Engaging the millennial: negotiating public values in the production of cultural texts

This study is concerned with the hegemonic influence of Televisi Republik Indonesia as a public service broadcaster in producing cultural texts among Indonesian millennials. TVRI has long been hampered by continuous internal conflicts, complicated bureaucracy, and outmoded programmes, all of which have prevented its transformation into an ideal public broadcaster. The civil society coalition in charge of public broadcasting revealed that TVRI’s main issue was a failure to comprehend the significance of public ideals reflected in policies and the production of cultural texts. This study examines the role of TVRI in negotiating public ideals while producing cultural texts under the shadow of state control and internal conflicts. Using a case study approach and thematic analysis on public service broadcasting in Indonesia, this study aimed to investigate the role of actors in defining the production process of cultural texts and public values in the context of reliance on state legitimacy and domination. The study’s findings show that public service broadcasting is never separated from economic and political interests, is not oriented toward serving the public, and has failed to deliver significant breakthroughs for the millennial generation. As a result, public broadcasters are still considered out of date and disregarded by millennial audiences.