Building on the Foundations: Strengthening a Professional, Responsible, and Responsive Broadcast Media in Indonesia

Background

While the broadcast media in Indonesia is vibrant, there is a growing to protect its independence and professionalize its staff. Recent regulations amended to the existing broadcast law threaten to seriously curb media freedoms and to undermine the authority of the Indonesia Broadcasting Commission. The project works to strengthen the Indonesia Broadcasting Commission’s role to independently regulate the broadcast industry and on media and civic input into revising the new draconian broadcast regulations. The project also works to ensure that new local broadcasters—commercial and community-based radio stations—are equipped with the fundamental skills to reflect, examine, and support democratic reforms and decentralized growth in Indonesia. While the project aims to reach media and the public across Indonesia, it has a particular focus on Aceh province, where, owing to the devastation of the 2005 Tsunami, the need for a professional and financially sustainable mass media is acute.

Project Objectives

1. Support for regional commercial and community broadcast media
2. Radio programming to support local capacity building
3. Fostering dialogues on media regulation: Support for the Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia (KPI)
4. Targeted support for Aceh Media and Media education

Project Components

Building on the Foundations is a cooperative agreement to Internews to provide training, technical assistance, and commodity support to media entities.

Project Focus

1.      Support for regional commercial and community broadcast media

• Research and assessment to select the appropriate stations to be assisted
• Journalism and production training/seminar
• Management and sales training
• In-house radio trainings and technical assistance

2.  Radio programming to support local capacity building

• Mentoring local radio stations in quality news production
• Production of magazines and features
• Distribution of programs to radio stations

3.      Fostering dialogues on media regulation: Support for the Indonesia Broadcasting Commission (KPI)

• Socialization and media content monitoring seminars
• Dialogues with stakeholders
• Website to KPI
• Media law consultations for KPI

4.      Targeted support for Aceh media and media education

• Production of  Aceh radio program (Peunegah Aceh program)
• Technical radio training
• Equipment and/or cash grants to ten Aceh Radio based on need for producing a good qualified radio programs
• Fellowship program for the journalists

All Democracy and Governance activities