Indonesia is Google’s ‘Regional Focus’

Jakarta Globe, Shirley Christie, July 26, 2011

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• Google to Open Indonesia Office By End of the Year

Google, the world’s largest Internet-search provider, may make a “huge investment” in Indonesia to take advantage of the country’s enormous market potential, a government official said.

The Internet giant would focus its Southeast Asian investment on Indonesia, Gita Wirjawan, chairman of Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), said on Monday.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said “Google wants to invest, and based on their calculation it would be bigger than its previous offices in Southeast Asia,” Gita told a press conference in Jakarta.

“I do not know yet whether it is going to be $100 million or more, but the investment would definitely be bigger than [the amount spent] in Singapore and Malaysia,” he said

Google could set up operations in Indonesia, Gita said, but the company needed to study the potential for revenue from advertising in the country and the establishment of a data center.

Those matters are being discussed with the Communications Ministry, he said.

Google’s global brand and innovative reputation means the company’s presence would encourage other investors to do business in Indonesia, Gita said.

BKPM forecasts total foreign and domestic investment hitting Rp 240 trillion ($28 billion) this year, up 15 percent from 2010.

Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, told the Jakarta Globe the ministry welcomed Google’s plan and has not imposed any requirement for the company to establish a data center locally.

Schmidt met Indonesian Vice President Boediono last Friday to inform him of the company’s plan to open a representative office in Indonesia by next year.

At an entrepreneurial summit in Bali, Schmidt said Indonesia would have an “Internet explosion” that would change the country for the better.

“There are 50 million small businesses in Indonesia. Just numerically those will be the engine of growth for the future economy,” he said.

Other foreign companies have already established local businesses to appeal to Indonesia’s Internet users. Yahoo has been operating in Indonesia since early last year.

Indonesia has about 40 million Internet users and is home to Facebook’s second-highest number of subscribers.

Global research firm Frost & Sullivan found Indonesia had 194 million wireless subscribers at the end of last year, representing a penetration rate of about 81 percent. About 80 percent of mobile users are using Internet-enabled hand-held devices.

Indonesian advertisers spend less than 2 percent of their budgets on online promotions, meaning the online advertising industry here has significant space for expansion.

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Govt: No need for Google to establish data center, yet

Google to open representative office in Indonesia

Google to open representative office in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Fri, 07/22/2011

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that the company intends to open a representative office to expand its internet business in Indonesia.

The statement was made during a meeting with Vice President Boediono on Friday.

According to vice president spokesman Yopie Hidayat, as quoted by kompas.com, in the one-hour meeting Schmidt stated that the representative office in Indonesia would be ready before 2012.

Yopie said that the multinational corporation investing in internet search, cloud computing and advertising technologies wanted to develop programs to connect Indonesian small and medium sized enterprises with foreign buyers.

He added that Google had been involved in serious talks with the Communications and Information Technology Ministry regarding its business plan and would soon prepare a memorandum of understanding with the government.

$1m grant up for grabs to develop multimedia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 07/15/2011

Ford Foundation, in cooperation with Wikimedia Indonesia, ICT Watch and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), announced Friday that it would be awarding grants worth US$1 million (Rp 8.5 billion) to 30 people or organizations that come up with best practices in innovative ideas to improve media conditions in Indonesia.

“We want to improve Indonesian media through innovative and novel ideas,” Ford Foundation media program officer Heidi Arbuckle said at the program’s launch in South Jakarta on Friday.

Arbuckle said her foundation wanted to try a different way in handing grants.

She said that some foundations were not too open to the public during the selection of grant recipients.

The first selection will be held on Aug.1 to Sept.15, while the announcement of grant recipients will be made on Nov.7.

More information can be found at www.ciptamedia.org. (drs)

ANTARA journalists join multimedia training in Netherlands

Antara News, Wed, June 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A number of ANTARA journalists will attend a multimedia journalism training in the Netherlands under the StuNed scholarship provided by the Nuffic-Neso and the Dutch government.

To mark the beginning of the training program, Indonesian Nuffice-Neso scholarship coordinator Indy Hartono handed the scholarships to the ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf here in Jakarta, Wednesday.

The training is scheduled to be held on June 27 - July 15, 2011 at the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC), Hilversum, the Netherlands, aimed to increase ANTARA journalists` professional skills.

In the training, the participants would also have the chance to visit the Netherlands news agency Algemeen Nederlands Persbureu (ANP).

"RNTC is a training facility designed for journalists, the fourth opportunity for Indonesian journalists to participate in the event at RNTC with different topics according to the necessary needs," Indy said in her opening remarks.

Indy also said that StuNed supports journalists` capacity building to promote democracy.

"By studying at RNTC, the participants would not only learn theory but also to practice with proper equipment," Indy said.

The 16 participants in the three weeks training from from ANTARA News Agency are active journalists and one manager of ANTARA Journalism School (LPJA).

Besides the Jakarta based ANTARA journalists, there are also several those from bureaus attending this training such as from Pontianak, Makassar and Denpasar.

Upon their return from the Netherlands, they are expected to apply what they have gained there to develop antaranews.comportal, including the enrichment of content and sections within it.

In the long run, the knowledge gained will be disseminated through training courses organized by LPJA, particularly in the multimedia journalism field.

On that occasion, ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf welcomed the training as an endeavor to strengthen ANTARA as a multimedia news agency.

"Besides the training, it is also expected to reinforce the mindset that is needed to manage the current media, supported by the latest IT infrastructure, the discipline of media players, and network expanding" he said.

With the LPJA manager attending the training, it is also expected that the training methodology can be an additional reference for the management of multimedia journalism education in ANTARA.

ANTARA News Agency also thanked NESO for their cooperation and the scholarships, the program might be continued each year, and involve the PWI (Indonesia Press Association), Press Council and other journalist organizations, ANTARA is ready to help facilitate, Mukhlis said.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is a non-profit organization officially designated and funded by the Dutch government to deal with various matters relating to the Dutch higher education.

StuNed, stands for Studeren in Nederland, or study in the Netherlands, is a scholarship program that is part of the development cooperation policy of the Dutch government which aims to support the achievement of the "UN Millennium Development Goals" in 2015.

Editor: Bambang

Foreign students undertake journalism, development studies in Jakarta

Antara News, Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A group of students from Australian and New Zealand universities are participating in separate Journalism Professional Practicum and Development Studies and Professional Practicum programs in Jakarta over the next six weeks

According to an Australian Embassy media release, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty congratulated the students here on Tuesday.

"As neighbors and partners, it is important for Australia and Indonesia to know each other well," Moriarty said during the official opening of the program at Atma Jaya University.

"Programs like these help to increase the people-to-people links in the region, enhance understanding of contemporary issues in Indonesia, and provide an opportunity to strengthen professional linkages across the media and development sectors," Moriarty added.

Thirty-six students from Australian and New Zealand universities are undertaking the program organized by the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS).

The program incorporates a two-week language and seminar program at Atma Jaya Catholic University followed by a four-week industry placement, and includes students from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan and Korea.

Both programs were designed to open up in-country study options in Indonesia to non-Indonesian/Asian studies students.

The journalism program is now into its 5th year, while the development studies practicum ran a successful pilot program last year.

Students will be placed with a range of local and international media and development organizations including Tempo Weekly magazine, Metro TV, Radio Republik Indonesia, The Jakarta Globe, The Jakarta Post, Globe Asia Business Monthly Magazine, Agence France-Presse, ThomsonReuters, CARE Indonesia, World Wildlife Fund, Wahid Institute, Center for International Forestry (CIFOR), International Labor Organization (ILO) and Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).

Jakarta Globe Wins Major Asian Award for Journalism

Jakarta Globe | August 05, 2010

Jakarta. The Jakarta Globe on Wednesday night won another award for journalistic excellence, this one for a special supplement highlighting the many water problems facing the capital.

“Water Worries,” published in July 2009, picked up a bronze award for best news coverage (newspaper special section) at the Asia Media Awards, held in Kuala Lumpur. The awards are run by prestigious industry group the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The special supplement — containing stories written by Dewi Kurniawati, Globe contributing editor Joe Cochrane, investigative writers Hera Diani and Kafil Yamin and news reporter Putri Prameshwari — outlined Jakarta’s troubles in dealing with water-related issues, including ensuring steady supply, dealing with sewage and garbage cast into rivers and canals, and flooding caused by rainfall and coastal tides.

The award is the latest of more than a dozen reporting, photography and design accolades for the paper this year. At the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for Editorial Excellence in June, “Water Worries” received another award for excellence in special coverage.

“All these recognitions serve to inspire the entire news organization to work harder at providing our readers with first-rate journalism, the kind of reporting that we hope makes a difference,” Globe deputy chief editor Bhimanto Suwastoyo said.

The gold in the Asian Media Awards special section category went to the United Arab Emirates newspaper Gulf News for coverage of boxer Manny Pacquiao.

WAN-IFRA is a worldwide organization that supports newspapers in pushing for the defence of press freedoms, high standards of journalism and best practices in publishing technology. The Asia Media Awards also recognize the region’s best newspaper and magazine front cover designs, photography and printing quality.

“Water Worries” is one in a series of four special reports on Jakarta’s social and infrastructure challenges that the Globe has published. The others cover preserving Kota Tua in North Jakarta, traffic woes and environmental sustainability. You can download them HERE.

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Letter from publisher: Change and continuity at ‘The Jakarta Post’

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 08/03/2010 9:00 AM

In an era where change seems to be the only constant, The Jakarta Post officially installed Meidyatama Suryodiningrat as its fifth Editor-in-Chief effective Aug. 1, 2010.

New boss: New The Jakarta Post chief editor
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat (right) poses with the
Post’s president director Jusuf Wanandi during the
handing over of a letter of appointment. Meidyatama
replaces Endy M. Bayuni as the Post’s editor-in-chief.
JP/Arief Suhardiman

He on Monday officially replaced Endy M. Bayuni, who served with distinction for six years after a career spanning back to the first months of the Post in 1983. Endy steps down with the appreciation of the Board of Directors and shareholders of PT Bina Media Tenggara, publishers of the newspaper.

Meidyatama graduated from Canada’s Carleton University and more recently completed his Fellowship at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

As someone who joined the post in 1993 — the Post’s second decade in existence — Meidyatama represents a generation of journalist bred in the whirlwind of “new media” change, while retaining journalistic qualities that have served this newspaper well.

The challenges that lie ahead for the Indonesian media are both novel and complex. More than just promoting a humane civil society, which has been this paper’s pronounced vision, Meidyatama takes over the helm in an era of transformation both for the nation and its media.

The immediate mission of this organization is to broaden its focus to serve its loyal community

in a multi-platform environment while maintaining the qualities of mature journalism by carrying out a daily conversation advocating for a nation built on values of pluralism, good governance, transparency and justice.

With your loyal support, Indonesia’s oldest and most trusted English-language daily, under the aegis of Meidyatama’s editorship, will evolve to become an agora of ideas, a pillar of the fourth estate and a reference as the journal of Indonesia today.

— The Publisher

Minister launches educational television channel

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 05/02/2010 5:06 PM

The National Education Ministry, in cooperation with media group Media Nusantara Citra (MNC Group), launched TV Citra Indonesia Terampil satellite-based educational television channel Sunday, which will be dedicated to broadcasting educational shows nationwide.

TV Citra Indonesia Terampil starts to broadcast on Sunday, using Channel 845 of Indovision cable television through the Indostar satellite.

“The channel will be broadcast to 1,000 spots in Indonesia, especially in remote areas,” Education Minister Muhammad Nuh told a press conference in Jakarta, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Nuh said the service will be provided for free, for both the TV programs and the receiver devices.

The CEO of MNC Group, Rudy Tanoesudibyo, said most of the new channel’s programs would focus on skills training as well as basic education as commonly taught at elementary and junior high school level.

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18 Indonesian Journalists to Focus on New Media in Netherlands

Jakarta Globe, April 22, 2010

Eighteen journalists from six cities in Indonesia are heading to the Netherlands to study the latest developments in new media.

The journalists work for print and broadcast media in Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Bali, Semarang, Malang and Surabaya. They are members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and recipients of this year’s StuNed scholarships provided by Nuffic Neso Indonesia.

Among them are Anita Rachman, a reporter from the Jakarta Globe, and Wahyu Dhyatmika, from Tempo weekly news magazine, who is also the chairman of AJI Jakarta.

“Media independence is still a problem in Indonesia even though we have enjoyed press freedom for 12 years,” Wahyu said on Wednesday at the program launch.

“We hope this training will enable us to have better knowledge of multimedia journalism, which can be a solution to strengthening media independence.”

The scholarship recipients will study at the Radio Netherlands Training Center for three weeks from next week and they will also attend an international conference on World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

Marrik Bellen, the Indonesian director of Nuffic Neso, said StuNed scholarships also had been awarded to journalists in 2007 and 2009. AJI is the third journalists’ organization to receive scholarships to help efforts to develop its members.

Bellen said good journalism was important for ensuring good governance.

Nuffic Nesso is a nonprofit organization commissioned by the Dutch government to manage the scholarship program and other higher education issues in the Netherlands.

In Indonesia, Nuffic Nesso provides consultation and information for Indonesians seeking scholarships in the Netherlands.

Tune Your Radios to a Greener Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Elisabeth Oktofani, April 04, 2010

A Green Radio initiative has planted 7,000 trees in Gunung Gede Pangrango park. (Photo courtesy of Green Radio)

For those stuck twirling the dial during smoggy commutes, Green Radio is a breath of fresh air for those who like their news mixed with a daily dose of environmental responsibility.

Broadcasting on 89.2-FM, Green Radio is the only news station in Jakarta whose main focus is educating listeners about the big and small changes they can make to benefit the environment.

“Green Radio was inspired by the floods in 2007 that left more than 70 percent of the Jakarta area drowned,” said Santosa, the station’s managing director. “There must be something wrong with the environment, so one day I came up with an idea to change our previous station, Radio Utan Kayu, which focused on more general issues, to Green Radio.”

The station’s tag line is “The eco-lifestyle of Jakarta,” and Santosa said more than 200,000 people tune in daily across Greater Jakarta to listen to news, environmental reports and discussions.

And the small station’s influence extends beyond the reach of its radio transmitters. Besides broadcasting a message urging environmental consciousness, Green Radio has also spearheaded programs aimed at getting their audience actively involved. “Green Radio has on-air activities and also off-air activities because we want to encourage the public, through our listeners, to get involved to save the planet and help to avoid floods in Jakarta such as the 2007 flood,” Santosa said.

And it isn’t all just talk. From day one, Green Radio has used solar panels to power its 18-hour broadcast day.

“I decided to use solar panels because they are very environmentally friendly and use an unlimited natural resource: the sun,” Santosa said.

So far, Green Radio has organized three initiatives: the Friends of the Forest tree adoption campaign at Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, a clean-up of the area around Monas in June and a biopore creation workshop. Biopores are small holes drilled in the ground to decrease flooding.

Green Radio collaborates with private sector and government organizations as well as members of its audience, Santosa said, adding that the station has had more than 2000 individual participants take part in its greening programs.

Through its Friends of the Forest adoption program, individuals and organizations donate Rp 108,000 ($12) to have a tree planted in a deforested area in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java. Green Radio has collected enough money to plant 7,031 trees in a 10-hectare area over the last 18 months, decreasing soil erosion at the farms that line the park’s borders.

“We’ve already got 15 big organizations and 300 individual adopters,” Santosa said. The program was created in partnership with the park and Conservation International Indonesia.

He added that the program was also helping reclaim parts of the forest from local farmers who use the park to plant crops, and trains those farmers for new careers in eco-tourism. At a cost of Rp 290,000 per person for two days and one night, the tour provides lodgings in a campground or tree house, five meals, guides, porters and the planting of a tree.

“The income goes to local farmers who help us organize the eco-tours. They prepare the food and act as forest guides and porters.” Santosa said, adding that some farmers were also given goats, rabbits and honeybees to breed.

In addition to Friends of the Forest, Green Radio has also developed a biopore program, active since July 2009.

“The biopore program is a regular training program that teaches people how to make small holes [in the ground] for water absorption. They can absorb more water in the rainy season and also can be used to produce compost.” Santosa said.

Each biopore is designed with a 10-centimeter opening and with a depth of one meter.

Through partnership with the Body Shop retail chain and Mall Ciputra, Green Radio’s program has been responsible for the creation of 1,500 biopores across Jakarta.

“We are working together with these caring communities to help reach the government’s goal of creating one million biopores,” Santosa said. “Hopefully, these biopores will help us to avoid another big flood like the Jakarta flood in 2007.”

President celebrates Press Day

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Palembang, South Sumatra | Tue, 02/09/2010 9:27 AM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended an event held Tuesday to commemorate the 64th National Press Day in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Yudhoyono arrived in the city at around 9:10 a.m., after departing from Jakarta an hour earlier, and was immediately escorted to Hotel Aryaduta where the event took place.

During the event, the President will witness the signing of a ratification on press organization standards by 20 company representatives.

Yudhoyono will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a new journalism school, the Indonesian School of Journalists, between journalism societies, the National Education Ministry, UNESCO and the local administration.

National Press Day was commemorated for the first time in 1985 and dedicated to the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), which was founded in 1946.

During the New Order era, the PWI was the only government-sanctioned press organization. An alternative press association critical of the government, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), was formed in 1994 and grew stronger following the reform movement that put an end to Soeharto's New Order regime in 1998.

There are now more than 20 press organizations in the country.

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Antara signs news exchange cooperation with Taiwan

Antara News, Wednesday, December 16, 2009 04:50 WIB

72nd ANTARA Anniversary- Vice President Boediono (middle) flanked by State Minister of BUMN, Mustafa Abubakar (right) and President Director of Perum LKBN ANTARA, Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf (left) entered Adhiyana room at Wisma Antara in Central Jakarta, on Monday (14/12) before presenting his speech at the 72nd ANTARA Anniversary. (ANTARA/R.Sukendi/Kunto)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - LKBN Antara, the national news agency of Indonesia, signed two cooperation agreements in news exchange with Radio Taiwan International (RTI) and the Central News Agency in a bid to intensify the dissemination of information in Indonesia and Taiwan.

"We have to expand the wings of cooperation with many media either representating radio stations or news agencies of other countries in order to give color to the news being handled, so that the promotion of Indonesia to foreign readers will run as expected," Dr Ahmad Muchlis Yusuf, president director of LKBN Antara, said after the signing ceremony here on Tuesday.

Antara as a news agency had the right to expand its cooperation with other media in other countries, and as long as the cooperation benefits the promote of Indonesia, let it run unhampered, he said.

"Our company will also be friendly to whoever wishes to cooperate with us," he stressed.

In the meantime, Sunshine Kuang PhD of Radio Taiwan International said warmly welcomed the cooperation in news exchange with Antara, as her radio station had a broadcasting program in the Indonesian language.

"The number of Indonesian listeners in Taiwan is quite big and therefore we have to provide an Indonesian broadcasting service," she said.

Hung Chien-chao, Ph.D, of the Central News Agency, said that the cooperation in news exchange has long been awaited, but the dream came true today. Indonesia with a vast land and sea territory, has a better implementation of democracy which should be informed to its people.

"Opening the door to information from Indonesia to Taiwan is better than closing it to outsiders. At least, such misunderstanding could be avoided," he said.

In a global era, many media need to be proactive, to enable them to easier handling hardship and competition.

Indonesia, Australia academics cooperate in governance issues

Aditya Suharmoko, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/08/2009 11:35 AM

Twenty academics from Indonesia and Australia will intensify cooperation on priority governance issues in an Australian-funded research program, the Australian Embassy said Tuesday.

"By working in partnership, leading minds from Australia and Indonesia can support policy development in Indonesia and work towards addressing governance concerns," Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer said in a statement.

The priority issues are climate change and food security, public financial reporting, local political parties in Aceh, insurance and social security, forest management and district-level lawmaking, according to the statement.

Those who will be involved in the joint-research program include senior government officials, heads of international organizations, also representatives from universities, policy think tanks and the media.

Fun eco-festival to be held this weekend

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/02/2009 2:24 PM

A partnership association of three mass media and four corporations will run a fun eco-festival this weekend to address the global warming issue with city residents.

The free-of-charge event, named the 2009 Green Festival will be jointly held by Kompas, MetroTV, Female Radio, consumer goods manufacturer PT Unilever Indonesia, state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina, electronic company PT Panasonic Gobel Indonesia, and Sinar Mas Group.

The festival will take place in Bung Karno Sports Complex's east parking lot in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Saturday and Sunday.

Chief organizer Nugroho Yudho of Kompas daily said the parking lot would be divided into four main areas to exhibit simulation of the global warming phenomenon, environmental workshops, music entertainment, and daily tips for individuals to reduce domestic carbon emission.

"We really hope this event would attract not only environmental activists but also families and individuals," Nugroho said, adding that the organizer had chosen "What have you done?" as the theme of the festival.

Last year, the festival successfully attracted 43,000 visitors, 70 percent of them were children.

Businesses vow to protect biodiversity

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/01/2009 1:25 PM

Businesspeople attending an international biodiversity conference here plan to produce a charter that will require them to help stop the alarming levels of environmental destruction.

A draft of the conference's declaration, which is called the Jakarta Charter, says integrating biodiversity into business strategies could contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

"The Jakarta Charter will be open for signatures to all companies in the world that adhere to its principle," Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) said on Monday.

He said the Jakarta Charter on Business and Biodiversity would be submitted for adoption at the convention's meeting in Japan in Oct 2010.

Representatives from about 200 companies worldwide in mining, fisheries, construction, forestry, tourism and cosmetics gathered in Jakarta for the three-day biodiversity conference.

The draft says the sustainable management of biodiversity will become a source of future operations in the business community.

However, it said that mainstreaming biodiversity into business should be enhanced through voluntary corporate action.

State Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta told the conference that biodiversity in Indonesia faced serious threat including from high population growth, deforestation, illegal trade, invasive alien plant species and climate change.

To make it worse, Hatta said that Indonesia had no regulation that could force business players to protect biodiversity in their operational sites.

Hatta's office plans to submit a draft bill on genetic resources to the House of Representatives, which will be used as an umbrella regulation to protect biodiversity.

He said the business community should contribute to environmental conservation to help preserve biological resources that are used for raw material by companies.

Indonesia, which has ratified the CBD, has 12 percent (515 species) of the world's mammals, the second-highest level after Brazil, and 17 percent (1,531 species) of total species of birds, the fifth-highest in the world. The country is also home to 15 percent (270 species) of amphibians and reptiles, 31,746 species of vascular plants and 37 percent of the world's species of fish.

Executive director of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, Rodrigo Fuentes, told reporters that biodiversity loss was a forgotten crisis in the region that received little attention in the media.

"The sad story is we are losing plants, animals and other species at an alarming rate due to deforestation, large-scale mining and other irresponsible activities," he said. "Biodiversity loss poses a significant threat to the ASEAN people's food security, health and livelihood."

RI's online ad market to go bigger despite crisis: Yahoo

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/23/2009 1:22 PM

The deepening global financial crisis may provide an opportunity for the online advertising industry in Indonesia to expand, Yahoo says.

The US giant Internet service provider said that not only would promotions become more targeted and thus relatively more efficient, but online ad performance can also be measured in real-time

"Based on a study at the end of last year, the online advertising market in Indonesia was estimated to worth more than US$26 million and we see that tracking towards almost $42 million in 2010," Yahoo's senior director for business development in Southeast Asia Pontus Sonnerstedt said last week.

"We are very aware of the economic situation, which puts advertisers in a tough position in terms of the ad budget," Sonnerstedt said. "That is why it is very important that every rupiah is spent on reaching the target audiences."

According to Sonnerstedt, there are many benefits that online can offer to advertisers in times of tight budgeting during the crisis such as real-time measurability and accountability.

"For example, if you run a campaign today, you can actually measure the clicks and response rate of your campaign in real time. If you don't see results, you can always change your campaign immediately," he said.

"By doing that you can optimize your campaign in real time. In any other media it would be difficult and costly and you can't measure the campaign performance in real time."

Sonnerstedt also said another benefit online advertising could offer was much more accurate targeting of prospects and audiences.

"In the digital space, there are many unique ways that you can do targeting such as location, time and age," he said.

Despite the hefty target growth of around 61 percent for the next two years, spending on online advertisements is still relatively small compared to promotions in other media.

Data from the Indonesian Association of Advertising Agencies (PPPI) and Nielsen media research revealed that advertisers spent between Rp 42 trillion (US$3.6 billion) and Rp 47 trillion last year.

The figure was projected to increase by another Rp 5 trillion this year, spent 60 percent on television advertising and 30 percent on daily newspapers.

Yahoo's survey, done with Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), based on about 2,000 individuals in eight Indonesian cities shows only 3 percent of the country's internet users often purchase products online.

However, Sonnerstedt believes that online advertisements will still be an interesting investment for advertisers. "eCommerce, as we saw here is quite limited. But you don't advertise to only sell online, you can also advertise to sell offline as well," Sonnerstedt said.

Sonnerstedt said the key for advertisers to reach their target is to combine online and offline media.

"So far, we have seen that the effect of using online and offline advertising has been very encouraging," he said.

The survey also reveals that internet usage is much higher amongst the young segment with over 64 percent of usage by individuals between the age of 15 and 19.

"You can see a very youthful segment of internet users. That means, internet is the proper media if you want to reach the young market," TNS deputy managing director Suresh Subramanian said. (hdt)

Deutsche Welle launches two dedicated channels in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/18/2009 10:06 PM

Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) has on Wednesday launched two dedicated channels that would allow Indonesian viewers to access up to 18 hours of English programs on European lifestyle, culture, the arts, business and politics.

"Europe has always been a center of innovation and trendsetting when it comes to lifestyle, culture and the arts, fashion, music composition, architectural and interior design," DW Distribution Director Petra Schneider said.

"With this new channel, we are offering our audience in Indonesia a window to European living via our high-quality programming -- with 18 hours of English language," she added. (amr)

Five countries studying disaster preparedness in West Sumatra

Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Five countries will send delegations to conduct a feasibility study on the disaster preparedness in Padang, West Sumatra, an activist said here on Saturday. 

The five countries which will send representatives to Padang are Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, executive director of the Indonesian Tsunami Alert Community (Kogami), Patra Rina Dewi, said. 

She said that each country would send two representatives. The delegates will visit disaster preparedness centers and have interviews with the relevant parties on March 17-19, 2009. 

The foreign guests will also attend a regional seminar on "Building Model for Disaster Preparedness" which will be organized by the Kogami and in cooperation the UNESCO. 

Representatives from foreign institutions, such as the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the European Union will also take part in the seminar. 

The seminar will also involve the Padang-based University of Andalas, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the National Disaster Handling Body and the Disaster Alert Journalist Network. 

Dewi said that the seminar was partly organized in connection with the appointment by the government of the Padang city as an exemplary disaster preparedness region in Indonesia. 

Therefore, the seminar will discuss the way of Padang city in preparing its capacity and system in handling disasters, particularly tsunami and earthquakes, she said.

BCA consolidates $10 million media with local shop

By Asiya Bakht, Brandrepublic.asia   2-Mar-09, 11:16 

JAKARTA - Bank Central Asia (BCA), one of Indonesia's biggest banks has consolidated its media account estimated to be worth US$10 million with local shop Bintang Pratama, after a three-way pitch that involved OMD and Dwi Sapta. 

BCA’s media account was until now split among several media agencies including OMD and this is the first time that the bank has appointed an AOR. 

Commenting on the win Cedric Miranda, technical advisor of media at Pratama Communications group said that starting the year on a good note gives the agency the confidence to sail through this difficult year. 

”It’s a thrill to win any new business. What makes this account more interesting is that we are purely a local agency and we have been winning some fairly large businesses against international agencies.” 

BCA is Indonesia's second-largest lender. In November last year the bank had said that its loans growth was expected to slow to between 10-15 per cent in 2009, due to tougher economic conditions.

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National Geographic Traveler Magazine Launched in Indonesia

Medianewsline.com, Max Digital Media Newswire, Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:55:00 

A new edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine has launched in Indonesia, broadening the international reach of the world's most widely read travel magazine to 13 local-language editions. The Bahasa Indonesia edition, which debuted in January, is published by Gramedia Majalah, a Jakarta-based publishing group that publishes both National Geographic magazine in Indonesia and the country's largest newspaper, Kompas. 

Editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler Indonesia is Tantyo Bangun, a documentary filmmaker and photographer, who also edits National Geographic magazine. Published under license from the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., each issue of National Geographic Traveler Indonesia will adhere to the core principles of the U.S. edition — culture, authenticity and sustainability — while also exhibiting a unique local editorial flavor. The Bahasa Indonesia edition features about 40 percent of the English-language-edition content and 60 percent new editorial material. 

Local-language editions of National Geographic Traveler are also available in China, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Israel, Poland, Slovenia, Latin America, Armenia, Czech Republic, Croatia and Romania. 

"National Geographic Traveler tells incomparable stories about the peoples and places of the world. Leading with an insider's perspective, we emphasize the intrinsic flavor of each place we cover," said Keith Bellows, editor of National Geographic Traveler. 

The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to "increase and diffuse geographic knowledge," the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 325 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy.