Media assets

Television: National- TVRI Nasional, Kanal 2, Kanal 3, Sport; Regional- TVRI Aceh, TVRI Sumatera Utara, TVRI Sumatera Barat, TVRI Riau Kepri, TVRI Jambi, TVRI Bengkulu, TVRI Sumatera Selatan, TVRI Bangka Belitung, TVRI Lampung, TVRI Jakarta, TVRI Jawa Barat, TVRI Jawa Tengah, TVRI Yogyakarta, TVRI Jawa Timur, TVRI Bali, TVRI NTB, TVRI NTT, TVRI Kalimantan Barat, TVRI Kalimantan Tengah, TVRI Kalimantan Timur, TVRI Kalimantan Selatan, TVRI Sulawesi Utara, TVRI Gorontalo, TVRI Sulawesi Tengah, TVRI Sulawesi Barat, TVRI Sulawesi Tenggara, TVRI Sulawesi Selatan, TVRI Maluku, TVRI Papua Barat, TVRI Papua; International- TVRI World

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned Media (ISFM)

Ownership and governance

TVRI originally functioned as a state-owned enterprise. However, in 2005, following the enactment of Government Regulation No. 13/2005 on Public Broadcasting Institutions—building on Law No. 32/2002—TVRI was officially reconstituted as a public broadcasting institution (Lembaga Penyiaran Publik, LPP). This transformation was finalized over a three-year transitional period.

The governance structure of TVRI comprises two key bodies: a Supervisory Board of five members, appointed by the People’s Representative Council (DPR) and approved by the President of Indonesia; and a Board of Directors, also consisting of five members, nominated by the Supervisory Board and likewise subject to presidential approval.

This dual structure is designed to ensure both operational oversight and institutional accountability, though its implementation in practice has drawn criticism for failing to safeguard TVRI from political interference.

Iman Brotoseno remains Director Utama (CEO) of TVRI, having been appointed initially in May 2020 and reaffirmed for the 2023–2028 term. Brotoseno is a seasoned media professional, filmmaker, and digital communication strategist. Before joining TVRI, he worked extensively in television production and advertising, and gained recognition as one of Indonesia’s early digital influencers and bloggers. He is known for promoting innovation in broadcasting and embracing digital platforms.

Agus Sudibyo continues to serve as Chair of the Supervisory Board (2023–2028). Agus Sudibyo is a respected media scholar, policy advisor, and journalist. He has been an active voice in promoting press freedom, public interest media, and democratic communication policy in Indonesia. With a background in philosophy and communication studies, he is known for combining academic insight with media governance experience.

In March 2025, Komisi I of the DPR received a proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to merge TVRI, RRI, and ANTARA into a unified public broadcasting company, creating a multi‑platform institution to boost innovation, national cohesion, and creative output.

Source of funding and budget

Under the provisions of Law No. 32/2002, TVRI’s funding sources are intended to include a television licence fee, allocations from the state budget, public contributions, and advertising revenue.

However, the licence fee mechanism has never been implemented, and public contributions remain negligible. As a result, the broadcaster is heavily reliant on state budget allocations, which has raised persistent concerns regarding its financial and editorial independence.

In 2020, TVRI received IDR 1.1 trillion (approx. US$ 75 million). In 2022, this increased to IDR 1.6 trillion (approx. US$ 107.5 million). For 2024, the allocated ceiling was IDR 1.573 trillion (approx. US$ 102.6 million). The proposed ceiling for 2025 stands at IDR 1.422 trillion (approx. US$ 92.8 million), according to company data and public budget records.

Despite the government’s intent to introduce mixed-source funding and reduce dependency on the national budget, no meaningful progress has been made in implementing an independent financing model.

Facing fiscal constraints, the institution announced a halt in contracting new contributors and freelancers as of early 2025, as part of cost‑cutting measures. Although central staff layoffs are not planned, some regional offices have seen temporary workforce reductions

Editorial independence

Although TVRI’s transformation into a public broadcasting institution was designed to ensure editorial autonomy and deliver on its public service mandate, institutional safeguards have remained weak. Interviews conducted with local journalists and media observers in March 2024 revealed that, while TVRI occasionally strove for greater editorial balance, the absence of legal provisions explicitly guaranteeing its independence continued to leave the broadcaster susceptible to political pressure—particularly during election cycles or amid the rollout of sensitive policy initiatives.

However, in recent years, TVRI’s editorial independence has shown marked improvement, largely attributable to a progressive and capable leadership team that has brought about a significant shift in the broadcaster’s editorial posture.

Under the stewardship of Iman Brotoseno, TVRI has broadened its regional news coverage, significantly increased political debate programming, and invested heavily in digital innovation. The broadcaster played a prominent role in countering disinformation during the 2024 general elections, a hallmark of credible public service media. No public allegations or incidents of direct government interference or editorial coercion have been reported in recent years. The broadcaster’s decision to air hundreds of local and national debates in 2024 further underscores a strategic move away from government echo-chamber programming toward more inclusive public discourse.

Despite these advances, TVRI still lacks key accountability and transparency mechanisms, such as a formal audience council, an independent ombudsman, or third-party editorial audits—all of which are commonly used by public broadcasters to safeguard editorial independence and reinforce public trust. That said, there has been no verifiable evidence of direct state editorial control over TVRI’s content during this period.

As a result, in 2025 we reclassified TVRI from the State-Controlled (SC) category to the Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned Media (ISFM) category. This decision is supported not only by these observable improvements but also by a series of anonymized interviews with TVRI journalists conducted in March 2025, which corroborated the broadcaster’s increasing operational and editorial autonomy.

July 2025

Today, RRI operates four main channels, each tailored to distinct audiences and programming objectives: Programa 1: Focuses on local news, education, and community-oriented content; Programa 2: Targets younger demographics with music, lifestyle, and popular culture programming; Programa 3: Provides in-depth news coverage, public affairs, and current events; Programa 4: Showcases arts, heritage, and cultural discourse.

Media assets

Radio: RRI Pro 1, RRI Pro 2, RRI Pro 3, RRI Pro 4, Voice of Indonesia

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State Funded and State Managed/Owned Media (ISFM)

Ownership and governance

Like its television counterpart TVRI, RRI was designated as a public broadcasting institution through Law No. 32/2002 on Broadcasting. This transformation was formalized by Government Regulation No. 13/2005, shifting the broadcaster from a government department to an independent legal entity, albeit still state-funded and supervised.

RRI’s governance structure mirrors that of TVRI, comprising: a Supervisory Board (Dewan Pengawas) of five members, appointed by the People’s Representative Council (DPR) and approved by the President of Indonesia; and a Board of Directors (Dewan Direksi), also consisting of five members, nominated by the Supervisory Board and likewise subject to presidential approval.

In theory, this structure is intended to protect RRI from political interference. In practice, however, it has frequently been criticized for allowing political patronage to dominate appointments, undermining the spirit of public service broadcasting.

The current President Director (CEO) is Ignatius Hendrasmo, appointed for the 2022–2026 term. Hendrasmo is a seasoned media executive and communications strategist with a diverse background spanning both public and private sectors. He was appointed President Director of RRI in 2022, following an open selection process overseen by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics and the RRI Supervisory Board. Prior to joining RRI, Hendrasmo held senior management roles in publishing and public relations, including a leadership position at Kompas Gramedia, one of Indonesia’s largest media conglomerates.

In March 2025, Komisi I of the DPR received a proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to merge TVRI, RRI, and ANTARA into a unified public broadcasting company, creating a multi‑platform institution to boost innovation, national cohesion, and creative output.

Source of funding and budget

According to Law 32/2002, RRI is to be financed through a mixed funding model, combining a broadcast licence fee (yet to be implemented), state budget allocations, public contributions, and commercial revenues, primarily from advertising.

As the licence fee has never been introduced, RRI remains heavily dependent on annual allocations from the state budget, rendering it financially vulnerable to political and bureaucratic influence.

In 2020, RRI operated with a state budget of IDR 1.3 trillion (approx. US$ 88 million). In 2022, this figure fell to IDR 941.6 billion (approx. US$ 63.3 million), according to its audited financial report. For 2024, RRI faced a reduced ceiling allocation of just over IDR 900 billion, prompting temporary layoffs of freelance and contract workers across several regional stations.

RRI’s 2025 indicative budget is IDR 1.070 trillion (98% from state budget; 1.9% from Non-Tax State Revenue, PNBP). The Ministry of Finance initially mandated budget cuts of IDR 334 billion, later reduced to IDR 170 billion, directed toward preserving staff compensation and avoiding large-scale layoffs.

In February 2025, as part of Presidential Instruction No. 1/2025 on fiscal austerity, RRI scaled back operations: temporarily shutting down AM transmitters and Programa 4/5, and canceling events like Bintang Radio and Quranic competitions unless externally funded. Despite constraints, RRI committed to continued public service delivery, opting for selective layoffs primarily among freelance contributors and outsourced staff, while core operations remained intact.

Editorial independence

While Indonesia’s legal framework formally acknowledges the editorial independence of public service broadcasters, the realities at Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) told a more nuanced story. In practice, RRI’s editorial agenda and news coverage were for many years closely aligned with government narratives, especially on politically sensitive issues. Interviews with journalists and media analysts conducted in March 2024 revealed that, although instances of critical reporting did occur, genuine and consistent editorial autonomy remained largely absent.

The dual-board governance structure—originally intended to act as a buffer against political interference— was instead routinely co-opted by partisan interests. Experts observed that the Supervisory Board often functions more as a political instrument than as a steward of the public interest.

As of mid-2025, no independent statutory body exists to monitor or evaluate RRI’s editorial integrity. Nor does the institution benefit from mechanisms commonly associated with independent public service broadcasters elsewhere, such as an audience council, an independent ombudsman, or a transparent public complaints process.

Yet, despite these structural vulnerabilities, no verified cases of censorship or editorial interference have emerged at RRI in 2025. Under the leadership of Ignatius Hendrasmo, the broadcaster has pursued a more forward-looking strategy—focusing on digital transformation, regional outreach, and the revitalization of RRI’s public service mission. Hendrasmo has repeatedly emphasized the importance of radio’s local relevance and the need for adaptive, credible journalism in a changing media environment—signals of a management approach grounded in responsiveness and integrity.

In light of these developments, and despite the absence of legal guarantees for independence, RRI was reclassified in 2025 from the State-Controlled (SC) category to the Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned Media (ISFM) category. This decision reflects an improved editorial posture under current leadership, even as structural reforms remain urgently needed.

July 2025

Media assets

News agency: Antara News

State Media Matrix Typology

Captured Public/State-Managed/Owned (CaPu)

Ownership and governance

In 2007, Antara underwent a major structural transformation pursuant to Government Regulation No. 40/2007, which reconstituted the agency as a state-owned enterprise (SOE). Oversight of the agency now falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).

The governance framework includes a Board of Directors and a Supervisory Board, each composed of four members. The Supervisory Board must include at least two individuals appointed by the Ministry, who act as proxies for government oversight. The Supervisory Board holds the authority to appoint the Board of Directors, thereby reinforcing state influence over the agency’s executive leadership.

In March 2025, Komisi I of the People’s Representative Council (DPR) received a proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to merge TVRI, RRI, and ANTARA into a unified public broadcasting company, creating a multi‑platform institution to boost innovation, national cohesion, and creative output.

Akhmad Munir was appointed President Director of Antara, Indonesia’s national news agency, in July 2023 following a long career within the organization. A journalist by training, Munir rose through the ranks over three decades, serving as news director before taking the top post. His appointment, made by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, marked a continuation of government-aligned leadership at the agency.

Source of funding and budget

Antara today receives only a modest share of public funding. The bulk of its operational income derives from commercial ventures, primarily the sale of news content to domestic and foreign media organizations. According to the agency’s last publicly available annual report (2019), its budget stood at IDR 373 billion (approximately US$ 25.3 million). While more recent financial disclosures remain unavailable, experts note that commercial imperatives have grown increasingly central to Antara’s financing model.

Editorial independence

For much of its history, Antara operated as a government mouthpiece, promoting official narratives and policy priorities with little room for dissenting voices. In recent decades, however, the agency made tentative steps toward greater editorial autonomy, prompted in part by commercial pressures and competition in a more pluralistic media market.

Yet these gains appear to have stalled or even reversed in recent years. A content analysis carried out in March 2024 by the Media and Journalism Research Center showed a marked increase in government-aligned coverage, with the vast majority of output focused on state activities and messaging. Journalists in Jakarta interviewed in June 2024 confirmed that critical reporting on the authorities has become virtually non-existent within the agency. Moreover, Antara has come under scrutiny for disseminating Chinese state-sponsored content, reflecting growing concerns about Beijing’s media influence in Southeast Asia.

In light of these findings, in 2024, Antara was reclassified from the Independent State-Managed Media (ISM) category to the Captured Public/State-Owned/Managed Media (CaPu) category, denoting a significant deterioration in editorial independence.

It is important to note as well that the agency has adopted several internal protocols aimed at improving corporate integrity, including a Good Corporate Governance (GCG) framework, a Code of Conduct, and a whistleblowing system intended to protect staff from retaliation. However, these measures are largely focused on financial accountability and administrative transparency, rather than safeguarding editorial autonomy.

As of mid-2025, there is no statutory framework or legally binding provision that explicitly protects the editorial independence of Antara’s journalists or insulates its newsroom from political interference.

July 2025