Indonesian Now, on Metro TV

An agreement has been reached for Metro TV's English-language weekly news program "Indonesia Now" to be aired on NHK's BS-1 channel beginning January 15, 2007. This will be the first regularly-scheduled Indonesian program to be shown on Japan 's biggest television network. It will incorporated into NHK's "Asia Crossroads" program."We are pleased that viewers in Japan will get a weekly taste of Indonesia 's people and culture through 'Indonesia Now,'" said Zsa Zsa Yusharyahya, Metro TV's director of programming and development."Our goal is to seek out quality programming from throughout the region, and 'Indonesia Now' provides information that is valuable to the Japanese people," said NHK "Asia Crossroads" chief producer Hiroyasu Minagi.
Transcripts of " Indonesia Now" Interviews AvailableSelected interviews that run on Indonesia Now are now online. Simply click the "Interview" box on this page, and you'll be able to read what newsmakers are saying directly. To suggest an interview, please write us at indonesianow@metrotvnews.com.
"Ask the President" Your Question
Indonesia Now will be interviewing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the near future. We'd like you to have a voice. E-mail us your question, and we'll pick one to ask the president. Send to: "Ask the President" at indonesianow@metrotvnews.com.
-->The program is anchored by Dalton Tanonaka and Kania Sutisnawinata, and will feature reports on business, culture and travel. An interview with an Indonesian newsmaker will also be part of the package.The agreement brings Tanonaka back in front of Japanese viewers. He was the anchor of NHK's groundbreaking "Japan Business Today" program from 1990-1994. "This is important because there are many misconceptions and stereotypes about Indonesia ," said Tanonaka. "Providing a balanced picture is the goal of our program.""Indonesia Now" will air on NHK every Monday at 5:40 p.m. Tokyo time. Gratifying. That sums up the feeling of Indonesia Now's production team after reviewing the initial feedback on the groundbreaking program.
"Frankly, we’re overwhelmed by the positive responses we're getting," says executive producer Rullah Malik.
"Indonesia Now" is the first English-language news program in the country created and produced for international audiences. It airs weekly at 7:30 p.m. Jakarta Standard Time. Since the show's debut on September 1, viewers have been sending comments and suggestions from many parts of the world.
Bimo in Ho Chi Minh City wrote that he watches "Indonesia Now" through a satellite dish that he and many other relocated Indonesians use to get programming from their home country.
"Great contents! A new and forward step for Indonesia's TV industry, particularly Metro TV. Keep it up!" he said.
Amelia wrote from Abbotsford in British Columbia, Canada. She said:
"(Your program has) truly balanced news of Indonesia, so viewers from different countries see the truth of Indonesia. Thank you, Metro TV."

"Ask the President" Your Question
Indonesia Now will be interviewing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the near future. We'd like you to have a voice. E-mail us your question, and we'll pick one to ask the president. Send to: "Ask the President" at indonesianow@metrotvnews.com.



"Ask the President" Your Question
Indonesia Now will be interviewing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the near future. We'd like you to have a voice. E-mail us your question, and we'll pick one to ask the president. Send to: "Ask the President" at indonesianow@metrotvnews.com.


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Former Indonesia residents make up the initial bulk of overseas viewers. Joyce in Tsing Yi, Hong Kong, is one of them.
"This... is good for us who've been away from Indonesia, to know what is going on..." she wrote.
Not all viewers liked what they saw, or what they didn't see. The September 8 "Islam Today" segment provided a general overview of Christianity in Indonesia, and included interviews with churchgoers along with historical perspective that included sectarian violence.
Ross in London didn’t feel the segment went far enough:
"A report on religious freedom was quite plainly a disgrace to… professional journalism. No mention was made of the many examples of Islamic hoodlum tactims..."
Domestic audiences are tuning in, many saying the substance and style of the international-standard program is something they've never had before.
"'Indonesia Now' brings a balanced view of local communities throughout Indonesia," said Fatrial in South Sulawesi.
Nadya in Palembang summed up her personal reason for watching:
"I like Kania and Dalton... they are a great (team) in news presenting."-->
[ Previous story - Reviews in for "Indonesia Now" ]
e-mail: indonesianow@metrotvnews.com

Kania Sutisnawinata
SUTISNAWINATA'S WORLD OF EXPERIENCE
Being raised as the daughter of a diplomat gave Kania Sutisnawinata an international perspective not many other Indonesian kids had."I've been exposed to people and places from around the world all my life. I always attended local public schools because my parents wanted me to learn and experience the culture and language of each country," says Sutisnawinata.Stops in Geneva, Bern, Czechoslovakia, Los Angeles and Mexico City provided a variety of lessons. All have now prepared her, she says, for Metro TV's first attempt at international broadcasting."I'm hoping we get the kind of response from the program that we anticipate. There is so much misunderstanding and misconceptions about Indonesia. My goal is to help clear that up with a balanced picture of my country," she says. All work and no play? Sutisnawinata says a balanced life is essential. "In my free time, I like to spend time with family and friends. I enjoy a good movie every now and then, to go listen to live music when I can, and love a good cup of coffee." kania@metrotvnews.com

Dalton Tanonaka
THE NEWEST CHALLENGE FOR TANONAKA
He's been involved in start-ups before, but Dalton Tanonaka says "Indonesia Now" is his biggest challenge."To me, there’s more than just starting a new program at stake here. It's about shining important light on critical issues," says the veteran news anchor who's helped launch similar projects in Tokyo and Hong Kong.The perception of an Islam versus the West battle is played out in the media throughout the world. But often than not, Tanonaka believes, it's an unbalanced view that the public sees."We will report in an unbiased, complete manner from the home of the world’s biggest Muslim population," he promises.Journalistic goals aside, Tanonaka says living for the first time in Southeast Asia has been a pleasant adventure. "I’m enjoying the people, who are Indonesia’s best resource. And there so many fascinating places to visit, some where time seems to have stopped."And if you want an unbelievable foot massage, this is the place."

Experts suspect current bird flu outbreak is mainly result of trade in live birds

UNITED NATIONS (AP): Experts suspect the current spread of bird flu in Asia, Africa and Europe is mainly a result of trade in infected live birds rather than transmission through wild birds,the UN official coordinating the global fight against avian influenza said.
Dr. David Nabarro said Friday that investigators looking into the cause of a bird flu outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Britain are now focusing on a possible link with the transfer of partly processed birds from a farm in southeastern Hungary wherethere was an outbreak last month.
Britain's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said preliminary inquiries indicated the strain of H5N1 bird flu found at the British farm was identical to the strain found last month in Hungary. Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said thegovernment was investigating whether there were "bio-security breaches" at the British farm, owned by Bernard Matthews PLC, Europe's biggest turkey producer.
Movement of poultry - either live or dead - from an area where H5N1 bird flu had been found violates UN guidelines, Nabarro said.
The UN bird flu chief said the recent upsurge in H5N1 bird flu outbreaks around the world is not a surprise, explaining that there have been seasonal spikes in each of the past few years.
"Since 2003, we've seen a rise in the number of reported outbreaks in poultry and indeed of human cases ... between the period December-April, and we expect that there will be more outbreaks," Nabarro said, adding that new cases could emerge through June.
During the last two months, he said, there have been new outbreaks of bird flu in Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Thailand, Japan, Egypt, Hungary, Nigeria and Britain - and a new outbreak was reported in Turkey.
"And human infections have been confirmed in China, Egypt, Nigeria and Indonesia and they're suspected in other locations as well," he said.
H5N1 has prompted the slaughter of millions of birds across Asia since late 2003 and caused the deaths of more than 160 people worldwide, around a third of them in Indonesia, according to the World Health Organization. (**)