Managing the Content of Malaysian Television Drama
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Managing the Content of Malaysian Television Drama: Producers, Gatekeepers and the Barisan Nasional Government A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Tee-Tuan Foo August 2004 © 2004 Tee-Tuan Foo All Rights Reserved This dissertation entitled MANAGING THE CONTENT OF MALAYSIAN TELEVISION DRAMA: PRODUCERS, GATEKEEPERS AND THE BARISAN NASIONAL GOVERNMENT BY TEE-TUAN FOO has been approved for the School of Telecommunications and the College of Communications by Drew McDaniel Professor of School of Telecommunications Kathy Krendl Dean, College of Communication FOO, TEE-TUAN. Ph.D. August 2004. Telecommunications Managing the Content of Malaysian Television Drama: Producers, Gatekeepers and the Barisan Nasional Government (303 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Drew McDaniel Abstract: The purpose of this dissertation is to describe and analyze how drama television content is managed in Malaysia. By looking at the production process of local drama television programming, this study examines the interactions among the three major players – the Barisan Nasional regime, the major television networks and independent producers – who are responsible for shaping its content. Three research methods are used for this study: in-depth interviewing, the informal conversational interview and documentary research. Between June 2001 and November 2002, 32 interviewees participated in this research. The research finds that the Malaysian drama television producer’s ability to generate program content is constrained by the Barisan Nasional regime. Three observations are made to outline the power relationship between the government and the television industry. First, the government often encourages television producers to make drama programs with the theme of friendship and goodwill (muhibah) among different ethnic communities in order to nurture racial harmony. However, as the racial interactions portrayed on television fail to reflect the reality in Malaysian society, it makes the viewers even more racially conscious. The implied message of social polarization, however, is an advantage to the government, as it reminds viewers that without the regime’s firm hand, Malaysia might slip into racial conflict. Second, as government officials can ignore established rules when it is convenient, and reinterpret existing rules in distorted ways to force producers to create the kind of content they desire, it renders useless the censorship guidelines issued by the Malaysian government. The guidelines, however, serve a different purpose. They are used to inform the public that the government is safeguarding the content of national television. Third, while some media producers might have been forced into compliance, many work for the government. The authority grants privileges to these producers; in return they ensure that the will of the regime is visualized on the small screen. In view of this, Malaysian television practitioners should not be seen merely as victims, they should also be understood as willing collaborators for the regime. Approved: Drew McDaniel Professor of Telecommunications Preface In retrospect, this study was inspired by two unexpected experiences. In 1985, when I was pursuing my first degree at Taiwan’s Fu Jen Catholic University, I was often perplexed by my Taiwanese friends’ fixation with Mainland China. As a Singaporean, their perception of their counterparts across the straits as an evil empire seemed far- fetched. At the time, the People’s Republic of China (or Communist-bandit as my Taiwanese friends call it) was slowly but surely embracing a market economy and becoming an important and integrated part of Asia. Taiwanese mass media, however, was ignorant of such development and continued to portray China as a military threat to the region. More importantly, my Taiwanese pals seemed to accept this interpretation of China presented by the media as commonsense. At the time it was difficult to convince them otherwise. In 1996, when I returned to Singapore after being abroad for more than ten years, I was again surprise to realize that we Singaporeans also have our own “commonsense.” The self-imposed constraint to speak about racial matters to our counterparts in the Malay and Indian communities is certainly one example of such commonsense. As a Singaporean, I was not unaware of such sensitivities. However being away from home for more than ten years, I could no longer accept this social norm without questioning. In essence, I have become an outsider questioning the “commonsense” of my own society, just as I questioned the commonsense of my Taiwanese counterparts 11 years earlier. This dissertation is about how media convention is shaped and reinforced. At the time when I proposed this research to my committee, I was not aware that I was actually responding to experiences that I had had years ago. It was in the later part of my writing that I realized how my past experiences in Taiwan and Singapore led me to this project. By looking at how media conventions were shaped by social and historical conditions and subsequently maintained by interest groups that benefit from them, I have managed to clarify some of the confusions I experienced many years ago. To a large extent, commonsense in Taiwan and Singapore is not so different from media conventions in Malaysia. Both are social norms established under a particular social situation which were quickly absorbed and adapted by the establishment to maintain its social, political and economic hegemony. Investigating how commonsense or media conventions are established and maintained is in essence to expose the power structure beneath the respective society. For my father, Foo Toon Hoo (1934-2004) Acknowledgements It is impossible to individually thank the many who assisted me in this study. However, there are several whose support was particularly crucial to the research. First, my deepest and sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Drew McDaniel, my committee chair, academic adviser and dissertation director. I would like to thank him for the inspirational role he played in the completion of this project. I am indebted to him for devoting many hours to reviewing chapters and providing insightful comments. I thank him for being a great mentor in guiding my intellectual development throughout my study at Ohio University. I also thank my committee members, Dr. David Mould, Dr. Robert Stewart and Dr. Elizabeth Collins, for their guidance. I thank Dr. Mould for encouraging me to put the inspiration for my research in writing, hence providing an additional layer of context to this study; I thank Dr. Stewart for his kindness and his suggestions on the concluding chapter of my dissertation; I thank Dr. Collins who motivated and challenged me to be a better researcher. Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, my father Mr. Foo Toon Hoo and my mother Madam Hing Lan Wa. Without their love, patience and support I would not have been able to fulfill my dreams of being an image-maker, teacher and researcher. I am sad to say, my father passed away while I was working on the final chapter of my dissertation. He will forever be missed. 10 Table of Contents Page Abstract................................................................................................................................4 Preface..................................................................................................................................6 Dedication............................................................................................................................8 Acknowledgments................................................................................................................9 Table of Contents...............................................................................................................10 List of Tables .....................................................................................................................16 List of Figures....................................................................................................................17 Chapter 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................18 Background of the Problem ...................................................................................24 Statement of the Problem.......................................................................................32 Purpose of the Dissertation ....................................................................................34 Review of Literature and Theory...........................................................................34 Television as a Producer Medium..............................................................35 Gatekeeper as the Force of Constraint.......................................................36 Organizational Level of Gatekeeping ............................................38 Extra-media/Social/Institutional Level of Gatekeeping.................40 Summary........................................................................................45 Research Questions................................................................................................46 Overview of Chapters ............................................................................................47 CHAPTER 2. METHODS.................................................................................................49