THE LEAGUE OF THIRTEEN MEDIA CONCENTRATION IN INDONESIA author: MERLYNA LIM published jointly by: PARTICIPATORY MEDIA LAB AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY & 2012 The league of thirteen: Media concentration in Indonesia Published jointly in 2012 by Participatory Media Lab Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona United States & The Ford Foundation This report is based on the research funded by the Ford Foundation Indonesia Office. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License How to cite this report: Lim, M. 2012. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. Research report. Tempe, AZ: Participatory Media Lab at Arizona State University. Available online at: http://www.public.asu.edu/~mlim4/files/Lim_IndoMediaOwnership_2012.pdf. M EDIA OWNERSHIP From Figure 1 we can see that the media landscape in Indonesia is dominated by only 13 groups: the state (with public status) and 12 other commercial entities. information technology. Trans Corpora (Trans TV and Trans 7). While not directly involved in politics. There are 12 media groups (see Table 1) have control over 100% of national commercial television shares (10 out of 10 stations). These groups also own five out of six newspapers with the highest circulation. 1 Director. the Chairman of the 2 Advisory Board of the former ruling party Golkar. Lippo Group’s owner James Riyadi has made his political connections apparent by appointing Theo Sambuaga. Another Golkar related company is Bakrie & Brothers (antv 3 and TVOne. In addition. Media corporations. more than 900 new commercial radio and five new commercial television licenses were issued. “given their relative political autonomy. and content production and distribution. While not affiliated with any political party. and a significant portion of the major local television networks. such as telecommunications. Indonesian media went ‘back to business’ again. four out of the four most popular online news media. as the president of the group.THE LEAGUE OF THIRTEEN: MEDIA CONCENTRATION IN INDONESIA By Merlyna Lim1 The demise of the Suharto era in 1998 produced several positive developments for media democratization in Indonesia. followed by several major deregulations that changed the media landscape dramatically. and best placed to move into the post‐Suharto era. there are veteran players such as Kompas Gramedia Group and Jawa Pos Group that. Tempe AZ. Interesting to note here is the prominence Tempo Inti Media Harian (of Tempo magazine and newspaper). some of these groups also take control over digital pay‐TV services and media related businesses. and the under‐representation 6 of certain groups in the media. Tempo is the only non‐media conglomerate that survives in the mainstream media industry while maintaining its political independence. once led by the infamous Minister Harmoko was abandoned. founded by writer Goenawan Muhammad. Among these groups.” Then there are groups that have obvious political ties. Arizona State University. among others). is owned by Chairul Tanjung who is a close ally of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. over 1200 new print media. a majority of Jakarta‐flagship entertainment radio networks. Corporate interests took over and continues to dominate the current Indonesian media landscape. Its owner Aburizal Bakrie is the Chairman of Golkar. the public’s decreasing access to important information. . however. This concentration of ownership also leads to a disproportional political 5 control by the media. Media Group is owned by Surya Paloh. in Sen and Hill’s words. too. The Department of Information. As the media environment is dominated by just a small number of large corporations—some of which have obvious political connections— the Indonesian public does not receive an adequate quality or quantity of news and is only exposed to the viewpoints and opinions of a few. have expanded their businesses into non‐media sectors and. Another player. From 1998 to 2002. Over the years. a prominent leader of Golkar. thus. were least vulnerable to the political and 1 economic crisis of the last days of the New Order. Participatory Media Lab. Hary Tanoesoedibjo of the MNC Group is known for his close relations 4 with major political players. given their owners stronger economic and political control. Figure 1 Media ownership in Indonesia 2 . The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. M.Lim. 2012. GitaCinta. Radar + others (total: 151) Mentari. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. metal. education. boutique. Delta FM. Parenting Online Media Group Surya Paloh Metro TV — — Media Indonesia. Cosmogirl. insurance Telecommunications. Semarang TV. Mirta Kartohadiprodjo — — U‐FM Jakarta & Bandung — Femina. Lampung Post. Gadis. venture capital. Lombok FM.com Republika Online. Otomotion Radio. I‐ Radio. Singaraja FM. Radio Dangdut. A+. Eltira FM Media Bali Post Group (KMB) Satria Narada — Bali TV network. Ayahbunda + others (total: 15) Femina. Gen FM Sonora Radio network. talent management. Global TV. Sriwijaya TV. theme parks. Warta Kota. Female. Sky Vision. public relation agencies. Bisnis Bali. & Wiyata Mandala tabloids Bali Post. MNCTV (ex TPI) Indovision. Jogja TV. Area. Hard Rock FM. magazines Kompas. cinema . Alif TV Kompas Gramedia Group Jakob Oetama. Ayahbunda. Trans 7 — — — — Detik Online 3 Entertainment. coal.com SeputarIndonesia. education. property. Rajakarcis. + other 11 local papers Intisari + 43 magazines & tabloids.com Other businesses IT. Suara Pembaruan Investor. Mamamia Lippo Group James Riady — First Media. Agung Adiprasetyo — Kompas TV network Jawa Pos Group Dahlan Iskan — JPMC network Radio stations Newspapers Sindo Radio (Trijaya FM). Nagara FM Bali Post. Investor Daily. Kort.Lim. & Campus Asia magazines Jakarta Globe Online Bakrie & Brothers (Visi Media Asia) Anindya Bakrie antv. ElShinta TV Elshinta FM — Elshinta. Genta FM. Indosiar O’Channel. banking. Globe Asia. retail. Suluh Indonesia. Fitness + others (total: 16) — Trans Corpora (Para Group) Chairul Tanjung Trans TV. Suara Besakih. oil & gas. Motion FM. physical infrastructure Production house. & Suara NTB Tokoh. Prambors FM. Indo Pos Rakyat Merdeka. outdoor advertisement Wireless broadband. TVOne Channel [V] — — — VIVAnews Femina Group Pia Alisyahbana. telecommunications. Harian Denpost. Gadis. Com.com. hospital. automobile Seputar Indonesia (Koran Sindo) High End magz. Bisnis Bali — — JakFM. Genie. Sindonews. Berita Satu TV — Jakarta Globe. 2012. ARH Global Radio Print Magazines/ Tabloids Online media Okezone. Lintang. university & telecommunication tower (in plan) Fajar FM (Makassar) Jawa Pos. Golf Digest. IT solutions. production house Property. Gaul. event management. agribusiness. Mom & Kiddie tabloids Republika. content production and distributions. resort. power plant Global Kini Jani. Harian Indonesia (in Mandarin) Parents Indonesia. pay‐ TV. SINDOtv network Mahaka Media Group Erick Tohir — Jak TV. 5 book publishers Kompas Cyber Media Hotels. Fajar FM. BorneoNews — Media Indonesia Online Mugi Reka Abadi (MRA) Group Dian Muljani Soedarjo — O’Channel Cosmopolitan FM. Story. Jakarta Post. Trax FM — Cosmopolitan. insurance. + others (total: 9) Elang Mahkota Teknologi (EMTEK) Group Eddy Kusnadi Sariaatmadja SCTV. Dewi. M. Liberty magazines + 11 tabloids Jawa Pos Digital Edition Travel bureau. Global FM. rileks. Table 1 Indonesian Media Conglomerates7 TV stations National Other Media Group Group Leader Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) Group Hary Tanoesoedibjo RCTI. printing — Holder of several international boutique brands Banking. The newcomer EMTEK. followed by Trans Corp (18. which was the only television broadcaster in the country from 1962 to 1989. Trans TV. which just controversially acquired Indosiar in May 2011. The companies remaining dominate the media industry and create a media oligopoly and will contribute to biased political views.5%) and the partnership of Bakrie and MM Group (8. SCTV. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. comes second with 31. Global TV. While mergers and the consolidation of media business is a logical consequence of media liberalization. When there is lack of competition and only a small number of media companies remain. 4 . it is not favorable in terms of media democratization. Among these groups. M.7%) with the ownership of RCTI. Television: Concentration of Ownership Currently there are 10 private national television networks in Indonesia—RCTI. Metro TV. In addition. power and dominance is inevitable. Global TV. Indosiar. Trans 7—that operate in competition with the state‐ owned Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI). antv.7%). Meanwhile. currently has the smallest share with only 1.5%.4% of the total television market share. Six groups own all ten private national television networks. MNCTV. and MNCTV. MNC Group has the Figure 2 Television Ownership highest share (36. there are more than 100 local television stations all over the country and some locally produced programming and cable television channels. 2012. TVOne.Lim. making it the most powerful player in broadcast television. TVRI. The concentration of ownership of television in Indonesia results from the practice of mergers. becoming a network that reaches 625 stations with an estimated 18 million listeners. The most promising data on media ownership is the fact that the country’s largest radio network is KBR68H. Since 2006.9 1.5 6. the audience share of local TV is very modest if compared to national TV. MNC Group has also expanded to the local level by creating SunTV Network. went down to 2.4 19 36. A similar step was taken by giant newspaper player Jawa Post Group and Bali Post Group. all of which have flagship stations in Jakarta and branches in other cities. went back to the media business by establishing the network of TV Nusantara (22 stations). Rajawali Corp.800 radio stations in the country (up from around 700 in Suharto era). M. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. The current map shows a drift that in the near future local television networks. and educating. around 700 are community radio stations. Some out‐of‐ Jakarta regional networks are also emerging. spreading information. TempoTV emerges as alternative provider by establishing the only journalism based television station. Founded as a news agency on 29 April 1999.1% in 2005 to 3.Lim.5% in 2010.2 1.4 4. The trend. Local TV audience share increased from an average of 2.7 4. Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI).5 8. However. ownership is less concentrated. Table 2 Television landscape: Main National Players8 TV channels TVRI RCTI Global TV MNCTV (formerly TPI)+ SCTV Indosiar Trans TV Trans 7 TVOne (formerly Lativi) antv Metro TV First on air 1962 1987 2001 1990 1989 1995 2001 2001. Smart FM.5 14. might be dominated by a small number of media moguls. Commercial radio networks are also on the rise. local TV eventually managed to steal a share of the national TV audience. such as Arbes Network in Padang. The major ones include Ramako Group. the state radio network of Indonesia that previously functioned as a mouthpiece of the New Order government.6 17. 9 however.2% of the total audience share in 2008. as there is no longer any space for private national television expansion. one of the richest Indonesians. However. Peter Sondakh. Of the estimated 2. re‐launch in 2006 2001 1993 2000 Current status State/Independent Merged (MNC) Merged (MNC) Merged (MNC) Merged (EMTEK)+ Merged (EMTEK)+ Merged (TransCorp) Merged (TransCorp) Merged (Bakrie/MM Group)+ Merged (Bakrie/MM Group)+ Media Group/Independent Market share % 1. Within the milieu. The largest print media company. the radio news 13 agency has expanded rapidly.4 1. Radio: Growing Independent & Community Radios While not free from the sights of media conglomerates. RRI still adopts its role in ‘distributing. Suzana RadioNet in 5 . some big business entities start looking at this market.3 31. In one decade.7 5. For example. the ownership of radio is much more diverse compared to television. enabling the radio station partners to relay the agency’s programs using just a parabolic antenna and a digital receiver. While no longer monopolizing the radio landscape in Indonesia. Kompas Media Group. 2012. too. With the growth of local TV stations in the last five years. TVRI still has 27 stations spread in 27 different provinces while the rest are owned by at least 10 other local television networks.1 18. KBR68H was created as part of civil society response to the ‘transition to democracy’. owns its own Kompas TV network. In 2000. and Masima Group. entertaining society to maintain Indonesian identity’ and is committed to ‘protect the unity and togetherness of the United Nation of the Republic 12 of Indonesia’. the expansion of RRI has taken place mainly in border areas focusing on developing the ‘safety belt information’ program in partnership with TVRI. Among more than 100 local TV stations. and is available in 10 countries in Asia and Australia.2 12. KBR68H started to use a satellite to distribute its radio programming. who formerly owned RCTI. a quality citizen journalism radio. 10 too.9 On a regional/local level.1 12. with his group. 11 has 64 stations. Kompas Gramedia Group. Market realities pushed some to go out of business soon after they were established.’ one should admit that this newspaper is of possible highest quality in the country.000 copies/day).000) entered the scene in 2008. Republika (325. While Benedict Anderson once described Kompas as ‘the New Order par excellence. the investment of big media players tends to be concentrated in big cities such as Jakarta. There are also an increasing number of commercial networks owned by conglomerates. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. the morning newspaper Kompas (600. Suara Pembaruan (350. and 11 other local newspapers. The group also is associated with the Jakarta Post (90.881 in 2001. leaving the rest of the country to smaller. Its chief outlet. however. Yet.000 copies daily.Lim. Currently. The largest commercial radio network is owned by Citra Prima Pariwara (CPP) with its CPP RadioNet. and Sonora FM by Kompas Gramedia Group. 6 . and Surabaya. Kompas Gramedia Group also owns Warta Kota daily. followed by Jawa Pos (450. Media Indonesia (250. Trijaya FM.000). independent. Kompas leads with 600. 2012. Elshinta by EMTEK. the Post was one of the few 18 publications which tried to tell the New Order story as accurately as they could. ARH. and 5 book publishers.000) which was the only English newspaper in Indonesia until Lippo Group‐founded Jakarta Globe (60.000). Bandung. and Radio Dangdut by MNC Group. The Jakarta Post. As of the end of 2010. This newspaper consistently earns more than 25% of the nation’s newspaper advertising revenue.000). is Indonesia’s most prestigious daily and the largest ‘quality’ newspaper in 17 Southeast Asia. Surabaya. separated from Kompas and other prints. 15 there are just 1076 print media in operation. Figure 3 Radio Ownership Print media: Domination of Two Players The post‐Suharto euphoria and an easing of press restrictions had catapulted the number of print 14 media from 289 in early 1999 to 1. M. and Volare Group in Pontianak. and 16 Koran Tempo (240. Cosmopolitan. and Trax owned by MRA Group. Intisari magazine. These include: Hard Rock FM.000). did not last long. Besides Kompas daily. 43 magazines and tabloids. The euphoria. is run independently. there are two dominant players in the print media sector. including hundreds community radios that proliferate small towns and rural areas. Historically. The first is the largest media conglomerate in Indonesia. Through these businesses.000). I‐Radio. groups. however. Tempo has developed its own niche and is still far superior to Forum Keadilan and newcomer Tokoh tabloid who also try to venture in the same genre. and 2 magazines. Gaul. many other small companies. Jawa Pos is the nation’s second most read daily. Kompas Gramedia group dominates the publishing industry. With 151 newspapers distributed in more than 20 provinces. Gadis. is not free from media conglomerates’ undertakings. Online media: Diverse Yet The Top Rules The web has become a critical part of Indonesia’s media environment. Its magazine. However. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia.000 copies/week). Tempo Inti Media Harian. despite the vast amount of content. too. the publisher of Koran Tempo daily. there are MRA Group (Cosmopolitan. the magazine/tabloid segment. The country’s second largest print media company is Jawa Pos Group.Lim. Jawa Pos Group concentrates almost exclusively on provincial markets. in reality. But. and Bali Post (Tokoh. this group situates itself as a close competitor of Kompas Gramedia. 2012.000 copies a day. Bali Post Group (Bali Post). an experienced player Femina Group (Femina. Mahaka Media Group (Republika). Koran Tempo is the only non‐conglomerate‐owned newspaper surviving the competition against big players. Like newspapers. we expect to see that online media would have less concentration of ownership. holds 68% of the share of weekly magazine market. the structure of the web leads to a staggering and unexpected 7 . Majalah Tempo (180. EMTEK (Elshinta. Cosmogirl. and Koran Tempo. and Media Group (Media Indonesia). well known for its Jawa Pos daily. Lippo Group (Suara Pembaruan). Lintang). With 450. In this area. By focusing on investigative journalism. the vast plethora of web content has not yet translated into diversity for what users see and access. It is now the largest information source and most of the content is provided by millions of Indonesian individuals. Dewi). Men’s Fitness). 11 tabloids. Story). Taking a different route than Kompas‐Gramedia. such as MNC Group Figure 4 Print ownership (Seputar Indonesia).000 copies. M. is a major player in print media sector. With a daily circulation of 240. On the contrary. these are mostly focused on lifestyle and entertainment. The rest of the newspaper market is divided between other media conglomerates. Thus. . Since 1998. The concentration of media ownership and the networked media business 8 .com with other big new media players such as Kompas. . .8 9. M. The language preference might be one explanation behind this occurrence. who makes it into the top 6.0 66 52 .5 16 2. The outlier is Kaskus.com can be classified as citizen journalism. In addition.000.5 . 13 4. 3. 05 9. .c .com shares only less than 1.8 . in acquiring content Indonesians typically go to local content providers such as Detik. 3.000 700.7 76 75 4 87 . 18 Daily unique visitors 7.c zi eb na nf m om et .000 60 .000 6.000 .8 80 800.com dominates the market— top corporate online media occupies ‘the head’.8 92 . is one of the oldest news providers in Indonesia and thus has created a path dependency in the online media market.o om et di kh a or ok a ku ng an .000. co co co si a. Detik.000 54 94 .6 57 70 -2. 9.000 1 12 1 1 2.000 0 16 3. 1.5 33 24 2. 44 59 4 8 . Although no one disputes the lengthening of the tail—clearly more blogs and more blog‐posts are being made online every day—the tail is extremely flat and populated by content that originates from. s.n om m m .000 48 6.c na kt ra pa te in m ko co om m co i f.com. 1 200.Lim.000. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia.3 7.000 96 00 80 80 .0 .com’s daily and monthly visitors.c ca t al w ik aj in ra d gl on sa ad i ty om o i .c om m -4.6 0 17 2.i co a.000.000. Even the number one blogger site IndonesiaMatters.com. Indonesia’s very own community forum.000. and Okezones.5 0 26 . Detikhot. This explains why global companies such as Facebook.000. ne ra ta do in re ia ed m an ik pu bl sia m .000 14. Vivanews.8 2 6 08 2 30 .com. 28 45 0 51 78 .6 92 1.com is disproportionably superior against the rest of content providers. 1. As seen in Figure 5. 6 90 60 6 .000. . online since 1998.0 60 12.000 600. Along with its subsidiaries—Detiknews. 3.4 .5 0 60 4.000 0 89 0.1 23 4 300. 2. degree of concentration.5% of Detik.c o om .3 94 70 20 0 60 6 .000 80 25 3 38 . 20 100.000 13 . an immense volume of the share.000 68 1.com. 5 23 0. 78 0 400. the media content tends to predominantly represent the political elites in Jakarta and business interests. Google and the like have most Indonesian users and dominate the top 10 of most visited websites. 5 2 5 05 5 .com—Detik. is the lack of diversity.1 56 . 55 4 7 71 73 31 4. 3.000. 16.9 .000 om 0 de Monthly unique visitors 10.i d a. is driven by.000 l—————Top Indonesian content websites—————ll—————Top Indonesian bloggers—————l Figure 5 Distribution of Indonesian online media audiences (visitors)19 I MPLICATIONS ON C ONTENT D IVERSITY The most persistent issue in the production and content.com. 18 1.000. especially in mainstream media.b de si m e di in ai do ne nd am at ne te w rs .9 7 .n rg m jim bl og o m ys ba sa an nu is un .4 75 35 1 10 06 9 .c co s.com and kompasiana.c de og po te m bl er sb tik i ta e on ez ta lin ok om m .000 71 38 2 1. an v iv ko m p ew as ti k . 2012.com. Detiksport. In spite of that. Detik. .us. Blogdetik.c . yet they take place in the space owned by Detik and Kompas. 0 45 8.7 8 11 5 58 7. or communicates with those in ‘the head’. 500.c l .8 47 1 . Despite its enormous popularity. a satirical talk show Republik BBM (Benar‐Benar Mabok). In January 2011. be created and re‐invented amidst the homogenous urban metropolis culture endorsed by mainstream media. media were more preoccupied in covering ‘charitable’ trips of movie stars and singers to the area rather than the living stories of the victims. the radio. Producing and delivering content close to the realities of their communities using a participatory model. independent online content providers. Radio: Promise of Diversity Due to its relatively diverse ownership. For non‐entertainment content. too.g. tolerance and citizen participation. 2012. sex. disaster events are hijacked by prominent figures—the so‐called ‘celebrities’—who reap individual benefits by their media exposure. they are treated merely as objects. These programs counted for only 10% (602 hours) of the total broadcast time (6. For instance.” Radio has always been a vital medium in providing public spheres in Indonesia. Popular themes mostly revolve around urban upper class lifestyles. M. aired by Indosiar. There are many successful stories on how community radios allow communities to be more involved in resolving social. A survey by MARS (2009) reports that music is the most listened to program (82%). too. community radios are on the forefront of this change. in the case of 2004 Aceh tsunami disaster. however they are still a long way from far‐reaching. talk shows. economic. Commercial radio stations populating urban areas are commonly focused on entertainment programs. model (e. and political issues. However. followed by news. particularly music. infotainment and reality shows. providing access to the lower class and rural population to consume city‐based culture and lifestyles that have very little connection with their daily realities. the show featuring humorous skits with politicians look‐alike and sound‐alike actors was cancelled in May 2008 by the station under the ‘advice’ of the then Vice President Yusuf Kalla. received good ratings for its ability to provide political critique through jokes and satire. and 21 traffic reports. and the lower class are often ignored. who take up the space with an average quality better than those of television. however. Several national TV stations devoted to news deliver well‐packaged and up‐to‐date news programs. expert interviews. the radio sector carries more diversity in content and targets more varied audiences than television. ranging from 60% to 80%. and violence. 20 viewers spent most of their watching time (29% of the 73 hours) to watch them. three out of 10 most watched programs were all soap operas. Frequently. tailored with an inclination to sensationalize the events rather than to provide accurate information. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. Narratives of the poor. Some might assume that the choice to air entertainment in a dominant fraction is audience driven. 9 . Historically. The historical record of ratings. can be a space where local and alternative cultures emerge. the marginalized. When they appear on the screen. For example. by and large. Community radios. still has the potential to play a role as a constructive agent of change. individual blogs.072 hours). There are several better‐ quality talk shows that received very positive responses. there are a number of news and public journalism radio stations in Indonesia. movies. Journalists and non‐journalists of the Radio KBR68H news agency have received no fewer than 21 awards and prizes. Today.Lim. Television: Domination of Urban Entertainment The majority of the content on national commercial televisions stations is entertainment. Indonesian independence fighters used the radio in fighting against Dutch colonialism. including the King Baudouin International Development Prize for its “contribution to the sustainable development based 22 on the strengthening of democracy. Commercial stations’ goal is generally to set the benchmarks for the industry and thus frame their programs for the entertainment‐seeking urban lower‐upper and upper‐middle classes. including the network of Radio KBR68H news agency. However. The very same medium was also vital in building people’s resistance against the Suharto regime and facilitating the student pro‐democracy movement in 1998. does not reflect that assumption. in the forms of soap operas. news programs are. Various alternative media have emerged—community radios and televisions. a small number of production houses supply most of the programs) lead to the homogeneity of available content. and Tempo. Jawa Pos.” To a certain degree this assumption is still valid. The majority of content. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. These groups only appear when they were involved in conflicts.2 million new items daily. To a certain degree. as described previously in the ‘access’ section. The question is. viewpoints of marginalized groups are not represented. Being the oldest medium for the ‘literate’ consumers. Islamic publishing alone represents a wide spectrum of viewpoints. 24 print has an ability to ‘set the political agenda’ more than any other types of media in Indonesia. when there are many voices. for example. Moreover. Some of the above arguments also rely on the fact that with the availability of new technologies and the freedom to produce. then. these print media are representative of the Indonesian press in general in three ways. Online media: Many Voices but Who are Heard? With the proliferation of blogging. and only 66 on campaigns/movements/ activities/public information—reflecting urban middle class preferences and 30 choices. Not only distribute information. lifestyle and problems. In so many ways. Corporate websites aside. However. together these three publishers produce adequate information on national and provincial levels. including “balanced reporting” (Kompas). Print: Varied but not Plural Print media is at the very heart of Indonesian content landscape. As a rule of thumb. political and economic issues. the average blogger has almost no political influence as measured by traffic or hyperlink. Anybody can tweet. they still did not get fair coverage. too. Media Dakwah (Islamic ‘preaching’ media) makes it clear its campaign for an Islamic state. While recognizing the downside of their domination. blog. cultural. Media also rarely recognizes the diversity of sexual orientation—homosexuality is often portrayed negatively as sexual abnormality or deviant behavior. in the age of social media. 193 are on brands/products/services/companies. Even. make the newspaper content in Indonesia of much higher quality than other media. M. posting approximately 1. newspaper readers are far more critical and more active politically than the electronic counterparts. the distribution of weblinks and traffic in the Indonesian blogosphere itself is heavily skewed with a small number of bloggers getting most of the attention. especially in news production. Yet. scandals. “the fifth 26 27 estate in Indonesian’s democracy. it 23 is still the press which largely determines what is news. The minority Islamic group Ahmadiyah. some observers say that social 25 media is furthering democracy and freedom of speech. indeed. and is a trigger for social change. 10 . While the Jakarta‐based newspaper Republika is assertively modernist. these statements have their currency. social media usage in Indonesia is still very much the enterprise of urban elites. resembles and represents the usage—opinions. or other ‘sensational’ events—often with inaccurate portrayals. is rich and bountiful. The content of the online Indonesia. However. 28 stories such as the victorious online movements to support Prita and Bibit‐Chandra. they are only valid when contextualized in select.Lim. print journalists have increasingly relied on prominent bloggers and tweeps (Twitter users) as the source of their stories. did not get much coverage until its members were violently attacked by Islamic radicals.” and democratizing content. rare. and stories of urban middle class culture. Facebook and Twitter in Indonesia. 188 on media/entertainment/celebrities. something that did not exist prior to 1998. Among 539 known Indonesian Facebook groups. thus. “aggressive reporting” (Jawa Pos) and “investigative reporting” (Tempo). 2012. the distribution of audiences in the Indonesian online environment is very skewed. expressions. print media also provide a forum for the exchange of discourses on social. whom are heard? As illustrated in Figure 5. Post‐authoritarian developments in the press has also produced a variety of viewpoints. and post on Facebook. Even though there are over 5 million Indonesian bloggers. content production is no longer the monopoly of the powerful elites. This combination of readership factors and the domination of the newspaper industry by veteran publishers such as Kompas. which makes it appropriate to quote the phrase: “Never have so many people written so 29 much to be read by so few” to describe this phenomenon. Sen & Hill (2000) argue that “despite reaching a much smaller readership than electronic media’s audience. as well as in investigative journalism. very much mimic the ‘taste’ and the biases of mainstream media. yet. Indonesian tweeps produce a humongous amount of content and. This is due to the content dependency. however they are usually issue or event-driven (propelled by mainstream media) and short lived. As the 3 largest tweets producer after Brazil and 32 USA. little of it devoted into topics other than those reflecting urban lifestyles and/or driven by mainstream media—as reflected in these Twitter trending topics (Figure 6. With 8. the subject matter of Indonesian online media—including small independent online content providers and online citizen journalism. including in alternative online media. M. Tweets reflecting true social and political concerns are present. 2012. Figure 6 Trending Topics in Indonesian Twitter (March 2011)31 rd A similar tendency is also found on Twitter.29 tweets per account. Prita Mulyasari Ariel / Luna Maya Sri Mulyani / Century Ahmadiyah Lapindo Figure 7 Popularity of Issues in Top 80 Indonesian Blogs33 By and large. Indonesia produces around 15% of all tweets globally.Lim. see the prevalence of English terms here). where mainstream media steers the direction of discourses in other media. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. 11 . M. and akademiberbagi.com. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia.org. which has the potential to contribute to enriching the diversity of content. Social media also encourages a participatory type of content production. issues on marginalized communities such as Lapindo and Ahmadiyah receive minimum coverage. On a small scale. In the last couple of years. social media does provide a space for Indonesians to communicate and express themselves in a way unimaginable before. there is an emergence of community blogs focusing around real issues and concerns in Indonesian society such as politikana. Among 80 blogs with social and 34 35 political concerns. 12 .Lim. obrolanlangsat.org. Apart from these overall problems. the practice of producing alternative content is rampant. 2012. Despite their inherent middle‐class orientation. while issues closer to the middle‐upper class interests—that were highly propagated by mainstream media—got much higher coverage.com. Figure 7 illustrates how this bias is reflected in the blogosphere. savejkt. the formation of these communities can be seen as a step towards building diversity and pluralism of content in the online sphere in Indonesia. The pornography scandal of Indonesian artists Ariel and Luna Maya picked up ongoing discussions from July 2009 to March 2011 while a deadly attack on Ahmadiyah members was hardly discussed. M. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. A PPENDICES Media Ownership by Group 13 . 2012.Lim. Lim. 14 . M. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. 2012. M.Lim. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. 15 . 2012. . K. I. 1997. (2010). 90-99. http://www.com/. http://www.bakrie-brothers. 107.businessweek.wikipedia. p. p. Bagdikian.org.org/wiki/Surya_Paloh [last accessed 28 July 2011]. Media. Boston: Beacon Press. http://id.co. 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Bagdikian.. 44-47.transcorp.T.com/magazine/content/02_28/b3791135. and Hill.businessweek.mncgroup. http://id. 59. 1997. Haryanto. D. Politics and the New Media in 21 Century Indonesia. 11.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot. 4. Culture and Politics in Indonesia.com/. Yanuar (2011). Hafner. p. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. Piper. Source: Lim’s Blogtrackers research. Based on Lim’s conversation with Jeremy Wagstaff (October 2011). 2012.com/2011/04/citizens-in-action-mioir-hivosfinal_report-en.com/home/journalists-bloggers-weigh-in-on-role-of-newmedia/389727 [last accessed 28 July 2011]. http://politik. Citizens in @ction.com/news/2009/06/30/kbr-68h-centers-radio-journalism. the blogging never stops. juga mendidik. http://www. The figure includes top 10 Indonesian content websites/portals (excluding subsidiaries of detik.com.wikipedia. Center for Southeast Asian Studies. http://id. Katie (27 May 2004). 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Journalist. 2011. are overused to justify the democratization effect of social media in Indonesia—in which Facebook and other social networking platforms were used to mobilize support for the perceived victims. penyebarluasan informasi. ‘Rewinding “back to the future”: The left and constitutional democracy’ in David Bourchier and John Legge (eds.com and wordpress. including: http://kompas.0 di Indonesia. Source: SalingSilang. Edition 16. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 AGB Nielsen (29 April 2011). 2009.org/wiki/Corruption_Eradication_Commission for the story of Bibit-Chandra.pdf [last accessed 28 July 2011]. Sutadi. Democracy in Indonesia: 1950s and 1990s. p.com/jaringan/297indonesia/5889-jaringan-dalam-negeri [last accessed 28 July 2011].thejakartaglobe. 51. p.org. New York Times. Nielsen Newsletter. These two cases are the most prominent cases—and. Benedict. For some. 2011. Heru (12 February 2011). http://www.kbr68h. http://audentis.3. Kompas TV Network observably takes a different route in its content.com (2011). detiknews.agbnielsen.files. Bloggers Weigh In on Role of New Media.com) and 10 top Indonesian bloggers (excluding those who use blogspot. AGB Nielsen (31 January 2011).thejakartapost. KBR 68H centers on radio journalism. Nielsen Newsletter. Jakarta Globe. See http://en. Data of March 2011. Hivos and Manchester Business School. (November 2009). cited in SalingSilang. Messakh. Sen and Hill (2000). The Jakarta Post. Sen and Hill (2000). p. T.com/Uploads/Indonesia/Nielsen_Newsletter_Apr_2011-eng.org/wiki/Prita_Mulyasari for the story of Prita and see http://en.html [last accessed 28 July 2011]. 17 .wikipedia. http://www. SPS (Serikat Penerbit Suratkabar).wikipedia. menghibur masyarakat agar bangsa Indonesia tidak kehilangan jati diri’ dan ‘tetap komit dalam menjaga persatuan-kesatuan dan keutuhan NKRI. M.Lim. “Penyampaian.) (1994). cited in Lutfia. 34 35 See http://en. M. The League of Thirteen: Media Concentration in Indonesia. 18 .Lim. See http://en.wikipedia. 2012.org/wiki/Ahmadiyya_in_Indonesia [last accessed 28 July 2011] for more explanation on the Ahmadiyah and its persecution in Indonesia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidoarjo_mud_flow [last accessed 28 July 2011] for more description on the Lapindo case.