

Republic separatist movement was raised in several places. This

editorial team. The progran1me is then rebroadcast via satellite

made for a hot topic of conversation involving many listeners.

and the KBR 68H network members in Maluku. It is aired

122

To the Ends of the Country

Waves of Freedom

123

During the o ne-hour talk show, at least 15 callers went o n ai r,

iO\'es tigative programme on the disbursement of funds meant

and doze ns of text messages poured into KBR 68H.

for displaced persons. The reporting in the field took place over

This MDLF-sponso red talk show was later developed in a cooperation between the I:Vlaluku l'vIedia Centre (MMe) , the All ia n ce o f I ndependent Journalists and Free Voic e. Tht:y

tWO

weeks and produced four in-depth reports of 30 minutes

each, which were aired on KBR 68H. In terestingly, as a result of this programme the Tual rege nt

encou raged radio stations in Maluku to make detailed reports

tried to close down Radio Gelora T at'llil because h e was unhappy

for broadcas t on the talksh ow version of the programme, Kab.-··

about the report produced by the station on corruption in the

jUalukl! Interaktif. MMC produces at least one or two radio

Southeast Maluku regional health service. He sent a letter to the

fe atures a week for this programme.

Ministry for Communica tions and Information requesting that &dio Gelora Tavlul be closed down, but when Tavlul continued

Radi o Statio ns Rel aying K ab ar Maluku I No

Slalion

Free

Cit'L

to broadcast he threaten~d to force its closure. This attempt to

mu zzle Tavlul was the topic of a Kabar l'ilaluku Interaktif

Masohi, Maluku

programme at the end of November 2005. Reactio ns came from

Banda Naira , Maluku

listeners not only in Tual, but also in Namlea, Masohi, and other

Tual, Ma luku

towns in Maluku. They were critical of the Southeast Maluku

Dobo, Maluku

regent for interfering with press freedom. Thanks to this public

102.6 FM

Saumlaki, Maluku

suppor t, Radio Gefora Tallllli has remained on air, broadcasting to

DMS

100.9 FM

Ambon , Maluku

7

Naviri

92 .5 FM

Ambon, Maluku

listeners as usual. Maintaining and safeguarding freedom must be done in

8

Gema Pertiwi

106.8 FM

Labuha, North Ma luku

unison .

9

Swa ra Saruma

103.8 FM

Bacan, North Maluku

10

SPB

105.8 FM

Tobelo , North Maluku

11

Media Perjuangan FM

12

1

Binaya

2

Resthy Mu lya

3

Gelora Tavlul

4

MeSA

5

Defnatar

6

104.6 FM ~

,

. J

92.5 FM 88 FM 93.5 FM

95 FM

Sanana , North Maluku

Gema Hikmah

103.4 FM

Ternate, North Maluku

13

Rana

103.7 FM

Namlea , Maluku

14

Pelangi

103.5 FM

Ambon , Maluku

15

Kabares i

99.2 FM

Ambon , Maluku

T he cooperation between the KBR 68 H editorial team and the sta tions in Maluku also intensified, including via a joint

124

To the Ends of the Country

Waves of Freedom

125

starved of Information, Yahu klmo goes

-)

hungry

....J

In early December 200S, we h eard some dreadful new~ .

',J

.\round SS people had starnd

v

accumulated food shortage over the pre\ious four month" .j

" •

j

BACAN

.J.J

~

~-;ANANA

--'

.~

•

-~--

...

AMBON

J

I ..)

~

~

•

~ "' ~---=- .J. , ,

.~

-. '-.

; -,-

' ~ ~

...

BANoANEIRA

J ..\ '--:,

TUALrI

..

, ,." ,J.,,~. .. ~ .

'

-

•

t\\"()

days or so a person died of hunger in

this regency in the Jayawijava mountains. Crop failure, nature"

;' -j

• ~-~.

)

mea ning that e\Try

, J

NAMLEA~

~

death in Yahukimo di~rrict in

Pap ua . They had nor all died at once, but were the victims of an

:J J" I

to

-.J

cruelty, was to bbme for the death of our brothers and sisters in Papua_ The question is: wll\' did it take four months for news of thi.:; humanitarian tragedy

to

filter through? \'\'1w \\-as ,his food

shortage nOt known about earlier, and the deaths prevented? '-.1"---...

"-

.a

oOBO"

Herein lies the irnponance of the ava ilabilitv of information. T he rVlinister for the Development of Underdeveloped Regions, Saifullah Yusuf, quite rightly pointed our that this sitLlation had no t been handled promptly because the Jakarta gm'crnment had not heard of it sooner. l\nd it was not only Jakarta that learned of this tragedy too late. Even the local go\"ernment was nor

,

immediately aware that its people were on the brink of death , witb stomachs distended for want of food.

i f the information had come sooner the Papu:1 regional

j

gon:rnment could certainlv ba\'c acted more quickly, because in the government warehouses in nearby \Xiamena there were lS0 tons of rice. With the help of missionan- planes, the army or Freeport, these rice stocb could ha\"e been distributed to the

Kabar M aluk14 broadcasters, crossing provil1cial borders

people living in Yabuki1l1o. Especially giyen the !c\-els of national rice stocks, it is bard to belic\-c tbat tbere

\\'a,

a pl ace \\-here

people werc going hungry. As soon as this disaster C:1me the J aka rta gO\-ern m ent se nt 13 tons of food

to

to

lighr,

Yahu ki11lo, while

126

Waves of Freedom

To the Ends of the Country

the Papua regional gm-ernmen t immediateh- dis tributed 2

ton~

of biscuits to the area.

\,\Ihen the government identified 199 regencies in Indo nesia as ·underdeveloped regiom', KBR 68H immediately checked this

So, food was available, but not where it was needed. Logi stics m a n ager~

127

list off against the list of KBR 68H network members. Out of

did no t get the information about the life and death

the 199 districts, 140 had radio stations. Most were set up by

battle that was going on in Yahukimo. H unger occur~ not becl ust;

p rn ate initiati ve . Thr o ugh t hi s network, challen ges a nd

of lack of foou, but becau.~e of the di sa ll oca tion that arises from

opportut11t1es in developing underdeveloped regio n s co uld be

lack of inform ation. It was l\martya Sen, winner of the Nobd

broadcast. That was the n otion behind the launch of Milra

priz e for economics, who drew thi s concl us ion. A nd yet \\".:

J),'t'rab, a radio programme on under-deve loped regions.

continue

to

disregard the imp orta nc e of ava il abilit\· o f

information for the well-being of our people.

But, that still left alm ost 70 regencies \vith no mass media , not a single radio station or newspaper. So radio stations urgently

It is not onl\' Yahukimo re ge nc\' that is starved of

need to be set up in these locations. It would not cost mu ch to

information . For the whole o f eastern Indonesia, there are onl)

d o, a nd financial s upp ort cOllld eYCI1 be so ug ht from

1.7 million copies o f print media for around 43 million people.

org a ni sa tion s conc erne d

If one newspaper is read by 5 people, this mean s that less than

underdeye10 ped regions. All that is needed is the will.

20°;', of the population of eastern I ndone sia has access

about the development of

print

At the same time the usc of exist in g stations In

media. This level of penetration of information through prin t

underdeveloped regiom for distributing information needs to

media is extremely low.

Besid es low purchasing powa, and

be maximised. i\Ianagerial capacity need, to be built through

distribution difficulties caused by the geography of the area, th e

training to enable m anagers to better serve the public interest.

leyel of newspaper consumption is also influenced by the strong

\\,ith these stations reporting regularly on the si tu ation in their

ora l tradition in easte rn Ind o nesia. j\fany people live in oral

areas, and ha\-ing the means to spread their messages to a wider

cultures, without writing

to

~ystem,.

So, an approp riate media for this area; and for rc:mote area, in ge neral, is radio. Setting up a radio station is not costly. The

audience through the network, it is hoped that the government in Jakarta wi ll rapidly be appraised of impo rtant information from the regions, especially underde\-cloped ones.

technology is a\-aibble. l\nd, most important, it reaches everyom:.

In doing so the aim is to preyent the rec urrence of trage di es

People do not haye to pay to listen to the radio. People w ho

like tbe o ne in Yahukimo regency, resulting from a lack of

cannot read or w rite c·a n enjoy radio programmes. Radio is a

information or not getting information yuickh- enough.

ve r~·

effective Wa\· of communicating mes sages and information.

A nd this is th e strategy that n ee ds to be adopted to ge t information to underdevelo ped regions.

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relieved after the trauma of the strange route our journey had taken. The flight from Jakarta to Banda Aceh usually

only passes through Medan. But our plane touched down in

OJ

.....

e plane was about to land in Banda Aceh. I felt rather

l:, '$'" ..,..

Padang, then headed southeast for Palembang, before going on

'"..... ':::>"'"'""

to lVIedan and Banda Aceh. We could understand the div"ersion,

~--% ;;;-

because the airfields in Medan and Banda Aceh, during that first

-:::

~"

week of January 2005, were in disarray as a result of the upsurge

","

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in air traffic. We couldn't complain. Because this was a flood of

,,;

humanitarian solidarity for those affected by the tsunami. And,

""

;:,

'"

& '"

~ ~

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<-' "

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anyway, we were almost at our destination. Suddenly, the stewardess announced, "We will shortly be arriving at Banda Aceh. There are no porters to help you with your luggage. Please take your own luggage off the plane. Good

~

"' . ~.

~

luck." I was rather surprised. No porters? There were 15 of us

<$

in a group, members of a team that would be reconstructing

~ 2;:..

damaged radio station s. Some of us would be digging wells. But

~

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::t

\ve had a fair bit of luggage with us" When \ve weighed in at Cengkareng airport that morning, the scales registered about three 129

130

Waves of Freedom

Rising Above the Tsunami

131

tons. Quite a lot to be dragging out of the hold of a plane by

that hard. We invited along some well diggers, and set off for

yourself.

Aceh. We could n't betray our listeners.

But I didn't want to say anything. This was the biggest natural

r\rrivi ng at Jalan Fatahillah, where Radio Prima was going to

disaster we'd ever had in modern Indonesian history. Nobod)

be rebuilt, we pitched our tents. I made my space as comfortable

was prepared for it. The airport was in chaos. By the tim c we

as I could. This would be our hom e for th r,ee or four weeks. So,

disembarked from the plane it was dark, close to midnight. We

best make it comfy.

immediately rolled up our sleeves and got out all our gear. There

Sleeping in a tent,

were supplies for the team for a month including rice, drinking

under the stars, is

water, instant noodles and what not. Plus tents and survival

wonderful. Th at night

equipment. We didn't want to impose on anyone while we were

we began making plans for the task ahead: reconstructing Radio

in Aceh. And that's as it should have been. We'd come to help.

Prima and setting up Radio Tanll!ir MuhallJlnadij'ah, as well as

So we ought

building wells for drinking water.

to

have everything sorted beforehand.

It' ~as a pretty unusual combination.A team to build radio stations and wells. Almost none of us knew each other before the tsunami.

Apart from supplies, there was the equipment for setting up radio stations. Transmitters, mixers, studio equipment, computers,

Building radio stations

generators. Everything except a tower, which wo uld be sent by

When the KBR 68H team arrived in Aceh on 6 Januar y 2005,

truck. Then there was the equipment for drilling wells - metal

our main target was to set up two radio ' stations. Reconstruct

pipes and water pumps - which had been donated by KBR 68H

Radio Prima, which had been swallo\ved up by the tsunami, and

listeners. We had brought a team of well diggers with us, eight

help build a community radio station for the local branch of

people recruited via KBR 68H broadcasts. It was a pretty unusual

Muhammadiyah. The latter was spo ns ored by The Asia

combination. A team to build radio sta tion s and wells. Alm ost

Foundation. Two targets relatively easily and quickly achieved.

none of us knew each other before the tsunami. But sharing a

The day after arriving in Banda Aceh, the team hcaded off to

common aim, we quickly became friends. And that night we

Muhammadiyah University. The campus survived the tsunami

started unloading the gear, piece by piece, and loading it into the

without a scra tc h, and was immediatel y desi g nated a

truck organised by colleagues at Radio Prima.

Muhammadiyah humanitaria n aid post, serving those affected

People might ask, "Why were you building wells in Aceh?" In fact, it \\'as just our way of responding

to

the si tuation. A

by the tsunami: people searching for relatives, people separated from their families.

spontaneous reaction, contributing what we could to the people.

For this community radio, we needed to make a towe r. An

\\'hen the tsunami hit, we heard that the people were in need of

antenna on the end of a metal pole, set up on the third floor of

drinking water. We were no experts. But building wells is not

the university building'would do th e trick. An emergency studio was set up in a space on campus. The whole thing was do ne in

132

Waves of Freedom

-

Rising Above the Tsunami

133

six hours. By the afternoon, test signals were bein g sen t.

the tents we would sleep in while building Radio Prima, and the

Colleagues from Radio P,ima gave a crash course to volunteers

first of dozen s of wells. We spent the afternoon working, and

interested in managing the station. So, that evening, Radio T anlltir

collapsed exhausted into bed that night, still bothered nowand

Fl\1, was on air. The first interview on thi s station was with D m

Sjamsuddin, who later went on to chair Muhammadiyah . Din called on the people of Aceh to be strong in the face of disaster,. and to rebuild their lives. Religion is a very important source of strength in situations of human frailty like this. Radio Tamvir at

then by the aftershocks that came in the wake of the tsunami. The foundations for the tower took some time to build. After digging the foundations, we had to wait for the cement to dry. Cement was not easy to

The Prima FM antenna journeyed as far as Thai/and before occupying its present home

once began to playa key role in communicating information

come by in the early days

about aid, and also in reuniting family members separated as a result of the disaster.

following the tsunami. The few building suppliers spared the tsunami were selling cement and steel at highly inflated prices. Even though we'd brought almost three tons of gear, it didn't include everything we needed. We had to wait for a logistics truck to come from Jakarta, bringing most of the tower, as well as the antenna and parabola. This gear was transported, with a great sense of responsibility, by Jan Erari. For five days he drove the length of the trans-Sumatra highway, and through dozens of checkpoints where the police continued to extract bribes despite the disaster. But the thing that we and the Radio Ptima staff will never fo rge t is the sto ry of our antenna, which journeyed as far as Thailand. The story was that when we, and Jan Erari's truck, left

Building thefollndationsfor the Radio Prima FM tomer

Jakarta we were still missing one important item for the radio station - the antenna. It was still being assembled in a workshop

More time consuming was the reconstruction of Radio Prima. The next day, after a long journey, Our team began digging the foundations for a tower in the back yard of the home of Irwan Johan, the station owner. In the meantime, the plans for an emergency studio were being drawn 1l.P in an old store room near where the tower was being built. It was there that we pitched

in Bekasi . Then we heard that Bimo Nugroho, a friend and member of the Indonesi an Broadcasting Commission, was coming to Aceh from Jakarta. So we got him to bring along our antenna. Bimo's flight left from Jakarta and, as usual, touched down in Medan. But he was delayed there for a few days because he couldn't get a ticket for Banda Aceh. In the end, Bimo flew

up

Rising Above the Tsunami

Waves of Freedom

134

10

a

U ).!

aero plane, bringing with him the antenna fo r Rod,.

Pri ll/o. So, we were all reli eved th at this crucial co mp o nent would

soon arrn ·e.

135

:\ledan. But this time it went from there straight to Banda Aceh.

In th e middle o f the night we were there to meet it at the airport. The Radjo Prima antenna had journeyed as far as Thailand, before occupying its present home.

Tbe new Radio Mt:gap/;()Il~ Si.z.li .r/lldio afkr tbe

/.iIIl/allli

After \vorking hard to built the tower, se t up the studio, and renovate the studi o building, Radio Prima was back on ai r o n 20 January 2005. This was the fir st station to go on air in Banda Aceh after th e tsunami. Th e hith erto sca ttered crew returned full of enthu siasm to resume th eir job of provid ing info rmatio n to the pe ople of Banda Aceh. This station was also in strumental But the plane Bimo had cadged a lift o n couldn't land th at d ay in Banda ,\ceh . It circled rou nd, but was not give n permission

in keeping up the sp iri ts o f a commuOl ty s till reeling fr om disaster.

to land because the landing schedule was so fu ll. Finally, it la nd ed

Radio Pn'lIlo \\"as reconstructed with help from I\IDLF and

in Thailand. In w hich ci r:. , I d o n't kn ow. Bimo didn't have his

th e N etherlan ds E mbassy. Thi s aid package wa s for four stati o ns.

passport with him. And we were wo rried about our anten n a.

j\s we ll as Radio PliJJla, there was Radio Dalka in r--Ieulaboh, Radio

Luckil\' the same pl ane rcru rned, not directl y to Band a, but " ia

.Hegapholle in Sigli , and a n e\\- statio n in Sabang. For D alka and

136

Waves of Freedom

Rising Above the Tsunami

137

Megaphone, we provided the assistance of local technicians wh o had begun to recover from the trauma. So these two sta tions, which had been flattened by the tsunami, were back on air by

16

17 18.

Renovated Renovated Renovated

Bireuen Lhokseumawe Takengon

2006 2006 2006

MDLF MDLF MDLF

.

February 2005. Sabang was completed a month later, the one and only radio station in the town commonly regarded as the point where Indonesia starts.

Distributing transistor radios In a situation of emergency resulting from disaster, rapid

The radio construction programme was then expanded with

and practical action is needed. The communications crash, for

support from other donors. Deutsche Welle helped build Radio

example, could notbedealt with just by rebuilding radio stations.

Smong in Simeulue. Then Free Voice lent its support for the construction of radio stations in Singkil, Tapak Tuan, Lamno,

People needed to be given transistor radios so that they could

Gayo Lues, Langsa, and Nagan Raya. Up until the end of 2006, KBR 68H will continue with the construction and renovation of radio stations in Aceh, including helping to set up stations in places where there is no access to information. The longer it runs, the more efficient this programme has become, as more personnel and logistics support from Aceh it~elf becomes available. We have opened a transit office in Binjai, to organise employment of technicians in Aceh.

Station

1. . Tanwir 2. Prima 3. Megaphone 4. Dalka 5. Matahari 6. Pro FM 7. Smong 8. Rapeja 9. Suara Indah 10. Citra Pesona 11. Gipsi 12. Nara 13. Telangke 14. Antero 15.

I Work done Constructed . Reconstructed Recon.structed Reconstructed Constructed Constructed Constructed Renovated Renovated Constructed Renovated Constructed Constructed Constructed Constructed

Location Banda Aceh Banda Aceh Sigli Meulaboh Meulaboh Sabang Simeulue Lamno Tapaktuan Singkil Langsa Nagari Raya Gayo Lues Aceh Besar Bener Meriah

of these radios was aimed at those who had fled their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. So, in the first radio development package, \.ve had some transistor radios and loudspeakers to install in lOP camps. We did this as soon as Radio Ta711JJir was on air. Camps like the ones in Lhok Nga and Aceh Besar, and government offices filled with tents, were the first places we installed radios and loudspeakers. In Banda Aceh, radios with loudspeakers were installed in public places, lOP camps, and mosques. These locations were targeted

Radio Stations Constructed and Renovated

,NO

hear the programmes broadcast by local stations. Distribution

I Completed 06 Jan 05 20 Jan 05 Feb 05 Feb 05 Feb 05 April 05 2005 2005 2005 2005 Feb 06 Mar 06 Mar 06 2006 2006

Donor TAF MDLF MDLF MDLF TAF MDLF DW Free Voice Free Voice Free Voice Free Voice Free Voice Free Voice MDLF MDLF

because these were centres for a large number of homeless people. Radios and speakers were installed in about 30 camps and mosques in Banda f\ceh and Banda Besar while the KBR 68H team was busy rebuilding Radio Prima. But then we realised that this was not a practical way of going about it. So we decided to distribute small transistor radios to each tent, rather than install big loudspeakers for the whole camp. And when more stations came on air, transistor radios were given to each family in the tents, so that they could choose the programmes they wanted to listen to. So it was not centralised.

Rising Above the Tsunami

Waves of Freedom

138

This programme was sponsored by all donors - MDLF, Th e

139

Kabar Aceh

Asia Foundation, Deutsche Wellt and Free Voice. We distrib u.tcd

One barrier to information in Aceh is the fragmented

no less tha n 55,000 transi stors and batteries throughout Aceh.

communications beruaeen regencies, especiaUy after the tsunami.

Later,

distributed transistor radios to even more 10catioo$,

People in Meulaboh did not know what was going on in Banda

when radio stations ,,'ere set up in districts like Meulaboh, Sigji ,

Aceh, and vice versa. People in Banda Aceh, had no idea what

and Sabang. In each of these districts we gave out around 500

was happening in Sigli, even though it is only three hours away

radios to families that had no radios, and to the coffee Stalls

by car. So an initiative for exchange of information' between the

\,\Fe

where Acehncse people like to hang out to pass the time.

regencies in Aceh was crucial. This was made possible by KBR 68H's network of stations spread across the regencies in Aceh. They sent information to KBR 68H which our ed itors then packaged as a regular programme, and sent back to KBR 68H network members in J\ceh. This programme, which aired for the first time on 31 January 2005, includes a 30-minutt slot Mondays to Friday (21.30 - 22.00) and a one-hour talk show on Sundays at 13.06 - 14.00. Kabar Aceh consists of short reports from reporters in Jakarta and reporters based in Aceh, about 20 in all. This bulletin also features interviews with competent sources, from central and local government officials to observers and NGO activists, and, of course, ordinary people, Journalistic features on various topics Disfli/JJlti",g trallsistor radios to fDPs

based on events in the field are also produced to enrich the

Distributing r adios at a camp near Meulaboh , I was accompanied by the direc tor of Radio Dalka. We hadn't brought

bulletin. Audience response has been so positive that more and more

many radios with us that day, Not enough for all the tents. We

radio stations are relaying Kabar Aceb. From just 14 stations in

ended up getting chased by someone living in the camp, shouting

February 2005, by February 200625 stations were rebroadcasting

angrily, " If you don't have enough, don't bother coming here,"

the programme. Their number is growing as more stations begin

What a shock to be shouted at like that, You may mean well, but

operating in Aceh. Government officials, including the Simeulue

it doesn't mean others will see it that\,vay. You n'e ed to understand

and Bireun regents, have used the talk shows to communicate

each other.

140

Ris ing Above the Tsunam i

W aves of Freedom

141

their programmes to listeners. In Lamno, Radio Rapfja is inundated

Some do nors working in Aceh also use Kabar Aceh to get

with calls if Kabar Aceh is only a few minutes late g oing on air.

messages across and give information about their activities. These include ICRC, MDTF, Save the Children, and

A~IM .

Radi o,

especially a network , is a crucial information medi a as there are few other options available. For the once four milli o n population of Aceh, newspaper circulation was just 15000 a da y ver'

,

,

)

low print media

The tsunami had a positive effect, The wa rring sides real ised the ir mistake, and sat down to resolve their issues peacefully.

tOO .

penetration. T oday, ther e is a growing variety of print media available, such as Ra9at Aceh, Aceh Kila and Modus. Bu t the circulati on of the se p apers is estimated at less than 40,000 copies a day. KabarAceh not only reports on the grief and suffering there.

Wle also includ e inspirational item s. Th e tsunami, for example did not quell the desi re of Pr atitu Arafat, a third year juni o r high school student in Aceh,

to

write. He man aged to win a

Young Indo ne sian Writer award from UNICEF. H is pi ece, 'Tsunami: KuJibat, Kudengar, KttTasakan" ("The Tsunami, I saw it, heard it, felt it") captured the attentio n of th e jury. I n it he talks about the need for support for children affected by the tsunami. His entr y came fir st out o f 1,200 entries in the 2005 competition. Most imp orta ntly, Kabar Aceb has provided a wide are na for the peace -b uilding pr oce ss in Aceh. The signing of the Mem ora nd um of Under stan din g be twee n the Ind o ne sian government an d the Free Aceh Movement (GAi'v'I) on 15 August 2005 form s th e basis for peace in Aceh. Kabar Aceb produced a series of sp ecial reports on this eve nt, whi ch included live T OII'IlS rei(1)'ill,g

KabelI' A ct'iJ

coyer age fr o m H elsinki, as well as cove r age o f the ca rping

142

Waves of Freedom

Ri sing Above the Tsunami

143

response from parliament in Senayan, and th e r elief with which

Thi s activity provid ed a forum for participants to share

the people o f Aceh welco m ed p eace in Sigli , Bireun, Banda Acth,

kn ow ledge, information and ex perience in managing radio

Lhokseumawe, Pidie and other places. U lt ima tely, the tsunami

sations, especially in disaster struck regions like A ceh. Discussion

had a positive effect, too. The warring sides reali se d their mistake,

focus ed on the role of radio in a society in transformation and

and sat down to resolve their issues peacefully. Bv talking and

on \vay s of building the financial independence of stations after

being civilised.

th e tsunami. Althbugh for the tim e being there are opportunties for substantial external assistance for radio stations, when that

Training \Vhile the programme to reconstruct radio stations in Aceh

end s the stations will be faced with the problem of finding sources of income to keep them on air.

was undc.:r\yay, KBR 68H took the initiative to offer training to build the skills of th e people managing stations th ere. This training \\'as not restricted to KB R 68H n etwork members, b ur was open to oth er stations that were interested. Three kin ds of training were provided, with different target participants: training for radio station managers, basic training for radio journali sts, and technical training. Two rounds of training were organisetl, the first in 2005 and the second in 2006. As we ll as classroom lessons, internships, in-house training and post-traini ng collaboration are an integral part of KBR 68H traini n g programmes. That's \\"hat makes KBR 68H training m o re comprehensive, and opens up a way to sustainable participation.

Training Jor Acr/J radio !J1anagers Management Training Held in ,\fedan, N orth Sumatra from 12 to 15 July 2005, th is

Th e p articipants' t nrhu siasm and commitment infused every

training \\'as designed as a working m ee ting for radio man agers

session. The aim of these sessions was to enrich the participants'

to enable them to reconstr uct radio stati ons in Aceh follo wing

understanding and knowledge of building and managing radio

the tsunami. The 34 people taking part in the training compri sed

stations in Aceh. The participants agreed to form a consortium

representatives of KBR 68H ne twork stations and other radio

called 'Pemasaran Bersama untuk Radio Aceh' or Joint Marketing

stations, and people 'who would be setting up n ew radio statio ns

fur Aceh Radio. The consortium's management and work

in districts that have n o ne.

pro gramme would be discussed together, the aim being to

Rising Above the Tsunami

Waves of Freedom

144

145

facilitate the marketing and development of radio stations in

allocated one participant per station. Also, one of the criteria

Aceh.

was that participants had to be reporters or staff routinely doing reportage or presenting news programmes, and not s ta tion

Journalism Training Training for radi o journalists took place in l\'fedan, N ortb

managers, station owners, or marketing staff. This training targeted those who had never had any journalistic training.

Sumatra from 17 to 21 July 2005. The aim was to raise the qu ality

In the end 36 people participated in the training, most of

of the reportage of reporters and contributors, and to increase

who m were new to the world of journalism. So me even tho ught

the number of new reporters and contributors in Aceh. Originally,

that the sole function o f radio was entertainment. So, the training

the training was to take place over three days, but was extend ed

focused on shapin g new perceptions and equipping the

to four days to accommodate the amount of training material as

participants with the journalistic skills useful for their personal

well as to give participants enough time to take part in reporring

develo pment and for the develo pment of their stations. The

sessions in the field and write ne\vs.

practical session on Cool Edit Pro (audio editing software) was too short for most participants, especially th ose with no pri o r knowledge of this soft\\·ar e.

Technical Training On radi o training pro g rammes, technicians tend to get o\'erlo oked, de spite the fact that the performance o f radi o stations suffers if the technicians are not reliable. In places like '\ceh that lack infrastructure support, we especially need skjlled and innovative technicians. For this reason, KBR 68H allocated an appropriate portion of this training package to technicians. This training took place in :''fedan on 26 -28 September 2005 . The aim was to build the capacity of local technicians to enable them to follow standard 'work procedures and to maintain and Reporh'IJ at a trainillg sessioJl orgallised by KBR 68H

troubleshoot problems \\'ith broadcasting equipment.

This training was warmly welcomed by KBR 6&H network

The training \vas divided into three m ain parts: transmissio n

stations, other radi o sations, and contributors in Aceh. hfoSl of

system, studio, and equipment maintenance. Adopting a 50%

the radio station managers contacted asked if they could each

theo ry, 50% practice approach, th e sess ion s introduced a range

send between two and four people, even th o ugh we'd o nl v

of materials, from basic to advanced. Handbooks prepared b\'

146

Waves of Freedom

Rising Above the Tsunami

147

the KBR 68H technicians were also distributed to the participants.

English club, Manchester United.

On account of this

We also brought with us examples of broadcasting eguipment

coincidence, the Portuguese government presented Martunis and

from Jakarta, for use during the practical sessions. 'The thirty

hi s family with a house in Aceh Besar. A friend in Banda Aceh

technicians participating in the training ranged from the very

said, "Lucky 1t1artunis was wearing a Portugal strip. Imagine if

experienced, to less experienced, to complete novices. Our

he'd been wearing a PSSI (Indonesian Football Association) spirt,

expectation is that the more competent technicians there are in

he'd probably have only got a visit to Cipinang prison." You

Aceh, the better able they will be to make repairs to their stations

may recall that, at that time, the chairman of PSSI was cooped

without having to wait for technicians from Medan or Jakarta.

up in Cipinang on corruption charges. An honest joke, with a

As well as in-class training, KBR 68H also offers in ternships

long history. Of disillusionment with Jakarta.

and in-house training, especially in radio journalism. Stations that have had the chance

to

have in-house training include R adIO

RapIJa (Lamno), SUara Indah Tapak Tuan (fapak Tuan), and Citra Pesona (Singkil). Internships have been taken up by several radi o

journalists from Aceh, who come to KBR 68H where they spend two weeks working alongside other KBR 68H journalists.

Martunis Meeting with so many victims of the tsunami, and those who were spared, motivated us to document their stories so that they would not be forgotten. Several selected stories were compiled in a book entitled Lolos dan Matlt Tsunami (Escaping The Jaws of The Tsunami). Of all these stories the one that attracted most attention was, without doubt, that of Martunis, a nine-year-o ld boy who for days floated o n the sea. And evetually

Building wells

was sa\.-ed. He made international headlines because the T-shirt

When the disaster struck Aceh we were all stunned. \'X/hat

he was weari ng whe n he was found had a picture of the

could we do to help our bro thers and sisters there? We put this

Portuguese football team

o~

it.

guestion to KBR 68H listeners and, in no time at all, donations

We invited Martunis to the book launch in Jakarta. He met

were pouring in. No less than Rp 125 million was deposi ted by

the Portuguese ambassador, and was invited to go to Portugal to

listeners in the donations account managed by KBR 68H. Then

meet Christiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese player cultivated at the

we talked to lots of people

to

decide what we would do with this

148

Rising Above the Tsunami

Waves of Freedom

money. A friend from Aceh suggested that we build wells. And that is what we did with the listeners' donations. Th e first wells we built were in and around Banda Aceh anJ

149

W hen public services grind to a halt . That morning, a repone I' from Radio Da/ka reponed that a huge earthguake had struck i\[eulaboh, o n the west coast of

~'\ceh.

Before

Aceh Besar. Not everything went as planned. At the Grand

it was reaUy clear \\'hat he was talking abo ut, his call to KBR 68H

Mosque in Banda Aceh, for example, we were ousted by armed

was suddenly cut off. Our editor was in a state trying

troops who reckoned we were building without permissio n in

what was happening in j\ceh on that Sunday, 26 December 2004.

the vicinity of the damaged mosque.

Reports of the earthguake bega n to come in from members of the

to

imagine

KBR 68H network in other pans of J\ceh , especially in the central and eastern parts of the pro\-ince. But there was next to no information from west l\ ceh, even from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. For a time, we were in the dark as

to

what was happening

there. It turned o ut that during the first few hours it wasn't only ordinary people who had no information about the disaster in Aceh. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who at that time ,"vas \'isiting \-ictims of an earthguake in Nabire, Papua, was apparently unable to get a proper picture of the situation in Aceh. The word tsunami A In/I buill by KBR 68H ill theJard

of the Gralld Mosque ill Ballda Aceb

was not mentioned when a presidential spokesperson passed on the president's initial response

to

KBR 68H, late on Sunday afternoon.

Even though people who want to pray there need a supply

He said, "\X!e don't know what the death co unt is, perhaps eight or

of clean water. After some debate, we decided to go ahead and

ten, maybe more." Later we were to find o ut rhat the disaster had

dig the well and install the pump beside the mosque. When the

claimed an estimated 200,000 lives.

water started flowing, we saw the same soldiers using the w:ter to wash themselves.

The first day, it could be thar no one really knew the horror of this di saster and its cffecb on the peo ple of Banda Aceh and those

We then extended the well building programme to ot her

living on the west coast of Aceh. \Xiaves submerged power stations

towns, such as Meulaboh, Langsa, and Bireun, working together

leaving Banda Aceh and i\Ieulabo h in total darkness. Phone lines

with the managers of local radio statio ns. This meant that we

were cut, and there " 'as a total communications blackout. Local radio

did not need to bring along well diggers from Jakarta. This proved

and tele\'ision stations were smas hed to smithereens by the sheer

much more efficient, and \\-ith the money donated by listeners

force of the deluge . .\ leader in the satellite industrv described rhe

we were abl e

~ituation

to

build a total of 100 wells around Aceh.

as a total blackout. All communications equipment was

150

Rising Above the Tsunami

Waves of Freedom

ma~ ~ive ,

dO\\'I1, Losing no time, he set up a satdlite telephone link , whid

fro m journah sts th ar mobilized rheir

Vice President Jusuf Kall a used on

s} mpathetic response for the \' ictims of the tsunami,

hi~

fir <;t fJjght to the

di~a ,tt: r

151

spontaneous and

struck region, Photos of the Vice President using this satellite phone

KBR (,8H for example, immediareh' ope ned up a fund for th e

contact President 'Yudho\'ono purponedh - show the fir st

\'ictims, Listeners gave \\'hat the\' could afford, and we used these

to

donations to build wdls in the disa'ter- hit areas, 1\ team of well

communication from rhe tsunami -a ffected province, And it

wa~n'r

onh' public

facilitie~

that \\-ere destroyed, T he

diggers \\"as even recruited o\-er the radio, and despatched to Aceh

th() ~(.

in early -'anun" 200':;. That month , whik the local goycrnmcnt was

bureaUCnlC)' and leadership abo disappeared from ," \ceh during

first Jays of the disasrer. Regents, the dcpur\' go vLrn or (it

~o

happened that the governo r was in custody in J,lkana pending a corruption

hearin~) ,

heads of the police and military, all were reeli ng

from shock, stunned bl' the

disa~rer.

\It: mbers of their families, too,

still reeling from the vo lunteers dug

~c()res

~h()ck,

and completeh' parah se d , rhe se

of wells, prm'iding clean water for thousands

of people in camps or at mmtluts, In the end , KBR 68B built a tond of 100 ",db in 8

regcncie~

in Ac<::h and ).;i as, The media acted

had lost their liYes to rhe rsunami, or were missing without trace,

as a bridge between the yictims of the rr:1gedy and those who wanred

So, on those first ,la) s, no leader came forward [() encourage peopl e

to help,

to

get back on their feet. Ven' little indeed was done to improve tbe

siLUation, even

to

give the dead a decent buriaL This p;ua lysis was

exacerbated by the legaC\' of militan' repression in Aceh that did so much ro remo, e freedoms and stitle initiati\'e. Rerorter~

realh- did a

who went straight

gre~lt

to

/\ceh during those first days,

sen'ice in spreading news of rhe disaster

to

rh t:

outside world , ~ationa l and foreign newspapers, radio and tele\'ision, reported on this rragedy, and immediarely changed their news agendas. Their reports nor olll\" opened people's eyes to rhe horror of the tsunami, but also generared a sense of solidarit\, for its victims, Tens of thousands of \'olunreers from all .()\'er Ind ones ia and from overseas <.juickh' poured into Aceh, offel'ing skills of all kinds, TellS of millions of dollars were donated b\" newsrarjer n::aders, tele, ision viewers, and radio listeners in Indont'sia, :-"eve r before had Indonesia recei\'ed so much di~aster aid, ,\nd on top of all this \~':1S Ihe far greater assistance [i'om the internarional communin', 1t was reports

.\'earc/;iIlJi/OI' lost In'''i~', "\'oti(~~ bOtfrdr like thiJ 01/<' IJ W'e 10 Act'l) allfr //11' !Jlllltl111i

br,lollllri "II Ol','r

9

W:

Transformation: From NGOto media business

're producing, but we're not selling. Th ose were the

words of a wo rried fri end when he saw the state of KBR 68H 's balance sheet. Year after year, we

rec o rded losses. Actu ally, it was worse than that. When KBR 68H was fir st set up, we gave no tho ught whatsoever to cash

inflow and sales. The fir st year of operations, we recruited no marketing staff to build the network and drum up advertising and sponsors. Marketing hadn't entered ou r minds, when the jo urnalists were busily producing radio programmes. Obvi o usly,

With national coverage,

communicating information Is no problem

on,~

~Ilfp ""'''llo n

1111" )' dilly. Tl'Iruuutt a

cam•• '"

corr.'TIuniCGI ''''IQ. Ol. ' ~nc: .. ~ r"j rl lim"

)21 dlllt1c.h I munlcfJNnll•• lflto KBR 88;t04.

_n.'1

fflr fI'Ult'-.

11

But tha t is what happen ed. When we began in early 1999,

lO a.f)_nO,O' radiO "aw. 'U'lley . . .

Ink!Dn.-.a , and ",UIDht

SQ

that's not the way a media business is no rmally run.

IIg 1."l~.fIt

.erv .. " LIp npld. i t"cur~IA n.:~nr'\ 0' ' 30 radi o atalion " hetl,d ", I million U'''n" II 1Ifi':hl nd fndQntu;.i. lun"

rn ••• -:,;.

the KBR 68H programme was under the management of the

a,II "."cII

In stitute for the Studies o n Free Flow of Informatio n CISAI).

" \oI S!

The news agenc y was a unit of an NGO worki ng to improve the quality of journali sm and th e flow of info rmation in Ind o nesia.

KBR68

As a part of the NGO 's work, staff were recruited only for th e prod uctio n side. Journalists and technician s. We relied on ISAI to

find support, donations to cover the news agency's day to day

operating cos ts . But for how long? Co uld we expect donors to 153

154

Transformation : From NGO to Media Business

Waves of Freedom

155

support us for ever? Of course not. All good don or organisations

\t a genera.! meeti ng of shareholders on 7 May 2002, PT

work out exit strategies as part of their support program mes.

r.1clin decid ed to let go a portion of its shares (40 010,) to augment

Like\\'ise, responsible programme managers prepare plans for

capital. This \vas do n e by proportionally reducing the sh are

continuing their programmes with out donor support.

ownership of Koperasi Utan K ayu and Yayasa n ISA l. So, ISi\ I's stake in tne compa.ny shrank

The formation of a company

Uta n Ka\,u's

to

36 '},,, . Th e

to

24% and Koperasi

ResponSible programme managers prepare plans for continuing their programmes without donor suppoft.

The spectre of continuity began to haunt the KBR 68H

40°/., sold now bel o ngs to

managers in early 2000. With the rapid growth in programme

dozens of o rga ni sations and

production, staff numbers had increased too. There was a clo se

ind i,-idu al s.

correlation between staff expansion at KBR 68H and growth in

additi onal funds of more than Rp 4 billion from this sale o f

the prog rammes it produced. If in early 1999 we had a crew o f

shares to cover the company's operating losses.

We

raised

just sen:n, by December 2000 the number had grown to 49. M ost

Wh en PT Melin was establish ed, I was given the job o f

were recruited to the editorial team, owing to the large number

Managing Director. At that time, I was doubling as Programme

o f new programmes we h ad launch ed . Our recruitment policy

Director. O ur Business Direc:or, wh o h andl es finan ce, personnel

was driven by programme initiatives, rather than being based on

and gen eral affairs, was Stanley, an old friend from the early A]I

a measured plan. Although in practice we based our recruitment

days . C nfortunatcly, on 4 Feb ruary 2004, Stanley resigned from

on such commendable principles as profess ionali sm and gender

PT ~Iclin and its su bsid iaries. I\. meeting of the Board o f

equality, the numbers were not measured.

Commissioners on 19 Febr uary 2004 accep ted hi s resigna ti on

In a short time, KBR 68H's operati ng costs soared, way above

and this was ratified at a general meeting of shareh old ers. Th e

the costs of any other ISAI activities. Then, at an ISAI meeting,

staff and management of PT Melin will always be grateful to

we decided to form a company especially for this activity. In

him. Stanley put in place the organiza ti onal basis o f the company.

doing so, we hoped that we would become more adept at se eking

H e wa s a person who ga\'c th e utm ost attention

out opportunities to generate income to cover the new age ncy's

of th e staff. It was for this rea son th at, alth ough still in the red ,

op erating costs. The company was given the name PT Med ia

PT l\ felin provided all its staff good social security, including

Lintas Inti Nusantara (Melin). Its majority sharehold er is Koperasl

health insurance and an old age pension SC hellle.

to

the..: \\iclfare

Utan Kayu - a co operative owned by staff involved in various

PT Melin enrrusted the positio n o f C hairm an of the Board

activi ties in the Utan Kayu Community - which h o ld s a 60%

of Commissio ners to Goena,,-an i'vIohamad, a respected figure

sta ke. Th e remaining 40% of shares are owned by Yayasan ISAI.

in the Utan Kavu Communin". , . )\ls o on the B oar d o f

Th e start-up capital was contributed by several organisations.

Commissioners are Tedjabayu, a ve teran democracy activist, and U lil A bs h ar Abdalla, a yo ung and dmamic Mus lim sc h olar.

156

Waves of Freedom

Transformation

From NGO to Media Business

157

performance. Mo st important of all was inviting marketing and management consultants from a private company to KBR 68H between April and December 2001. They provided regular weekly consultation s on marketing, promotion, and organisational management, which includ ed preparing a bu siness plan for 2002. So the term 'business plan' filtered into a community th at was more used to operating as a movement-oriented organisation .

Chair of tbe Board oj COIJl1lli.rsiomrs, Goel/au'(/II M oball/ad (left) and 1\ [a//(J/!,illg Direclol; Saliloso, on a flight If) llft'lJ/abo/; to .rebllild radio statio llJ des/rO)'l'd ~) fhe tSlllltlllli

~

~

~~.

#'

~~

Looking at this line-up, it is abundantl y clear that our commissioners are not people who have business fo remost on their minds. Every time he's reminded when there is going to be

(

) MARKET

a general meeting of shareholders, for example, Mas Goen, as

"

Clientsl Sponsors

we call Goenawan .Mohamad, invariably asks: ''I'm on the station's Board o f Commissioners, am I?" Fortunately, if he is in J akarta

KBR 68H BlIsilless Model

and has time , he still chairs the general meetings of shareholders. The humour, inspiration and conviction of the commissioners

For beginners, our marketing performance wasn't all that bad.

are a powerful driving force in our efforts to develop this news

In 2001, we recorded advertising sales of Rp 1.2 billio n, although

agency.

admittedly we were only utilising 10% of our advertising spot capacity.

Learning to sell

Other income came from sponsorship programmes

and radio services not related to KBR 68H broadcas ts. This

It wasn't until after PT :vlelin was set up th at we started

convinced us of the business potential that could be developed

thinking about marketing. And thi s was the focus of special

from the capacity o f KBR 68H to manage a radio network. Our

atten tio n througho ut 2001, two years after the launch of our

business model involved many stakeholders: KBR 68H, network

first production .

members, listeners, and advertisers.

J\ luch 'w a s d o ne t o improve marketing

158

Waves of Freedom

Transform ation: From NGO to Media Business

159

In 2001, estimated national spending on radio advertising

to those who those who were not familiar with the news agency,

wa s Rp 353 billion, o r 3.5% of the total national advertising pi e_

spreading the message that we had entered the media business.

This figure has continued to rise_ Although in percentage terms

'\5 a new business, one of the problems we faced was the

the figure remains below 5°'0, the nominal figure keeps growing.

feeling of job insecurity among staff, especially in the marketing

In 2006, an estimated Rp "'00 billion will be spent on radio

department. E \'ery'year, our marketing manager changed. In sales,

advertising. As the radio network \\-ith the wide st co\-erage in

the turnover of account

m arketing department by recruiting staff that understand th is

The humour, inspiration and conviction of the commissioners are a powerful driving force in our Time and agaw we efforts to develop this news agency_ recruited, but the account

p o tential and are good salespeople.

executives did not usually last long. Most hung on for less than a

Indonesia, KBR 68H has the potential to take a slice of this radio advertising pie. The question is how to strengthen the

executives was ver y high.

As a new media, KBR 68H worked continually to enhan ce

year before moving on. Fortunately, this trend began to reverse

its image, especially among advertisers and advertising agencies_

when our business performance became more stable, and we

Promotion includ bartering for space in mass media publications.

\vere in a position to offer better career planning for sales staff,

Regular advertisements also appeared in specialist advertising

including education and training.

magazines, -and in national mas s media publications. Another

Also, thanks to the inflexible business model with the network

promotional event was the re-Iaunch of KBR 68H at the Hilton

stations, the KBR 68H marketing team was not free to respond

Hotel. KBR 68H also held joint seminars with the Ministry of

to market demands. In the first generation contracts, the stations

Information at the Arayaduta Hotel, and with the Ministry of

received a percentage for each advertisement aired during KBR

Health at the Grand Hyatt in November 200l.

68H programmes. As a result, it was difficult to offer a per unit

Despite all this, the image of KBR 68H as a media business,

price that was lower than the accumulated entitlements of the

in the eyes of advertising agencies and potential advertisers, was

network members.

not strong. They still thought of us as an N Go.

lower figure than th a t. This made it very hard for the marketing

More systematic and targeted promotion was needed. One thing KBR 68H did was to put together better marketing to ols_

Clients, me anwhile, would often ask for a

team to deliver to clients. Later, we tried out a more marketable model of cooperation with the network stations.

We produced a compan y pro file o n CD, and made about 5,000 copies. These were distributed mainly to advertising agenci es and potential advertisers. We also printed and distributed 2,000

General meetings of shareholders The original shareholders of KBR 68H did not bother too '

copies of the company profile. Brochures, bulletins, books of

much about their stakeholdings. The cooperative and Yayasan

the transcripts of Obrala1ll::. konotlli, all help ed p rom ote KBR 68 B

ISAI had a stack of activities of their own. They weren't really aware of their rights and responsibilities as shareholders. Perhaps

160

Waves of Freedom

Transformation : From NGO to Media Business

161

because they weren't used to being shareholders. Perhaps, th e

should also be used to intensify KBR 68H links with

risks and benefits were not the main consideration. But we had

advertising bureaus, to form the basis for marketing in 2005.

agreed on the idea from th e outset. PT Melin was to be a ·

2. Consolidate the ne twork, by providing a better service to

continuation of joint initiatives to fight for press freedoms; it

increase Im ·al ty. E xpanding the net\vork in Indonesia is no

was just that its organisational form had changed from an NGO

longer a prioritv. The exception is promoting Asia Calli17,f!, to

to a company. Its collective ownership reflected its cooperati ve spirit.

oth er Asian coun tries.

decision making body, was not functioning properly. As I recall,

The general meetings of shareholders were often like friendly the 68H Logger by get-togethers. Discussions could all network stations. This over the place, much as they do at movement meetings. will mean finding

the next general meeting of shareholders after the one on 7 May

donors of computers

2002 was held on 9 March 2004. A gap of two years. It hardly

for stations that do not hm-e them. Could also sound out the

se'emed like the proper way to run a cO,mpany, if we didn't even

possibility of giving loans to network members so they can

have regular general meetings of shareholders. And, even after

purchase computers to use the Logger.

But clearl y, to begin with, the general meeting of shareholders, which was supposed to be the company's highest

3. Optimise the use of

certain shareholders let go a portion of their shares, because

4. Stop recruiting new staff. The workforce of PT Media Lintas

they were friends, the general meetings of shareholders often

Inti ::--J usantara is now 114, and staff wages account for the

ended up like friendly get-togethers. The meetings did not focus

larges t share of the company's monthl y costs. Programmes

on discussing matters within the scope of the work of the

for staff to focus on building their capacity and skills.

organisation, such as examining the Board of Directors' report

5. Improve the sound quality of stations broadcasting in Jakarta

or electing new directors. Discussions could go all over the place,

(89.2 Frv{ and 603 AM) by changing the transmitters and

much as they do at movement meetings.

making other changes, to increase [be transmission capacity

The minutes of the general meeting of shareholders of PT Melin in Jakarta on 9 March 2004, a month before the general election, record decisions on matters that that would normally

to includ e the w hole of greater Jakarta, with no blank spots and to prevent int erference from pirate radio stations. 6. Conduct a listeners' survey, focusing o n th eir response to KBR

be routine managerial matters, such as;

68H programmes. Survey to be done after the transmitters

1. Optimise the opportunity provided by the general election to

are upgraded, to get hSLf'nc:rs' suggestions for improving

prove the benefits of the KBR 68H network to clients. Target

programme quality.

net revenue from advertising and sponsorship for 2004 is Rp

7. Improve rh e organisation of the n e\\ sroom and the quality of

9.6 billion. The opportu nity presented by the general election

broadcasts by making comparisons wi th BBe and D LMlvI

162

Waves of Freedom

(Manila) broadcasts. A BBC consulta nt is scheduled to arriye in Jakarta in June 2004.

Transformation

From NGO to Media Business

163

(Iuali ty services. T he response to public rad io in I ndonesia has been excellent. All that remains is to build a healthy busin ess.

8. l\uthorise the \Ianaging Director and Program me Direc tor

Experim ental programmes in th e Asia regio n, such as Asia Calling,

and the Board of Commiss io ners to prepare a code of ethI cs

have generated a p ositive response fr o m radio stations in th e

on blocking time.

regIO n .

Unusua l minute s indeed for a ge ner a l meetin g o f shareholders. Since th en we have learned that a ge neral m eeling

Mission: 1. D eliver ind epe ndent,

of sharcho lders, even in a company wi th a turn o\"cr of trillio ns

rapid

of rupiah , discusse s only the report of the directors, dividend pa~:m e nts

(if there are profits), and management changes. Never

2. Build a busine ss that is healthy and accountable, and a leader in th e r adio industry in Ind onesia. 3. Build the large st radi o n etwo rk, cove rin g the who le of

o ur ge neral m eeti ngs of shareh olders were fun. \Xle took th em lightly. And then we learned w hat the position of th e general

Ind o ne sia and other countries in Asia. 4. D evelop an audio docume ntatio n centre and be a barometer

meeting of sha reholder s was, an d the authoril\ it had. Subsequen t

for quality radio journalism.

gene ral meetings of sharehold ers have been m ore cfficie nt an d have foc used on matters appropriate to its authority.

Creating a dream A t a working m ee ting of PT Me lin man agement at the end

T hese are the four main activities towards realising our dream of making KB R 68H the most reliable radio news agency in Asia. C a ring, Professional, Progressive

of 2003 we agreed o n several principles, on the visio n of KBR 68H, and on its mission for the period 2004 - 2007. T l:ese can be summarised as foll ows: Vision: The Most Reli able Radio Ne ws Agency in Asi a Our dream is to make KBR 68H the most reliable radio news

r e li able

in for matio n.

has a general meeting of shareholders di scussed such detailc:d matters as plans for a sur veyor technology de\·e!opment. But,

a nd

The news agency has become a point of reference for radio stations, not just in Indonesia but also for other countries in the region

To unde rtake the corporate mi ssio n and reali se our dream , we have idemified certain va lu es that underlie o ur work . Th ese va lu es motivate us, and we try hard

to

make them our principle s,

ou r co rp orate culture <.:n:n. •

C a ring: As a med ia providing information to the public,

agency in Asia, because as ye t there is no ne\\'S agency in Asia

K BR 68H is caring in its work. Wle carlJ abo ut the opinions

that specialises in radio and services radio stations in this area .

and need s of consu m ers, clients and o th er stakeholders. 'V/..!e

To rea lise thi s visio n , KB R 68H mu st focu s first o n its

ar e caring no t o nly in o ur ex tern al rela tions, but in rela tio ns

operatio ns in I ndonesia, to develop a sound business providing

betwee n the variou s sec tio ns of KBR 68 H .

164 .

•

•

Walles of Freedom

Transformation : From NGO to. Media Business

165

Professional: A professional attitude is a must for all KBR

meeting of shareholde rs. Although expenditure was higher tha n

68H employees. Being professional means we conform to

expected due to the increase in activities that yea r, 2004 was the

certain principles, standards and ethics to ensure our work is

fir st year KBR 68H managed to cover its opera ti ng costs with

of good quality. Being professional also m eans that we must

its own inc o me. T he general election made a sig nific a nt

keep up \"ith de"elopments in our fields to optimise the

co ntributio n to KBR 68H income. Th e origin al income target

quality of our work.

of Rp 9.6 billion was

Progressive: Today will be better than yes terday. Tomorrow

r evised mid-year, in

better than today. Progress is what drives us at KBR 68H.

view of the upward

Growth and development is the credo of the KBR 68H crew.

trend in income. By the

Improving product quality and raising se r vice quality is a

yea r

must. D eveloping the business, making KBR 68H a healthier

recorded income of Rp

business entity are important aspects of the progress we arc

12.5 billion. And, despite an !I1crease

aiming for.

e nd ,

we

h ad

2004 was a very important year for KBR 68H, because we had the chance to demonstrate our very strong competency in the world of radio in Indonesia. !11

expenditure resulting

from the general electio n and from investments mad e in 2004, KBR 68H recorded a pre-tax ope rating profit ofRp 2.351 billion.

Auspicious times 2004 was a very important year for PT Melin , the company

Even though th e profits earn ed in 2004 were not sufficient to offset KBR 68H's accumulated losses over the period 1999

that manages KBR 68H. That yea r, there were the ma rathon

2003, we distributed dividends to shareholders. But, in view of

general elections, for the legislative and executi ve bodies. For

investment needs and ope rati ng costs, o nly 7% of the profits

the first time in Ind onesia n history, the president was elected

(Rp 165 million) were paid out in dividends, and the remaining

directly by the people. So, that was a very important yea r for

93% (Rp 2,186 million) was retain ed_ These retained profits were

KBR 68H, because we had the chance to demo nstrate ou r very

used for research on KBR 68 H li steners and an operating cost

strong competency in the world of radio in Indonesia. The tightly

reserve of Rp 986 million. Majo r investments in 2004 were

scheduled general election ope ned up a world of opportunities,

strengthe nin g FM broadcast r eac h (Rp 515 milli on) and

not on ly

development of the KBR 68H Logger (Rp 158 million).

to

create programmes to senT the public, but also to

strengthen the business side o f thi s radio ne,,-s agency. The

Thi s dividend payment, though small - around twelve and a

previous year, we had predicted that 2004 would be an auspicious

half rupiah per share - and largely symbolic, was in tended to

one for KBR 68H.

show that the radio business managed by PT Melin was profitable.

Overall, we h"ed up to the task set us by the 2004 general

Thi s was crucial, to ensure that shareholders would care more

meeting o f shareholders of optimising opportunities. KBR 68H's

abou t their assets in thi s company, and to encourage the Board

income that "ear far exceeded that target set by the gen eral

of Directors and Board of Commissioners

to

focus m ore on

166

Transformation : From NGO to Media Business

Waves of Freedom

167

building this media business. We wanted to manage the business

20 'Yo, by replacing the light bulbs in the office wi th energy saving

more seriously.

lights, for example. We cut telephone costs by installing timers to stop people from chatting needlessly. Sometimes, th ese efficiency measures seemed excessive - when there was no toilet

14000

A

12000

c: a::

1~~~~

c:

6000

~

4000

~

//fO~

I

II

paper in the toilet or when the coffee and sugar jars in the kitchen

.

were empty. But, generally, 1

the

KB R

68H

s taff

responded positively to these cost-cutting measures. They

An audience of 8 million offers a promising market for a range of products and services

helped to reduce unnece ssary office costs. Because this was the

2000

o TI---'--~--~---'---.r-~ 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

way to survive, and continue with our mission to serve the public. The power house behind thi s efficienc y drive was Teddy Wibisana, Dire ctor of Finance, Personnel and General Affairs,

Cost-rtllenlll' ratio for fbI' past jive yean'. 2006 is all eJli/1/{//e.

who joined KBR 68H in 2004. It was Teddy who never stopped reminding us and looking for \\"ays to reduce production costs,

Efficiency

without compromising service quality. His efficiency was perhaps

The 2004 profits, fortunately, did not make us complacent.

borne from years of experience working for a multinational. He

Only a small portion was paid out in dividends; the lion's share

saw eye to eye straight away with our long-standing partner,

was reserved for working capital. It was like we were getting

MDLF, which also urged us to be efficient and to control the

ready for so me lea? times in the com ing years. 2005 proved

growth of th e business.

difficult, because the commercial world did not rate KBR 68B

How fortunate was KBR 68H to have been able to persuade

as a radio advertising media \\lith a national reach , an d the social

him to help take the company in hand, especially at a time when

market dropped off. The tsunami al so contributed to a national

his career with the multinational was taking off. Teddy is an old

decline in spending on

adn~ rti sing.

friend. We knew each other years before KBR 68H was set up.

This left only one option: efficiency. Cutting costs wherever

He is a friend from the student movement days . And, his track

possib le without reduciJ).g the quality of our servi-ces to the

record in the movement was pretty impressive, too. Teddy was

public. That was our new battle. No longer just pursuing ideals,

thrown in jail twice for protesting against the autho ritarian

such as resisting fundamentalism or opposing authoritarian

Soeharto regime, which is more than can be said for most of us

regimes, we were trying to cut back on unnecessary costs, too. In

at KBR 68H. So, we have no problems when it comes to settin'T

2005, \ye managed to reduce our monthly electricity costs by

valu es or orientation together.

Remarkably, we also become

168

Transformation : From NGO to Media Business

Waves of Freedom

169

motivated to think like managers, and make this media business

consumer habits. Radio research had only been done in big cities,

healthier.

w hereas KBR 68H listeners arc spread acr oss the country from

l\nother efficiency measure was reducing the different type s

Sabang to

~ lerauke.

of activi ties we are involved in. Activities th at put a financial

So, we needed spec ific research that could an s"wer this n eed

burden on KBR 68H are th e social programmes it undertakes

to know our listeners. We entru ste d thi s task to J\[1\RS , a

that are outsid e its core work as a producer of news\' An example

renowned marke t research agency, und er the supervision of

is setting up radio stations in regions that don't have access to

Brandmaker, the consultant that advised us on building the KBR

info rmation, or responding rapidly to recon struct ra dio stations

68H brand. Thi s research, condu cted in th e last quarter of 2005,

in Aceh. In the future, activities like these should be managed

was a su bstantial im'estment, especially for a company that was

separately, as non-profit initiatives related to imp rov ing

still in the red. But we had made up our mind s to do this research,

journalism and access to information. The various different

and on a national scale, with respondent samples from 14 cities,

activities shou ld be managed by appropriate and spec ific

From this research, we discovered that we ha\ l 8 million

organisations. For example , disbursement of so ft loans tOo

listen ers, spread from one end of the coun try to the oth er. :Mos t

network members to develop their businesses should be done

are young, with at least a high school education, and in th e C1

through a small credit company.

and B economic categories. They are pe ople w ho have a thirst

Tightening our belts and seizing new opportunities gave us

for information, who care about and want to get involved in

the idea of forming a holding company. PT Melin would be

changing their country. An au di ence this large offers a promising

managed as the holding company of subsidiaries, each with a

market for a range of products and services. This restored our

spec ific purpose a nd measured grow th . Some of these

confidence in the feasibility of developing the business model

subsidiaries have already been estab lish ed, such as PT Suara Melin

of this radio ne\\"$ agency. \'(/e want to get advertisers, and

Perdana, which man ages Radio Utan Kayu. This is also a medium

adverti sing agencies, to see the potential market that has been

for career development for PT Melin staff who are interested in

created from. all the h ard work put in to building this radio

advancing their careers and demonstrating their co mpetency.

network.

Knowing our listeners

with the name KBR 68H . Only 22 % of radio listeners in

Our challenge is that radio listeners are not '. cr) familiar One of the difficulties KBR 68H had in growing its bu siness

Ind onesia have heard of KBR 68H, A figure that really need s to

was a lack of data on people tuning into o ur programmes. We

be increased. What is worse, 40" 0 of listeners that tune in daily

knew that KBR 68H programmes we re bro adcas t by radio

to KBR 68H programmes, do not realise that these are" KB R

stations all over Ind onesia, but \\"e didn't know for sure how

68H programmes. Th ey think that they are local programmes

many listeners there were. Not did we know their profiles, their

produced by local radio station s. This indi cates, that as a nc\\"

Transformation

Waves of Freedom

170

From NGO to Media Business

171

insti tutio n, KB R 68H needs to continue to communicate with its aud ience. The m ost effec ti ve way o f d oing this is thr ough irs

Education

1%

16%

network members.

Age

22%

35% c 18· 24 '1,(ea rs

8% 1. 2'; . :~4~e3TS

72%

o c:5 . 44 ye aTS o H gh Sc rloej Graju3le • D f,lo:c-na 0 Graju 3te 0 Post 13 ra du ot e

0 45 - 50 ye ars

35% SES (Monthly Expenditure) 18%

Gender

50%

50%

0 :>

11:'. 1.7m.om

•

Thi s research, thi s

fi:'

1.260.001 ·

F~,

illn~ snne nt

1.7':'0 .000

0 F~, .

m O.001 . F:p. 1.150 .0((1

in gerting to knO\\' our listeners,

ha s helped us to com munic ate wit h th e markets th at need radi o

10 Fem3e

.Mile

1

serv ices. \,\'e are no longer uncertain about o fferi.ng this p otentia l to aJ Ycrr ise r s, to \\'hoeycr n eeds to ge t a m e~s age acr oss .

E spec ialh th os e tb at need nati o nal broadcast.

Waves of Freedom

172

Transformation : From NGO to Media Business

A step forward

173

company's shares are held by an employees' cooperative. So, each

KBR 68H ha s now reached th e point o f no r eturn. After

step backward s ha s a di r ect effect on th e welfare of th e

seve n ye ars , thi s experimental pr o ject pioneer ed by you ng

emplOl'ees. But we intend to go forward.

journalists has tu rned into a media with its o\,\,n comtituents.

aro und 100 personnel an d their families have placed their stake

Eight milJj on listeners across Ind onesia tunc in to KBR 68 H

in this media comp any, as have more than a hundred co ntributors

programmes. An adlievcme nt to be proud o f; but one that brings

In the regio ns.

with it great

respom i bilit~"

Even

da~',

\'(/e

cannot fail. Because

we feel we mu st meet the

\'1ie wilt continue to serve our li steners, despite the many

information needs of th ese Jj ,teners, whatever the circumstances.

pressures on KBR 68H for promoting liberty, tolerance and

E,"e ry day, we remember the more than 430 network stations

plurali ty. Being a champion of unity in diversity is no easy task

from A.ceh to Papu a. Wai ting for th e programm es we pro du ce,

in today- 's Ind o nesia. In an in creasingly m o nolithic political

to sup plement and improve th e qualiry o f their own programmes.

atmosphere domin ated by one religiou s persuasion, we want to

KB R 68H has become a pillar in th e history o f radio in Indonesia.

reI terate th at Ind o ne sia is a joint project, a proj ect that wa s

No t only creating programmes, but also setting quality standards

conceiyed of, and is supported by, many ethnicities, religions,

in radio journalism here. The nenYork will continue to grow,

regions, languages . Through information broadcas t every day and

spread beyond the national borders. Our commitment

spac e tha t accommodates all views, KBR 68 H seeks to strengthen

to

our

network m embers d rives us forward.

o ur Indonesianess. Dependable, N ational Coverage.

PT Melin - Seven Ye ars of Growth Nc Indicator

April 1999

April 2006

1

Prod uction : broadcasts per day

15 minutes

18 hours

2

Network stations

7

430

3

Listeners

±200,000

8 million Majority from market

4

Fi nancial independence

100 % from donations

5

Numbe r of personnel

7

96

6

Total assets

Rp 2.3billion

> Rp 10 billion

K13R 68H servic es can not be allowed to stop, even though the compan ) is more often in th e red than the bl ack. The only problem that remains is how to improve busin ess performance, increase revenu es, improve staff welfare. The majority of the

A trip down memory lane

Eni Mulia:

It's great being paid Just to talk

1 March 1999. Starting work at KBR 68H was pretty strange. I was supposed have been hired as a radio reporter. But there was no studio, no transmitter, no recording equipment, no office even. Or computers. The first \.veek we were invited to meet in the Utan Kayu Theatre

to

discuss the question, "What are we going to do?"

Then, because the theatre was going to be used for another activity, we moved into the cafe

to

continue our discussio n. I thought to

myself: This is great, being paid just to sit around and talk and chat... But over the next few weeks everything changed. Construction of the office buildi ng and studio was complete. The days were increasingly filled with getting reports from the field and producing news using the new studio equipment and Cool Edit Pro, an audio editing software programme that seven years ago was tOtally new

to

me. Coming back from covering an event, the KBR 68H editor, Santoso, would invariably 'accos t' you with the question, "What did you get?" A terse question, but one that would be posed wherever I 175

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Waves of Freedom

176

met him, in the doorway, in the yard, in the hall. Before you'd even had a chance to put down your bag or recording equipment, came the cross-examination

to

determine the angle and lead before writing

177

It became a ritual each tim e I arrived and left the office

to

tidy

the desk, dust it, arrange my photos and knick-knacks. r wanted my desk

to

show people who I am.

For the first fc:w days, e\'erything was fine. The room was still

up the report. On top of all that, the hours of meetings and discussions

~"el'\'

day continued because there were so many preparations and decisions

clean. M y desk was always the neatest, th e cleanest, the most attractive. U ntill had

to

face up to th e bitter fact. Most of the KBR

if you got into the office at US.UU and got

6SH crew don't care about that kind of thing. T<:resna's desk and

home by 23.00. The late nigbts took their toll - my hair started to

Ging Ginanjar's desk were the worst, covcred in paper, newspapers,

fall ou t and I lost a lot of weight.

coffee cups and cigarette ash. Yayat's and D oddy's \yere the same.

to make. You were

luc~y

Their faces were clean but their desks were filthy. Eni's and Andy's weren't so bad. Their desks were so emptv they hardly looked like office dcsks. Several times I suggested to the boss that the editorial room be made to look a bit more presentable. At least look like it

' \· ;1S

the

office of a radio station. J\nd build a corporate culture, wIllie it was still early days. "So ,\it can lord it over other radio stations," I thought to myself. But my suggestions feU o n deaf ears. Ne\Ter mind cleaning up and keep the place lookin).i nice, just tidying himself up seems a bit of a tall order for the boss ... ha, ha ... Rather than inner conflict, better to face facts. "So be it," I thought. I really feel my nature makes me a minorjrl' at KBR 6SH.

Eko Sullstiyanto:

Failed to make the editorial room presentable

Ade Wahyudi:

We were surprised by the progress

August 1999, I started work at KBR 68H. Rc:cruited with me

f\pril 1999. "Here we go," I tho ught to myself when I got my

were Ayu Purwaningsih, Cisya Sat\\'ika, Arin Swandari, and

own desk and computer. I am obsessive about things being nice

Antonious Eko. Yfe were the second intake. The first recruits were

and neat and tidy. The desk and all its paraphernalia ,vere a sight to

Eni J\ Iulia, Dodi 1Iawardi, Supriyanto \ 'ayat, Andi Budiman, Eko

behold.

Sulistiyanto, and Henry Sianipar. There \Vcre others, but thc\' had left before we came on board.

178

Waves of Fre edom

A Trip Down Memory Lane

179

\X'h en we first starred, KB R 68H didn 't produce m an y

his plans were for KBR 68H. I can't remember ills exact repl y, but

programmes. \X'e just made short nc\\'s items and uploaded them

one thjng 1 do remember was ills conviction in the future of KBR

via e-mail. 1 thought the workload at KB R 68H wa s so much ligh ter

68H. I remember one thing he said, ''I'm sure we'll be big." Perhaps

than it had been in m\, las t job on a news paper_

it is t"hat belief that now runs in all our veins. Has made us gro\\',

1 staned

to

get a funn y feel ing when, every time I was in the

and continue

to

develop and improve as time goes on.

caFe, friends from ISA1 wo ulJ ask, '""" hal's it lib.: working with Santoso?" If I said it

'\\'a~

fin l:, grea r,

lh t:\

\\'ere shocked . Becaust.:

according to them, Santoso was a workaholic, and expected c\eryone who worked under him to \-vork as hard as he did. Until o ne day o ne of them (1 forget \\'ho) sai d, "Imagi ne if Sanroso ran MllIlIl (a cultural magazine) - in stead o f being published month.ly, sometimes only

Ging Ginanjar T uteng and the Rengasdengklok kidnapping Morning programmes are always a challenge for presenters. EspecialJ) the three-hour long S(lrC!/J(l11 Pa,gi. One day I fell asleep on ai.r in the middle of an interview. But

every two months, Santoso \\'(mld soon have it being published dail y."

luckil)' at that time Sarapan Pa.r;i had t\\'o presenters and almost all

A nd so it was that after about two mon th s, th e workload

th e interviews we.re done by phone. So, when I dropped off, the

increased. First we '\'ere as ked to produce RII/elill ,l ore, a 30-minu te

interview continued, with just my colleague. On another occasio n,

news bulletin, Before BIt/frill Sore was c"en a yea.r old, \ye were also

I was so sleepy \,:hen 1 was doing an inten-iew and my eyelids felt

producing the 30-n1inute BII/I'fill PrlJ?i. After that it \"a s Kobor Ram

so heavy that I couldn't Stop mysdf: my head hit the microph o ne.

cvery two hours, then c\-ery hour. And so it wem o n until we had a

The person we wcre intervie\\"ing on the phone must have wondered

special progra.mme (::very m o rning and, before we knew it, we were

what the strange sound was. Another time when I fell asleep in the middle of an interview,

broadcas ting straight through, morning to l1ight.

IIy co-workers and T often remin isce about \\-hat has happened

the producer wo ke me up. Awake but da ze d, I grabbed the

to

microphone and said, "Thank yo u for the interview. Good morning."

bd ieve ho\v fa r ,vc\'e come. Today, for example, we ha\'c more

Even though the person being interviewed was in the middle of

than 100 employees, we broadcast via sate llite to a net\\'ork of more

explaining something, and we still had lots of questions fo r him.

over the years at KJ3R 68H. \Ve arc amazed and fi nd it hard

than 400 radio stations. According to a

~ovember

sun"ey, 8 million people across 1ndonesi:l listen

to

2005

\1A R~

KBR 68H.

And I cut him off just like that. I felt really guilty. And embarrassed, of course.

Persooalh-, I would have found it hard to beli cve that K.BR

Ano ther day I was feeLing at the top of my game. One of the

68H \\flUld grow rhj s big, this fast. 1 remember once after fini sl1i.ng:

tOpics of discussion was a proposal that the government set up a

Btlielill Jo rl' (I 'd been working at J<J3R 68H for about a n :ar th en),

national commission on Ind onesian history, so we wanted to im'ite

Santoso asked me to go along ,,>ith him

a historian or hi story lecturer, or an acti\-ist in that field, to be

Faisal Basri. On Lhe

\ \ ' 3"

to

inten iew [cconomi stj

in the taxi, I remember I askcd him what

in rervic\,-ed.

180

Waves of Free dom

The other presenters and I asked about that when the supp ort team were phoning round trying to fmd people to interview. After a few minutes, there

'.\.1S

a message from the producer: " OK. Hilmar

Farid coming up on line t\\lo." He is a young acti\Tist, a graduate of

A Trip Down Memory Lane

181

number, and just let him go on air \yit hout checking first or explaining what the inten'iew would be about. "OK, Tuteng. Thank you for your tim e. And, no\\' listeners, we'll return to Sampan Pagi, after the break ... "

the history faculty at Universitas Indonesia. A n d I know him personally. Another signal: Hilmar Farid's on the line. I started the interview: "Good morning Hilmar Farid ... " The reply was quite unexpected: " Hey, what's all this, changing my name .... : > LvIy name's Tuteng... " Great! This can't be Hilmar Farid. The producer must have written the wrong name down. But, what to do::> Tuteng must be a historian or something like that. So I continued the interview. ''I'm sorry, Tuteng. Your name was noted down wrong. But let's get straight to the point. What do you think of th e idea of setting up a national commission on Indo nesian history? ''What? What national commission's that? "A national commission on history... "

A //oidillg a T II/ellg

" Well ...." Sounded like he was swallowing something and talking at the same time. Maybe he was eating . .. "I think it should just be tagged on to one of the other national commissions ... " M(I !l/(l llIia!

He obviously didn't understand what we were talking

about. And, perhaps the producer hadn't had a chance to brief him beforehand.

I ran out of the studio: "\X/hat are you up to? T hat was a live interview!" Then Tuteng phoned us back. And it was then we found out he was the bodyguard of one of Soeharto's grandchildren. And, of course, he had nothing to do with history. That's an intenriew I'll never forget. And Tuteng holds a special

''What do you mean?"

place in the history of KBR 68H. That episode even coined a new

"Yeah, like I say. There's nothing wrong with the other national

phrase: A Tuteng. As in "That was almost a Tuteng ... ", or "Oh, it's

commissions. So just keep them . . ."

I

a Tuteng." Like John Doe in the world of crime.

Damn! H e didn't have a clue about history, not a clue, and he

Let me tell you another story that shows just how profici ent

was on air, and eating. Our producer must have got the wrong

our journalists at KBR 68H are. Some of us are what young pcopJ e

182

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Waves of Freedom

toda,' would call "oldies". \'lie even like going to old bars just to chat and drink . But \yc're not ashamed of that. Sometimes, we even draw attention to the fact by telling old jokes. Sometimes we text each other stupid jokes about ancient news. Like news from 60 years ago. It starts \\ ith someone se nding some really old information. And " 'e send back other "information". For example "Tbis is top secret. I got it from a reliable source. Ken Arok is going to murder Tunggul Arnetung .... (Tllis is just a joke, of course. Everyone knows th at, in Javanese 13 th centur)' history, Ken Arok killed Tunggul \.metung and married his wife). O ne evening, a KBR 68H journalist came to me, and said qu ietly: "Ging, if you go to hell, it won't be for not praying. It'll be for pulling my leg... " I didn't really cotton on. But then someone else told me the ins and ours of it. The day before, 16 August, around midnight I texted a stupid joke to tbe reportage coordinator, making it look as if it was important information for KBR 68H. I said something like, "A leading figure's been kidn apped by youths and taken

to

Rengasdengklok. Locals have seen him locked up in a house. They swear he's the spitting image of a very important national figure." I made up that joke in reference to an incident that happen ed on 16 August 1945 when a group of youths abducted [Ind o nesia's first president] Soekarno, took him to Rengasdengklok, and forced him to proclaim Indonesia's independence a da\· la ter. And, Soekarno did JUSt that. But this text message was sent o n to the reporter '..vorking the night shift. He was so naive he thought he'd got an exclusive. He immediately got on th e ph o ne to pe o ple in Rengas dengkl ok, including the local police chief. And even sent a journalist there.

183

That reminds me of the journalists who texted the joke, "Adnan Buyung Nasution, i\B N, has business connections with Amroz\" the Bali bomber. T hey own a bank called ARN -Amro." Which is the name o f a D utch-owned international bank. And the journalist from that international ne\vs agency phoned the police

to

informatio n. And the police officer said, "I'll check it out."

ask for

Epilogue

A Challenging Transformation Faisal Basri Chair, P E RGERAK;-\N INDON ESIA I have been following the progress o f KBR 68H sinc e its embr yo stage . Alth ough rel a ti ve ly you ng, KBR 68 H 's perfor mance has been no thing short of spectacular. N o t o nl y because it has gathered togethe r more than 400 private radio statio n s across the archipelago, but rather - and much mo re su bstantially - becau se of its contribution to strengthening one element in the process o f cons olidating democracy. A mid the frenz y of reform and all the excesses it has enge nd ered - which spa rk frequent and un sub stantiated controversy - KBR 68H consistently broadcasts meaningful messages and always tries to take a proportional view of the issues. T here is a b s o l utel y n o d o ubt abou t its concern for strengthening the pillars of civil society. It airs broadcas ts about democracy, human rights, fighting corruption, civil supremacy, 185

186

Epilogue : A Challenging Transformation

Waves of Freedom

187

consumer protection, and empm,vering marginal and o ppressed

station in Jakarta: Radio Utan Kayu. KBR 68H does not go about

groups. Listeners are enriched by its "third" angle prese ntati on

snapping up local radio stations; on the contrary, it empowers

of information. \Ve are not being force fed the narrow and current

them in a partriership framework. What is more, KBR 68H is

interes ts o f g overnment versuS parliame nt , central government

also actively involved in constructing radio stations in remote

ve rsu s regio nal gO\'crn ments, gove rnment h:rsus l'mployers,

areas and rebuilding stations in disaster zones.

employe rs versus employees. Its ideol ogy is clear: stre ngthen civil

The path it chooses is to develop its capacity as a radi o news

socie ty in an environment of free flowing information that covers

agency, as its name implies . Its purpose is clear : to spread

bo th sides. Some have accused KBR 68H of promoting libera li sm. They

enlightening information that does not take anyone's side, never mind that of capital owners.

could be righ t because, among others, KB R 681-1 allocates slots

The future of KBR 68H largely depends on the capacity of

to Jaringan Islam Liberal OIL, Liberal Islam Network), and JIL

its network to grow and develop in a healthy way within an

and KBR 68H are loca ted in the same 'comple x', Komunitas

increasingly conducive external environment, including the

Utan Kayu. But although branded as liberal, to brea k the ice

regulatory framework . Network members wear two hats. As

perhaps, KBR 68H has invited extremist groups

engage in

spearheads expanding the reach of information relayed from

dialogue, an d build tolerance. ::-Jot everyone has accepted thi s

Jakarta; and as sources of information for KBR 68H to be

gesture of goodwill, but m any of their effo rts have borne fr uit.

disseminated across the nation. The two sides benefit enormously

In regi on s of conflict, K BR 68H and its local nenvork stations

from thi s model, not only in terms of costs but also in term s of

have done much to sp read the seeds of friendship an d pea ce,

improving the quality of in forma tion .

to

and have been accepte d by the conflicting sides.

Because it is an unusual business, the challenges facing KBR

looking a t econ omic problems, KBR 68H

68H are different from those of other media organisations,

is in no way a mouthpiece for n eo -lib erali sm. Its programmes

especially radio syndicates where ownership is monopolised. In

When it comes

to

o n empowering mIcr o e nterprises and stren g thening

the future, KBR 68H will have to develop a specific business

entrepreneurship arc just one example. Editorials that retlect the

model in order to survive and continue growing.

views of th e editorial team are far from supporting capitalism

There are ample oppo rtunities for KBR 68H to g row

and the principles of fre e trade and its free fight lib erali sm. On

realising its vision and mission. Regional autonomy will increase

the contrary, KBR 68H is highly critical o f statism and excessive

the capability and cap acity of regions to develop all the potential

government intervention .

their fac tor endowments offer. Regional diversity will promote

10

It s business model is different, too. L nlike radio g ro ups in

local strengthening, which means that in the future, the radio

general, w hich are increasing their grip by acquiring private radio

indu s try will tend towards meeting specific local need s.

stati ons in Jakarta and the regions , KBR 68H has only one radio

Advertising as a key income earner of raelio stations will also be

Waves of Freedom

188

Epilogue: A Challenging Transformation

increasingl y dominated by advertisements of a local nature . Likewise news needs. Local communities "w ill have a greater need for loca l information, fr o m weath er forecasts and price information to local current events. There can be no doubt that in the medium term, the radio industry will become very locali sed . These loca l radio stati o n s of course need information o r broadcasting packages th a t they canno t afford to develop or procu re themselves. Herein lies the importance of KBR 68H: filling the vacuum that local rad io station s cannot.

capacity, but als o the capacity to co nduc t in -depth research of current affairs and of the challenges we face in the mid st of increasingly intensive dynamics of change. Without doubt, an adequate librar y is urgentl y needed. As a first step, KBR 68H could work together with existing research orga nisa ti ons or collaborate with third party sponso rs. KBR 68H has collab orated successfully with central and regional government bodies in disse minating information and articulating public int e res t s and loca l pr ob lems. Also with don or

KBR 68 H ha s m ade it through th e first stage of transform ation. From an NGO type of "activis t journalism" to a kind of journ alism that emphasises professionalism based on modern management. Now it is time to embark on the seco nd stage of transformation - building a strong foundation

189

to

create

a concept of independent public radio with adeq uate financial capacity. It would appear that there is a need to increase the conviction of its managers th at what is proposed is no conventional model of commercialisation. Revenue from conventional advertising is important, but it is n ot the be all and end all. For KBR 68H itself, there is no tab oo in generating income from conventional advertising, but it should n o t become its main source of income . In keeping w ith its character as a radio news age nc y, th e greatest chall enge for KBR 68 H managers is p ackaging high va lue, exclusive news for its partners, so that they will be prepared to provide KBR 68 H adequate compensation. Ano ther sou rce of revenue that could be tapp ed is activities

organisations, private companies, and SOEs, as p art of their community dev elop ment or corporate social resp o n sibility programmes. Without havin g t o worry abo ut lo si n g its independence, KBR 68H could develop these programmes even further in the public interest. Wouldn't it be grand to invite private companies and corporations to compete for the publi c good, creating a business community that is more familiar with the social problems around it? Wouldn't initiatives like that be a part of strengthening the consolidation of democracy? Today's wo rld may feel devoid of fresh, inn ovative ide as, but remember you are not alone. Even if yo u are, it does not mean that you cann ot make a difference. Andrew Jackson said "O ne man with courage make s a majority". H ave faith in the words of Jon

~vL

Huntsman in his book Wi17llers Ne ver Cheat,

"There should not be ten sio n betwee n m akin g profits and adhering to tradi ti onal principles of decency and fairness." Good luck ri si ng to new challenges with your accustomed enthusias m. Happy anniversar y KBR 68H.

typ icall y developed by public radio with third-party financing. To do thi s, KBR 68 H must develop adequate re search and development capacity. What is needed is no t only journali stic

Jakarta, 6 Ap ril 2006

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