Akademi Fantasia

KUALA LUMPUR: A call to ban SMS-interactivity on reality music programmes such as Akademi Fantasia (AF) and Gangstarz was dismissed by the Energy, Water and Communications Deputy Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum in Dewan Rakyat Thursday.

The call came from Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan). Ghapur, in his supplementary question, said that programmes like AF, Gangstarz and quiz-based programmes were a scam and had a negative effect on teenagers, and should be discontinued.

Salang said the Ministry would not allow programmes which are not beneficial to the people, or affects their spiritual wellbeing.

“The SKMM (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) is monitoring SMS contests. Only programmes like quizzes, chat and contests are considered SMS-based.

“Those which collect donations, or votes, only use SMS minimally and it would not be fair to classify them as SMS-based,” he said.

As such, Salang said programmes like AF were not considered SMS-based as it was more of “a reality show, where the learning process of participants and their performances are screened”.

Salang said there were 29 SMS-based programmes currently broadcast by private television stations.

“Since January, Malaysians spent RM5,395,840 on 1,197,920 SMSes,” he said.

He added that SMS programmes in the information category served to encourage interactivity between the audience and the producers, improve marketing and promotions and allowed viewers to obtain more information about a programme or celebrity.

“In the Charity category, the programmes collect donations through the SMSes sent by the people, such as TV3's Bersamamu and NTV7's Nation Care Charity,” he said.