ABSTRACT
Since the fall of Suharto, the media in Indonesia have undergone significant changes and become more enmeshed in business. Media companies are more significant economically, with some diversifying into a wide range of non-media businesses.1 The convergence between information technology, entertainment and education has been creating new businesses that power media growth. On the other hand, as the media become more substantial commercial entities and the power of the media owners grows, the industry may resent the government’s regulatory mechanisms, arguing such constraints inhibit the independence of the media and restrict its economic growth. In post-Suharto Indonesia, the interests of business entrepreneurs, including those national media barons nurtured during the Suharto regime, have been accommodated within new alliances and political coalitions.2 In regional Indonesia, schemes to bolster regional autonomy have enhanced the bargaining position of local business owners.
