NuRiN YaZaM

Reality TV in Malaysia started 3 years ago. They are Malaysian Idol, Popstars, Explorace and the most successful is Akademi Fantasia. In Malaysia talent shows are being focus rather than the daily life activities type of programme mainly because of our culture. Since the national religion is Islam and 65% of the total population are Moslem, the government are very concern about the types of programme being aired by the networks. There are strict rules about sexuality on TV. It is a big no-no, to have a man sleeping in a room with a woman in reality TV in Malaysia. The people portray in it should wear decent attire and there should not be any improper words being used. We understand that viewers may be influenced or imitate on TV behaviour and below is a little scenario on Malaysia reality TV based on my observation.

Reality TV in Malaysia.

In just a few weeks Malaysian will go back to a world fill with tears. After nearly two months we have left behind the sadness of the Tsunami victims in Acheh, the weeping that will come may be worst than the one in Acheh.

A few Malaysian television network are now occupied with various audition sessions for talent programmes labeled as “reality TV” at multiple places all over the country. The hunt of new icons for programmes such as Akademi Fantasia, Malaysian Idol, Who Will Win, Audition and others has begun.

ASTRO – the initiator of Malaysia’s reality TV at the moment is seeking candidates for the third season of Akademi Fantasia from all over the country. Whereas, the 8TV will be doing the same thing for Malaysia Idol in the second week of April.

How far has the eruption of Malaysia reality TV give the impact towards the community or has the viewers started to think that it is too much after the same programmes are aired again and again?

Are there still loyal fans that would be glued to the television, weeping and crying just to see their favorite contestant loose? Or is there anyone who would neglect to pay electric and water bills just to be able to buy pre-paid mobile phone recharge card to vote through SMS?

We are talking about entertainment programmes that are now busy looking for new contestant which 90 percent comes from teenagers under the age of 25. These contestants are the medium for TV stations to rip the pocket of their fans.

Starting from Akademi Fantasia, it has been a must to most of the entertainment programmes to invite viewers as the juries to choose the winners. But being a jury is not a free ride. A big amount needs to be paid to be involved in judging the contestant.

Therefore, it is not suprising if ASTRO gets more than RM15 million worth of SMS voting for Akademi Fantasia 2 that has produced a young star, Zahid as the winner.

The concept of reality TV in Malaysia is still new and had begun in 2003 through the first season of Akademi Fantasia. Thus, there comes a question of whether the concept of Reality TV that has been introduced by the local TV stations carries the appropriate quality?

Viewers are introduced to a new term, “reality TV” since then. What is reality TV? Is it enough by using viewers as the juries or filming the contestant at their home fulfills the characteristic of the real reality TV?
Overseas, reality TV is very synonym to the Survivor programme in 2000. Others are The Apprentice, American Idol and Amazing race from the US as well as My restaurant Rules, Dancing with The Stars and X- Factor in Australia.

These are the few examples of reality TV programmes that has clearly give an huge impact to their community in many ways. But programmes such as Amazing Race, Survivor or The Apprentice do not ripped off viewers’ pocket but has attract millions of viewers to feel the emotion of every contestant in it.

The reality TV overseas depends fully on their own strength that invites investments from advertisers. The programme like The Apprentice delivers the message of entrepreneurship by challenging their personal abilities in the real business. Although the same idea was tried to be introduced in the Nescafe Kick-Start programme, the level is still low.

The Apperentice which highlights aspiration is very different to Malaysian TV stations which focus on entertainment. They are searching for qualities and abilities of the contestant and not ‘spontatious glamour’ or popularity. It is very different to Malaysia’s product of reality TV where 80 percent of them only knows how to sing.

For that reason, it is not a surprise if some might think that all the reality TV shows in Malaysia are profit oriented and not to polish talents.

Below are some comments about reality TV from Australian that was picked from Mediaman.com:
“It’s entertainment!”
Max Markson Markson Sparks!
Media Man Australia interviews Max Markson - 2nd July 2003

“(Contestants) will automatically this time have professional management from our office and I think that’s a pretty good thing. Their ideas for this year are quite extraordinary - nothing to do with anything that happened last year or the year before. It’s amazing. I think we will see a significant jump in viewers. (On Big Brother 3) “
Harry M. Miller Harry M Miller Group
Article: The man they call Harry M, by Greg Tingle

I never watch Reality TV because my own life is fascinating enough but most people aren’t as blessed as I am so I get why they need it.
Abner Zurd, Film Maker & Political Candidate for 2003 California Recall Election
Media Man Australia interviews Abner Zurd - 15th August 2003 Interview - 13th November 2003

Reality Television is not something new but it certainly there is a new trend amongst forming cult fan followers as they push new types of Reality Television. Read the entire article.
Vaughan Buckland
Australian Wrestling Promoter: Championship Jelly Wrestling
Media Man Australia interviews Vaughan Buckland - 7th October 2003

Provocations in response to yr request re Reality TV …
+ ‘reality tv’ is to reality as military justice is to justice
+ a ‘reality’ where everyone in the house is young, ‘kewl’, good-looking (in a very conventional way), pierced and oh-so-happy to bounce into bed
+ a realm where there are no wrinkles, no mortgages, no brains and definitely no wheelchairs
+ a genre that’s as formal as wagnerian opera or classical ballet
+ a genre as constrained as a parliamentary debate and without editorial intervention would be as exciting as reading Hansard
—
Bruce Arnold
Caslon Analytics Pty Ltd
www.caslon.com.au

What’s “real” about putting a bunch of people in a mansion rent free with cameras focused on them 24 hours a day? What’s real about them all looking like models? What’s real about them given ridiculous tasks or competitions for expensive prizes?

You want reality TV? Follow a single mom around whose scumbag husband has deserted them all with no child support and watch her struggle to survive. Or follow a New Yorker around as he or she works multiple jobs to pay the obscene rents that we have to cope with because our politicians sold us out to the real estate interests. Or follow the husband desperate to escape his shrewish wife as he surfs porn sites on the Net.

I want to know what’s real about a dating show where you’re all expenses paid with some stripper or airhead actress with gargantuan fake boobs. I don’t know about you, but I’m not out with a helluva lot of strippers. What about all the so-so dates where there’s “just no chemistry?” Aren’t those sad and real and dramatic enough?

In summary, reality TV generally appeals to the lowest common denominator. It’s not something I seek out but nonetheless hard to escape.
Evan Ginzberg Wrestling Then & Now
Media Man Australia interviews Evan Ginzburg - 26th May 2003

Sounds like you’re moving forward…great stuff. Here’s my thoughts on Reality TV…
- moronic tripe for z-grade refuse unworthy of the soul of my shoe
- another reason why we shouldn’t be watching the idiot box
- further evidence that TV programming appeals to the cheaply entertained, easily satisfied masses
- cheap, nasty and unworthy of my time
- I’d rather watch back to back re-runs of Webster, Punky Brewster and Different Strokes; then cap it off with the entire series of Hey Dad. Twice.
Cheers, Dane

I am not a fan of what is called “reality TV” in the US, as most of it is actually staged, edited for impact, and geared toward a lowest common denominator mind-set. The appeal is usually in the range of “oh my God I can’t believe they did that” or falls in a category similar to slowing down to stare a a car accident.
Bill Behrens
Show Business, Inc.
NWA Wildside Wrestling
Media Man Australia interviews Bill Behrens - 18th June 2003

Once before, photography attract the interest of small groups of people because of the cost of the camera, the film and the photo development. But with the development of digital cameras plus phones with digital camera, more and more among us are are turning ourselves into active photographers. This is supported by the development of fotoblogging especially a page called The Fotopages. We are able to capture digital pictures and upload it into the photoblog page in just a few seconds. Friends from all over the world are able to see and share their comments about the picture right after it is uploaded. With this, people are able to be updated on the activities done by family members and friends anywhere, anytime.

Although the cost of digital cameras are quite expensive compared to the conventional camera, but the benefits gain from the digital camera seems to be far beyond expectations. The storage is big. There is no need to buy films from time to time. You can edit, email and share the picture simply by connecting it to a computer. You can even print a customize photograph at home. Since it is such a simple process, many of us who never had an interest to take pictures now are taking pictures like a professional.

It is bizarre to know that my small sized country Malaysia with only 21 million people in it has the highest number of photobloggers in the Fotopages page. With 7880 photobloggers in that page we have put Brazil in second place with 6061 photobloggers and the US with 4825 photobloggers in third. Maybe they favour a different photoblog providers yet this has shown that Malaysian has picked up this interest of taking pictures & photoblogging rather rapidly.

Some of my friends are now doing their own business in photography especially taking wedding pictures. They are actually using their photoblog to market themselves. Even customers from overseas ordered their service through the net. One of the example is http://saifulnang.fotopages.com. You can see Malay and Chinese tradisional wedding photos on it. Or if you want to see the life of Malaysian students in Melbourne, you can go to Hall Melb fotopages.

This is the third time that I tried to write to the blog. Before it was straight into the blog, but this time I do it in Microsoft Word. Why??? Because I had lost it all.

Last week I got sick. Maybe because of the weather. Hot, cold, hot, and cold again. Thought it was just me. I was wrong… Nearly everyone around was feeling the same thing. So it’s normal.

Went around surveying for the hard drive. Really wanted to buy one because of the urge to do well in the course. The cheapest price that I can get in the city is $180 for 120 gig. It’s not originally an external hard drive. It is just an internal one placed in an awful looking case.

The one I’ve bought is a 160 gig, Western Digital, originally external hard drive for just $165. To be specific, it is $168.30; paid by credit card (you can see that I’m broke…). If we convert it into my currency it is about RM520. That’s huge.

It took me about 2 kilometres on foot from Monash Uni. But it is worth every cent. I love it and used it to store the photo shoot on Thursday. Funny to find that it was made in Malaysia. Both of us came from Malaysia yet only met in Melbourne. How small this world is.