OPEN MARKET AND REGULATION OF MEDIA CONVERGENCE IN INDONESIA; STUDY ON TEMPO NEWSROOM

Lestari Nurhajati Communication Department, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University Al Azhar Indonesia, Indonesia lestarin@yahoo.com

Abstract Rapid advances in media technologies and the freedom of the press (by Press Law number 40/1999) have produced dramatic change in the structure of the Indonesia media industry. Market proponents believe in the efficiency of market forces to create the media convergence. In the other hand, communication and social scientist believe regulation is needed for media convergence and other social needs to be met. Democratic and pro-social news will not be created without regulation and that media convergence will be threatened by the pursuit of profit over public interest. The regulation of media convergence itself have two different aspects, first is ownership regulation and second issue is content regulation aspect. One of the important area in content regulation will be concerned with access as such as there may be rules which ensure that every stake holder in society are able to covered with fair propositions and balance. Conflict interest of the ownership aspect could be ignored. Tempo Newsroom is one of interest object study on media convergence process in Indonesia. They create convergence media from news magazine, newspaper, and new media by website news. The main process of Tempo Newsroom convergence could be design by market need, but in other hand self regulation on that media also shown which is they try full filled of emptiness the media regulation by Indonesias government. Keywords: Open Market, Regulation, Media Convergence

Presenting Authors biography Lestari Nurhajati is lecturer and researcher in Communication Department, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University Al Azhar Indonesia. She is also Director of INDEPTH Indonesia (Institute of Democracy, Politics, and Human Rights).

Introduction
In the period of Indonesian reformation in 1999, the Law of Press (no 40, year 1999) had given freedom for Indonesian media. Freedom of press, press business, press boards, and press function are regulated in this constitution. This condition created an euphoria within Indonesian press body. New media were immediately born in this period. In the past 32 years of new order era, there were 289 print media, 6 television broadcasters, and 740 radio broadcasters. A year following the reformation period, in 2000, the number of print media had rapidly increased into 1, 687 or six times greater than previous number. It means, within a year, about 1,389 new print media had been published, or equal to about 140 print media per month or 5 print media per day. In 2008, the number of print media had shrunk into 830 publications. The number of television broadcasters was 60, and the number of registered radio broadcasters was 2000, and unregistered radio broadcasters was 10,000. At the moment, the number of journalist was not less than 40,000 people (http://korandigital.com/?pg=articles&article= 10722). Freedom of press and technology innovation, later, becomes one of the explanation of convergence media. Not only the number and type of the media that have been grown and varied, but the content itself has been varied. Media convergence can also be defined as a process of culture alteration. In this process, consumers have been endorsed to find new information, which caused the relation of media content gradually vanished (Jenkins, 2006). Media convergence can not be seen as a process that stops in the type and content of the media. It has tight relation with the media business itself. In Indonesia, media trend clearly shows that owners of the media can use their media to facilitate their political and

economic view as well as their personal interests. For example, a research that was conducted in 2006 by Fasta, had explored the contestation between medias that were owned by Hary Tanoesoedibjo, namely RCTI, TRIJAYA FM and TRUST. It was showed that contents of those media were full of messages of the owner's interests.

In Indonesia's media today, we can observe the real condition of it. It is clear that media owners can decide whether to involve or not, to sort out the content of their medias. The following comparison shows clearly how the media owners treat their own medias. Here are some examples of the media owners that were put into comparison below: Ciputra as one of the owner of PT Tempo Inti Media group (Tempo Interaktif.com, Tempo Magazine Indonesian and English edition, Tempo Newspaper, U Magazine, Travelounge Magazine and Tempo TV), Surya Paloh as the owner of Media Group (Media Indonesia Newspaper, MediaIndonesia.com, Metro TV and MetroTVNews.com), and Aburizal Bakrie as the owner of Viva Media Group (Anteve, TV One and VivaNews.com).
Media reported the issue that was related with the owner
Tempo Interaktif (17 March 2003), Title: Violence against us Content: Ciputra as one of the owner of Tempo, came to Tommy Winata to find the solution of the problems between them. But it did not give any result or agreement, because Ciputra could not affect Tempo Editorial Management

Other medias reports, used as comparison

Gatra.com (11 March 2003), Title: Ciputra is willing to act as a mediator for Tempo and Tommy Winata Content: Ciputra, as part of Tempo owner realized that he could not involve in Tempo editorial affair. However, he was willing to act as a mediator, as an effort to find the solution for Tempo and Tommy Winata's conflict.

MediaIndonesia.com (24 December 2010), Title: Jusuf Kalla: Surya Paloh did not violate Golkar's statues and articles of association. Content: The former Golkar Leader, Jusuf Kalla denied that Golkar would fire Surya Paloh. According to him, Surya Paloh position in National Demokrat did not violate Golkar's articles of association.

VivaNews.com (9 Februari 2009), Title: Open about Lapindo's problem Aburizal Bakrie: I thought I would be criticized. It was beyond my thought that surprisingly, Sidoarjo people welcomed him. Content: "I came to Sidoarjo, thinking that people there will criticize me. Surprisingly, they kissed my hands. I was hugged. I feel gratitude", said Aburizal Bakrie.

Primaonline.com (24 June 2010), Title: Golkar's Secretary General: National Demokrat was established because Surya Paloh was upset. Content: Golkar's Secretary General, Idrus Marham, said that National Demokrat was established because Surya Paloh was upset, when he was defeated in the Golkar's general election during Golkar 8th National Conference in Pekanbaru. TempoInteraktif (15 March 2009), Title: Lapindo's victims will come to Aburizal Bakrie's house Content: About 15 people, Lapindo's victim representatives, will come to Aburizal Bakrie's mother, "We will visit her and tell her that we want 80% compensation as it was promised previously. And not paying 15 million in installment", said Paring Waluyo Utomo, community representative.

The regulation about press and broadcasting are considered adequate to control press in Indonesia, with the assumption that each media has its regulation to control content of the media, without the involvement of media owner. However, in reality, it becomes a different story. It is possibly said that the ideal condition of convergence media can be seen in PT Tempo Inti Media, which separates the owner interests and involvement in their media content. The background above raises the following questions: how the condition of convergence media ideally work, for Tempo News Room in particular? Would it work as in open market or does it need another regulation that control or restrict the involvement of media owner and its media content? And how self regulation is applied in Tempo News Room? This research uses qualitative approach with constructive paradigm. Even though it is a descriptive research, by using the constructive approach, this research will understand the phenomena that is experienced by research subject, in this point of view, mainly when it is related with media development process that is managed by the informant.

Table 1: Correlation between Ownership Media and Content Media

Many people did not consider media's owner authority, including in Indonesia. Because they think that media owner should not involve or has influence in the content of the media. In the press regulation, chapter VI which is contained of regulation of press company/business (chapter VI, article 9 14), there is not a single article that says about the restriction of media owners to control the content of their medias. In the Broadcasting Law (no 32 year 2002), there is one article that says about the restriction of monopoly in media ownership (article no 18), and the regulation about the restriction of media content monopoly is regulated in chapter 36, article no 4 (a single article): The content of broadcasted materials should be neutral and do not give priority to a certain group. There is not a single article that explicitly says about the restriction of media owners to the content of their medias.

New Technology and Gutenberg Myths

In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg from Mainz, Germany created a method of type of letters that was made by pouring molten metal into a mould. These types then could be removed from the mould, then it would be inked and pressed into pages. The invention of printing machine by Gutenberg, later become the basic revolution for printing industry, including mass media. This point of return later raised Gutenberg Myths. The Gutenberg Myth has become the most commonly used model for making predictions about the directions new technologies will take and for identifying what we need to do to avoid being left behind. The great era of Gutenberg printing machine was boasted to have a similar pattern with the new

technology, internet technology and media online in particular. Cook (Hassan & Thomas, 2006) describe that the new technologies of our time are indeed exciting and powerful. Much good (or much evil) could be done with them. But the claim that we are seeing a new Gutenberg revolution is a dangerous one. It is dangerous because the picture of the Gutenberg revolution found in histories, encyclopedias, and the popular media is historically inaccurate and conceptually misleading. It would have us believe that rapid and far-reaching changes in literacy, learning and social institutions were caused by a single new technology. In reality, new technology that creates various new kinds of media, for example internet, has not been able to replace printing media like newspaper or magazine. The presence of internet in 1990s was sensational, many people thought that this new kind of technology would change everything. In reality, it is not. Smith and Hendrick have explained that the concept of new media suggests that it replaces an old medium; however, it does not work that way. When television came into existence, it did not replace the medium of radio. When video began being used on the Internet, it did not replace the medium of television (Hendricks,2010). When old media and new media work together, complete each other, then convergence media pattern is adjusted. Industry should compromise the presence of new media and manage the old media with new interesting method/approach. This condition is related to the system of editorial management of various media that are organized under one roof management. Therefore, convergence media can not be separated from the center of news production within a media company, that is known as News Room.

As it was studied by Shoemaker in 1996, who plotted the influence of media owner policy to the content of media. The relation between media contents highly related to the following elements: media staffs, like reporters, editor and editor in chief, the pressure from outside of the media and the ideology of that media itself.

Figure 1: Hierarchy of Media Relation in Media Content (Shoemaker, 1996).

The issue of media ownership and control also happen in UK, USA and Australia. Government in these countries has issued a regulation that relates to media ownership and the content of media. Creating variant media content and pluralism of news sources are the main objective of this regulation. For example, one of the basic policy that was issued by UK government was The White Paper, which led to the Communications Act 2003 (Comms Act (UK)). The White Paper set out the governments policy attitude towards media ownership, which predictably made reference to the democratic importance of the media and the need for a diversity of opinion and expression to be available (Hitchens, 2006). UK has already applied this kind of regulation since 2003, but Australia, up to now, has not been able to apply this regulation. Although, Australian government has announced its intention to introduce legislation to reform ownership and control into Parliament in 2006.

The Owner's control to the media content Many people see that media ownership is only a background of convergence media, however, the position of media owner tend to be used as media content controller.

In other hand, in the United Stated, new media ownership and control rules, effecting substantial change to the existing regime, were introduced in June 2003 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory body responsible for communications in the US. However, the FCCs new rules were challenged by public interest groups; the challenge was upheld and the rules were stayed. In July 2006, the FCC announced a new rule making process. Although the new process will review again all the rules which were part of the 2003 process, there are no clear proposals at this stage. The effort to make such regulation in many countries has proven that many have been concerned about the involvement of media owner to the media content which might be biased the media content.

Tempo News Room which is supported by 80 editorial staffs, from the reporters to editor in chief, and 80 internal and foreign correspondents, is a motor of all news movement, both recent or investigation journalism that was developed by editorial staffs. In 2009, Tempo News Room had fulfilled its organization, which related to coordination reorganization, sharpening the prime news, and improving both quantity and quality of news production. As a result, the number of news production has increased. In 2008, the production number reached 180 230 news per day. In 2009, it increased into 250 to 400 news per day. This production improvement was also affected by the additional number of hired reporters.

Self Regulation
In maintaining the objectivity of media content, without involvement of media owner, Tempo News Room makes a self regulation. By tradition, Tempo owners have never been controlling the creative process and media content, however, they need to make a platform or regulation about it. Therefore, Toriq Hadad, as one of the Tempo Interactive founder (1994), who also lead Tempo News Room in the past, and now he is one of PT Tempo Inti Media director, make a measurable platform for Tempo media which is pointed on: Freedom Press which is transparent, anti corruption, and respect to the pluralism value.

Tempo News Room and Convergence

Tempo Newsroom is a center of news production that was established by Tempo in 2001, in the same time with the issue of Koran Tempo. This institution becomes the backbone of news production for all Tempo news outlets, from tempo interactive website, tempo newspaper, weekly tempo magazine, and other new magazines like U and Travelounge magazine. Tempo News Room is a sign of convergence media era which is carried out by PT Tempo Inti Media. It includes the establishment of Tempo TV in 2007, that still operates as production house. Tempo was initiated by the issue of Tempo magazine that was published in 1971 and was shut down by the government in 1994. In 1996, Tempo Interactive officially published. It was initiated by the mailing list activity that was organized by former Tempo staffs and its readers. Later in 1998, in the post period of Suharto New Order fell, Tempo Magazine was reissued. In the same time, Tempo continued to manage its online news, that led to the development of Tempo media industry. In the side of media technology development, media culture or other media types development, what was done by Tempo, with Tempo News Room in particular, was a form of convergence media.

Toriq believes that Tempo will be able to be convergence:

"Tempo will make a convergence media. Printing, on line and TV will become one. All of them are carried out for the interest of efficiency and coordination. It will also important to reorganize the news structure, so it will be more efficient and centered."

When new platform is applied as working guidelines for Tempo News Room, the new working system is following it. Included in it, the recruitment and sustainable training for journalists. Tempo News Room and other Tempo editorial, use the term of M1, M2 and M3. M1 is for Intern 1, it is intended for reporters who will enter the editorial staffs. M2 is for Intern 2, it is intended for editorial staffs who will enter desk editorial, and M3 is for

Intern 3, it is intended for desk editor to enter editor in chief position. Internship process is measured in the reports that are made in a certain number and will be scored A, B, C and so on. The appraisal is carried out regularly, for example, one reporter will be evaluated weekly. However, each person will achieve different internship process. Burhan Solihin, Tempo News Room Editor in Chief explained:
"Each person has different achievement process. Their timeline are different, it could be faster or not. But, internship indicator can be measured in quantitative, it is like Semester Credit Point system which has score. For example, a report who will achieve editorial position needs 40 writings with average score is A".

3. Suspended and salary cut 4. Termination The interesting part of this suspension sanction is journalist who is suspended, still has to work and making reports, but his/her salary will be cut as his/her violation/mistake. So, during the suspension process, journalist can learn from his/her mistake and will be able to fix it. This sanction concept is indeed different from other sanction that is applied in other media company. However, it can be applied if the violation is not severe and does not cause a termination for journalist. Other than sanction, Tempo has also given reward for their staffs. Tempo News Room applies open career step system that can be followed by all Tempo journalists. For example, in order to sit in middle level position, from editorial staff to desk editor, needs approximately 4 years (it could be faster or longer, depends on the scores they have). In order to step up to higher level, the same application is operated and possible for all Tempo News Room editors. It is emphasized by Solihin in the interview with researcher:
"Here, the opportunity to make a career is open. Everybody can fill the expected position in open and fair way. As we can see in Tempo there is no editor in chief who sit in life in his/her position Tempo. After 4 5 years, editor in chief will sit in other position like director in other media or within Tempo Inti Media company. So far, regeneration in editorial board which manages media content has worked appropriately as it should be".

Tight and gradual procedure in training process that is applied by Tempo News Room is very useful for Tempo News Room staffs. Endri Kurniawati, one of Tempo News Room editor who has spent 14 years in Tempo News Room says:
Gradual promotion process is running fairly. Each person can measure his/her own skill. Moreover, journalist recruitment process is very transparent and any ethic code violation in the fields can be anticipated because we have weekly evaluation".

Moreover, in order to prevent ethic code violation in the field, it is possible for editor to re-check to the source that had been interviewed by reporters previously. Therefore, it is impossible to write a report before a reporter carry out a prior interview. It is intended to prevent copying a report from other report.

Other than a clear platform that has always been emphasized during editorial meeting, Tempo self regulation has also form Internal Supervisor which contained of editorial consultant board and lawyers who have the same value with Tempo. Moreover, for every journalistic ethic code violation, Tempo platform violation and other regulation violation, they apply sanction for every of it. The sanction given in stages, depends on the level of mistakes that are made by journalists: 1. Verbal Notification 2. Written Notification

Tempo News Room is possible to hire middle and higher level editor from other media, however it will be carried out openly with fair appraisal. If open gradual career system is continued to be applied by Tempo News Room, there will be no feeling of frustration because every staff is free to develop his/her career as his/her capability.

Open Market or Regulation?

Tempo and its media had proven that they exist because of open market. Market needs, in this case readers/community who needs media as they want, make Tempo grows fast. All the informants who have been interviewed by researcher admitted that the existence of

Tempo Inti Media, it included Tempo News Room, is because it meets readers needs. As was said by Kurniawati:
"Tempo grows and becomes big because of market needs. The readers want us to grow. The condition of open market like this should be heard. So, if it is asked whether we need regulation, what more regulation we need? Indonesia already has Press Law and Journalism Ethic Code for content media regulation. Media company as a business has also its regulation, which it has clear regulation stated in the constitution. It regulates public company".

the market needs, so they will not control the creative process in creating media content. On the other hand, social scientists and media critics believe this pro-social programming will not be created without regulation and that diversity will be threatened by the pursuit of profit over public interest. In the context of media in Indonesia, regulation about media content and media ownership have been regulated clearly in a constitution or other regulation. However, it can not be denied that in general, the practice of media regulation and law that relate to media content and ownership, have not been applied in maximum in Indonesia. It is indicated by a number of violations which relates to media content and ownership. Even though Tempo News Room does not have any problem with owner control, they know that such problem might happen in other media in Indonesia. When researcher asked about what was the ideal method to manage convergence media in Indonesia and did we need more regulation that related to media content and ownership, Solihin answered it in the following statement:
"The most ideal condition for convergence media development should come from the market needs, then the management of it has to be free from owner control. However, it is not easy, because frequently, the owner wants to involve in media content. And if we talk about regulation, we already have regulation, however, it is important to maximize the supervision of this regulation. For example, Press Board , Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, and other watch groups from community who is aware about the media, should be active in supervising and preventing the violation of this regulation".

Open Market is unavoidable exist within Indonesian media, at this moment. Therefore, the competition becomes inseparable from this open market. Competition that is based on the readers/public needs should be offered by media business, particularly, media should be able to offer variant media contents. Readers are expected to read different point of view of one report that is reported by two different media (Shoemaker, 1996). It has been applied in Tempo, when they have to write different reports in tempo on line and Tempo magazine. As it is said by Solihin:
"Since the beginning, as on line report is issued in faster process, Tempo Interactive will issue short report, short factual and accurate report. Then, in the Tempo Newspaper, we will report it more in detail. When it is reported in the Tempo Magazine, it will use in-depth interview which give more depth in the report".

The discussion about variant media content which is connected with open market and regulation will always be exist. Because the two components are believed as the method to develop media content. Market proponents believe in the efficiency of market forces to create the breadth of diverse voices in society. Ac cording to this school of thought, let communications companies freely compete, and they will create as much programming as the market will bear (Mara, 2004). In this condition, people who believe in this method are confident that media owner will act upon

The enforcement of media regulation in Indonesia is so convincing, however we have to admit that this regulation has not been classified into detail regulation that contained of relation between media owner and content. There is no regulation which restricts media

owner involvement in the process of media content making and media content publishing.

age of new media. Lexington Books, 2010. Hitchens, Lesley. Broadcasting Pluralism and Diversity: A Comparative Study of Policy and Regulation. Hart Publishing., 2006. Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press. 2006. Shoemaker, Pamela. J., and Stephen D.Reese. Mediating The Message: Theories of Influences of Mass Media Concent. Second Edition. Longman Publisher USA, 1996.

Conclusion
As an early research, generally, it has a description about pull and draw between open market and regulation. The expectation of media to free itself and adjust to open market, to what readers want, has to oppose the media owner behavior who want to control media content. The process of pull and draw between open market and regulation can be approached if this media has strong self regulation. This self regulation should be independent and meet the existing ethic code, so media can control itself. If self regulation can not be applied or fail to be applied, Press Board, Indonesian Broadcasting Commission and other media watch groups should be firmed about it. Moreover, we still need more other media watch groups that emerge from Indonesian community who are aware of the importance of maintaining variant media contents. If these proponents are well functioned, we do not need any additional regulation.

UU Pers No. 40 Tahun 1999 UU Penyiaran No. 32 Tahun 2002

References
Einstein, Mara. Media Diversity : Economics, Ownership, and the FCC. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2004. Fasta, Feni. Kontestasi antara kepemilikan silang media dengan isi pemberitaan media massa :Studi tentang kasus negotiable certificate of deposit (NCD) fiktif terkait Hary Tanoesoedibjo dalam pemberitaan RCTI, TRIJAYA FM, dan TRUST. Universitas Indonesia, 2006. Hassan, Robert and Julian Thomas. The New Media Theory Reader. Open University Press McGrawHill. Education. 2006. Hendricks, John Allen. The twenty-first-century media industry : economic and managerial implications in the