T

he House of Representatives and the government are working to pass a bill that will see the merger of state broadcasters Television of the Republic of Indonesia (TVRI) and Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (RRI).

Should things work as planned, policy makers hope the new institution can copy the success of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

'€œGod willing, this year we will have a single public broadcaster that is much stronger in terms of finances and flexibility in organization,'€ said lawmaker Tantowi Yahya, who is involved in deliberating the bill.

'€œWith more competitive and creative programs, RTRI [the new entity after the merger] will have a loyal audience just like its peers such as the BBC, NHK or [Australia'€™s] ABC,'€ said the former television celebrity.

TVRI and RRI usually rank well down the list of broadcasters that urban and young people discuss, despite their vast networks covering almost the entire archipelago.

While RRI has at some point managed to come up with relevant programs appropriate to the 21st century, TVRI'€™s schedule seems to have been trapped in a time warp as its programs still resemble those aired in the 1990s.

But the bill, if passed, may not be a panacea for the protracted problems plaguing TVRI and RRI.

Rampant infighting, abuse of power, mismanagement and alleged graft have been cited as holding back progress in TVRI and could affect the merger.

'€œRumors of rampant foul play, particularly in procurement, at TVRI turned out to be true. The Mandra case could be just the tip of the iceberg,'€ lawmaker Meutya Viada Hafid said.

The Attorney General'€™s Office recently declared comedian Mandra a graft suspect in relation to a fictitious television program funded by the broadcaster.

Aside from good governance, another aspect that must be seriously addressed is the lack of professionals and the pervasive bureaucratic mindset among TVRI and RRI employees, according to media analyst Ade Armando.

'€œThe merger must be followed by improvements in human-resource quality to enable RTRI to cope with the massive growth in commercial media outlets,'€ he said.