AN AUDIENCE STUDY ON THE PORTRAYAL OF A TURKISH QUEEN (HURREM SULTAN) IN ABAD KEJAYAAN TV SERIES (2015): CASE STUDY IN DUSUN TAMBAKSARI

It’s been a long time that TV stations in Indonesia air the foreign TV series. The rise of foreign TV series that aired in Indonesia is due to the high demand from the audiences to airing foreign TV series. One of the most viewed foreign TV drama series is Abad Kejayaan (The Magnificent Century). It is the first TV series originating from Turkey, which aired in one of Indonesian TV stations, ANTV. Media such as TV series may become one of the most effective instruments in constructing gender in society. This study wants to examine how the audiences give meaning that represent their attitude toward this foreign TV series and the way of the audiences respond to how is women portrayed in TV series through the main female character in Abad Kejayaan, Hurrem. The results of the interview with the female audiences in Tambaksari sub-district, East Surabaya are used as the data. By dividing the category of the audiences’ response, based on Ien Ang in her work Watching Dallas, it was found that most of the audiences are the fans of the Abad Kejayaan. They prefer to watch Turkish production rather than local soap operas by some consideration such as the theme of Abad Kejayaan which contains historical background and the main female character interestingly depicted in the program that rarely depicted in Indonesian soap operas. These reasons given by the audiences draw the new pattern of soap operas that should be appears in Indonesian soap operas. In addition, the audiences are negotiating in commenting Hurrem figure in term of femininity. Through their opinions, the writer concluded that they are negotiating their role and position as a woman in society. The audiences divided their role and position into liberal women who may have good career outside the house but they applied peran ganda wanita that prevailed in New Orde era and they still believe in kodrat wanita – the belief that define a woman by their domesticity and reproductivity. Thus, the television was instrumental in shaping the construction of gender toward femininity in the audience point of view especially the female audience in Indonesia