iieiiei1eWrkers - Leicester Research Archive - University of Leicester

fiction slots in favour of music programming. Ror Dor however does allot a
special weekend frequency for drama. Most of the dramas produced in
Bangkok are broadcast on the local military network.
Ketthip used to produce up to 40-50 dramas a month in its hey day and in
the late 1970s, the company invested 7 million bahi (approximately £175,000) in
a new recording studio. But when Atom Bunmalert, the principal actor, left to
form Siam '81 in 1981, Ketthip's monopoly was broken. The present situation
is therefore a duopoly with Ketthip and Siam '81 together producing over 75%
of all network drama. Ketthip produces 25-30 dramas each month and Siam
'81 20-25. The increased competition for audiences in recent years has
resulted in the close down and contraction of smaller companies such as
Ampanyut and Siengsai.
Administration aiid organisation goals
The organisational structure of both companies is based on the model shown in
Figure 8. Decision-flaking concerning administration and production is
centralised in the person of the owner who is also the producer, director and
the main actor of the company. Let us first look at administrative work
relating to external business dealings and finances and to securing manuscripts
for production.
The company has three major sources of finance; the manufacturers of various
consumer products. advertising agencies, and the film industry. The first
group, who are mostly local drug manufacturers, provide sponsorship but the
drama conipany retains responsibility for the selection Of stories and the
distribution of the finished product. Business dealings are based on accepted
rules and rely on the 'trust' established by past dealings.
In coiirast, advertising agencies and the film companies commission productions.
Agency such as SSB&C Lintas assigned a radio planner to liaise with the
drama companies under contract. The policy is to match the consumer product
with the audience profile. As the agency's account executive for Unilever
explained;9
"Our target group is women and housewives. We mainly produce
romance from a few popular women novelists. We have quite fixed
ideas of the novels we choose. They are trash if you like. But the
audience liste,i to i/lent as our surveys show.
Interview with S. Orawan, account executive, SSC&B Lintas, July, 1986.
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