Waves of freedom : radio news agency KBR68H

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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!

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

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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