International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 25

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
stories of a sexual nature, and instances of deviant or anti-social behavior (Soebekti, 2000, p.
x).
According to Soebekti (as cited in Ghazali & Nasution, 2000, p. 6), Pos Kota sought to
serve and educate the urban workers in Jakarta and its surrounds. Pos Kota tried to address
the needs of that particular social stratum by providing information perceived to be of
interest to them. The first edition was published after Harmoko, the then editor-in-chief at
that time, conducted research in Glodok, Jatinegara, Tanah Abang and Senen—the areas in
which most of the city’s urban workers lived, worked and shopped in and around Jakarta.
Based on that research into a potential new market, he published the first edition of Pos
Kota (Ghazali & Nasution, 2000, p. 8).
For its very first edition in 1970, Pos Kota printed 3,500 copies. Circulation increased
quickly and the newspaper was printing 30,000 to 60,000 copies in a matter of months
(Soebekti, 2000, p. 8). In 2010-2012, the circulation of Pos Kota ranged from 500,000 to
600,000 copies per day (Litbang Grup Pos Kota, 2011).
As Pos Kota is a Jakarta-based newspaper, its primary aim is to cover issues that are
happening in Jakarta. This is why the paper has the logo of the National Monument ‘Monas’
(which stands outside the presidential palace) logo -- the symbol of Jakarta -- on its
masthead. This logo is located inside the letter ‘O’ in the word ‘KOTA’. However, the
newspaper is also distributed to areas that surround Jakarta, and even to areas outside Java.
The Pos Kota area of distribution is usually called ‘Jabodetabek’, which is an abbreviation of
Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi. Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia. Bogor,
Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi are the commuter belts around Jakarta that play an important
role in the life of the city. Most people who work in Jakarta live in these areas. Thus, issues
occurring in Jakarta have significance to people who live in these cities, and vice versa.
Most Pos Kota readers are men with ages ranging from 30 to 49 years of age.
However, women also read Pos Kota. In 2010, the Nielsen Media Index revealed that there
were at least 209,000 women reading Pos Kota spanning teenagers, career women or
women who were based at home (Litbang Grup Pos Kota, 2011). The paper also has a space
for children in one of the sections, Pos Bocah (‘Toddler’s Post’), which is published every
Sunday. In addition, Pos Kota has begun to cover national issues in order to attract skilled
urban professional workers, such as office workers and public servants, who have slightly
higher incomes. Pos Kota claims that the paper has become a daily necessity for this
particular group (Litbang Grup Pos Kota, 2011). The Nielsen Media Index shows that 63% of
Pos Kota readers have a regular income of Rp. 2,000,000 per month (approximately
AUD$210) (as cited in Litbang Grup Pos Kota, 2011).
As a tabloid newspaper, Pos Kota has some typical features: strong visuals, catchy,
informal and easy to read copy, local news focusing on crimes, scandals and sensations,

25 | P a g e