THE Bakrie conglomerate never seems to tire of stealing the public spotlight. This time, it is not about the performance of the soccer clubs that the family owns, but an old problem returning over and over again: massive debts.

Visi Media Asia (VIVA), a Bakrie-subsidiary media company comprising TV One, ANTV and news website Vivanews.co.id, has asked for a loan to the tune of Rp2.5 trillion from government-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI