Radio airwaves growing crowded in Batam

In Indonesia's Riau Islands, just south of Singapore, radio stations cross boundaries

Jakarta Post
Friday, April 7, 2006

By Fadli

Batam --- The talk in the air-conditioned suite on the 20th floor of one of Batam's hotels was almost as hot as the street outside baking under the afternoon sun.

Employees of private radio station Sing FM were raising their voices as they competed with each other to be heard by the station's operations manager, Bambang Pamungkas.

Among the issues being discussed was the need to air more in-depth talk shows to educate listeners about different topics. But for this to work, it was agreed, the announcers had to be well-versed in a wide range of topics so they could engage in intelligent conversation with the guest experts.

"We're not even one year old yet, but are already able to cover 80 percent of the station's operational costs, with the rest still being subsidized by the company. This is an extraordinary achievement for a new station," Bambang said.

Sing FM, located at 98.3 on the FM dial, has set itself apart from most of the other radio stations in Batam by catering to the business community, airing different business-related programs from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

It is one of 21 private radio stations now operating in Batam -- a sharp increase from the four private stations that occupied the airwaves in 2000. Part of this increase can be attributed to the ease of obtaining a broadcasting license in Batam, with the only requirement being the authorization of the local regent and the governor of Riau Islands province.

According to Bambang, based on an agreement between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, which was incorporated in a 2003 decree from the Information and Communications Ministry on radio frequencies in border areas, Batam has been allotted 14 channels for private radio stations, from the previous eight channels. This policy is intended to avoid the overlap of radio frequencies in the three neighboring countries.

"Actually, Batam is already congested with radio frequencies that can cause interference with channels or frequencies in Singapore or Malaysia. But this issue has yet to be dealt with because, from a business point of view, radio stations are potential cash cows," he said.

Bambang acknowledged that Sing FM, which has been on the air since last May, is only equipped with a recommendation letter from the Riau Islands governor. Its broadcasting license is still pending at the Batam Broadcasting Commission, and must also be approved by the Information and Communications Ministry.

Bambang said the station was not overly concerned about the status of its license, as long as it could stay on the air and continue earning revenue from advertisers.

A considerable amount of investment is needed to set up a radio station. Sing FM spent at least Rp 1 billion (US$105,000) to install transmitting and other equipment, and for other start-up costs.

"The share from the advertising pie is small, so we need special gimmicks to attract advertisers," Bambang said.

A number of new radio stations in Batam have targeted not only specific market segments but also ethnic groups to bring in listeners, such as Radio Discovery Minang, which caters mainly to the Minangkabau community, including airing some programs in the language of the Minangkabau. Radio Geliga has been formatted to attract the Malay community.

In addition, listenerships in nearby Malaysia and Singapore have grown thanks to the different interactive programs aired by most of the stations in Batam.

One of the first stations in the area, Radio Batam FM, organized a listener gathering in Singapore, in cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy there. The event drew a positive response, particularly from Indonesian migrant workers in the city-state.

The station's operations manager, Jamhur Poti, said listeners in Singapore and Malaysia played a vital role in the recent expansion of the radio industry in Batam.

"From a language aspect, Indonesians there prefer listening to our radio station, not to mention the excellent reception. Interactive programs with Indonesian migrant workers in Singapore and labor counselors from the embassy discussing labor conditions there are often broadcast," Jamhur said.

He added that in addition to Indonesians in Singapore and Malaysia who tuned, citizens of the neighboring countries also enjoyed the Indonesian music featured on the Batam stations.

Date Posted: 4/7/2006