R 140122Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1222
INFO AMCONSUL SURABAYA 
AMEMBASSY DILI 
AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 
AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 
AMEMBASSY MANILA 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 
AMEMBASSY SEOUL

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000065 
 
 
STATE FOR R/PPR, EAP/PD - RFerguson-Augustus, EAP/MTS, PA/OBS - 
GSantulli 
VOA for Norman Goodman 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO ID
 
SUBJECT: Indonesia: RCTI/Trans-7 "Elections" TV Co-Op Report 
 
REF: 08 JAKARTA 1805 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: National television stations RCTI and Trans-7 each 
produced a series of election programs about the 2008 U.S. 
Presidential Elections Co-op for an estimated total audience reach 
of over 25 million viewers. Funded by 2007 Pilot Country Program 
funds, Embassy's Public Affairs Section capitalized on the 
Indonesians' high interest in the current elections and created a 
special TV Co-op program as an opportunity to enhance election 
coverage in Muslim-majority Indonesia.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) RCTI and Trans-7, two leading Jakarta-based national 
networks, worked together in a television pool under the direction 
of an OBS-hired producer for this special elections television 
co-op.  Each participating station had its own independent ideas for 
coverage focus and stories, but both agreed to be flexible on themes 
and locations.  This cooperation was designed to maximize coverage 
and not to impinge upon the freedom of either station.  This helped 
an Indonesian audience gain understanding of American society in a 
timely manner, as the co-op ran mid-October through early November, 
and showed many different aspects of how the American democratic 
process works between the conventions and the actual voting on 
election day. 
 
¶3. (U) RCTI ran more than 15 reports from October 23 through 
November 6 during regular  morning, noon, primetime and late evening 
newscasts.  Trans-7 did eight reports during its regular newscasts 
plus an additional one-hour special which took place with the 
journalist reporting live from Voice of America (VOA) studio in 
Washington, D.C. Filming took place in Detroit, Michigan, Columbus, 
Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Co-op 
with RCTI and Trans-7 provided first-hand perspectives on the U.S. 
electoral process, as well as giving an opportunity for Indonesians 
to gain an understanding of democracy in the U.S. Both RCTI and 
Trans-7 commented on how Indonesian politicians could learn from the 
U.S. campaigns. 
 
¶4. (U) Production took place from October 19 through November 6 at 
various campaign sites, candidate headquarters, and educational 
institutions as well as other locations considered newsworthy or 
interesting. The programs were generally three-minute pieces 
combined with stand-up reporting. There were also opportunities for 
each of the anchors to sit in the VOA studio to talk live to their 
audiences during regular news programs. Although both crews shared 
filming, report packaging was done differently following the 
respective station's style and angle. RCTI had the propensity to 
compare particular features to similar Indonesian situations. On the 
other hand, Trans-7 to some extent tended to focus on the current 
American economic situation. 
 
¶5. (U) While RCTI constantly transmitted its reporting through news 
reports during regular news broadcasts, Trans-7 did a combination of 
news reports and special programs, even before the crew's departure 
to the U.S.  From a reporting standpoint, both stations re-aired 
particular reports as necessary. Parts of their reporting included 
issues around early voting, incessant campaigning as Election Day 
approached, the candidates' unique ways of campaigning, and Obama's 
victory. Although reports tended to focus more on Obama, both 
stations tried to be balanced by using VOA reporting in their 
programs. 
 
¶6. (U) Conclusion: Putting together a successful TV Co-op of very 
positive reports enabled Embassy Jakarta to bring the U.S. election 
directly to Indonesian viewers. The U.S. election reporting 
attracted the attention of Indonesian media, as well as audiences 
largely due to Obama's candidacy. The programs were tailored to 
deliver ideas and messages in our mutual interest, but the messages 
from trusted Indonesian reporters and anchors were more credible 
than anything Embassy Jakarta could produce on its own.  They 
contained objective perspectives and the hallmarks of an Indonesian 
journalistic style by two highly-respected local news stations. 
 
¶7. Nielsen reports for newscast viewership in the days leading up to 
and post-Election Day showed significant increases in viewership. 
Both Trans-7's and RCTI news audiences increased by more than 10% 
during the period they covered the U.S. elections.  Their consistent 
reporting conveyed the process and ideas of American democracy and 
society at a time when Indonesia is gearing up for its own 
 
Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2009. 
 
¶8. Special kudos go to PA/OBS George Santulli for his assistance on 
this Co-op and his selection of the field producer, Larry Clamage. 
Thanks, too, to R for funding this special project, which enabled 
Post to further the understanding of the complexities of U.S. 
democracy by a talented group of Indonesian journalists, who 
welcomed the opportunity to gain professional media experience and 
exposure to American society. 
 
HEFFERN