Most Dayak VCD contents not ‘TV-friendly’

WELL DONE: Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan who is Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management (fifth left, first row) poses for a group photograph with the finalists including first-placed winners Manaf and Nurhamimah (fourth and third right respectively). Also in the photo are Monshi (second right) and Kuching City North Datuk Bandar Abang Mohd Atei Abang Medaan (right).

By Samuel Aubrey

KUCHING: Most Dayak music videos will have to be re-shot because their contents are not “TV-friendly” for Muzik Aktif, a 24-hour music channel of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) on Astro.

The state acting broadcasting director Monshi Abdullah said because of this only few Dayak music videos could be aired on the 30-minute slot for Sarawak over Muzik Aktif or Channel 180 every fortnight.

Monshi said starting next month, the Sarawak slot would be increased to one hour from 3pm to 4pm every Sunday and that RTM is now discussing with the artistes and production companies to re-shoot the videos to suit the VCDs to the system used by Muzik Aktif and for appropriate contents.

“(The problem now is) most of the Sarawak ethnic music videos are in karaoke format and not in the format that is right for TV,” he said when met after the finals of the state-level RTM Bintang Klasik Nasional 2009 at Auditorium P Ramlee here yesterday.

He was earlier asked on the lack of Dayak music videos on Muzik Aktif, especially during the Sarawak slot. The issue was hot topic of discussions during the Gawai festival and was even discussed on Internet forums.

The slot for Sarawak and Sabah was launched by the then Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek in early April, with plans to turn it into a one-hour slot dedicated to music from ethnic races of both states in July.

At present, the slot is only for 30 minutes and features either Sabah or Sarawak on alternate weeks. But by next month, each state will have a slot solely dedicated to them if the materials are ready.

According to Monshi, RTM as the government-owned broadcasting station could not just simply air any music videos on television.

As the standard-bearer, he said it was RTM’s duty to ensure that the artistes dress decently and act appropriately on TV shows.

“RTM has a certain ethical standard which the artistes have to follow,” he said.

Once this could be achieved, he was confident that the target to have an all-Sarawak ethic music slot could be achieved.

Meanwhile, 12 contestants took part in the finals of state-level RTM Bintang Klasik National 2009, which was divided into men and women categories.

Twenty-seven-year old Abdul Manaf Seron from Kuching won the men’s category, while Samarahan lass Nurhamimah Bohan won the women’s.

Both Abdul Manaf and Nurhamimah will represent Sarawak in the national-level competition of RTM Bintang Klasik Nasional, featuring only songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, in August.