USTAZ COOL, USTAZAH TRENDY: CHISELLED ISLAMIC CELEBRITY PREACHERS

Islamic televangelism, arguably has become a staple in the Malaysian media environment today. The intensification of this genre has provided rise to personalities known as celebrity preachers. These celebrities are increasingly getting viewers’ and online followers’ attention which implies that this phenomenon needs a scholarly attention. This study, examines the insights of the production of Islamic televangelism programs to gain details on the ‘birth’ of celebrity preachers.  In depth interviews were conducted with industry professionals and insiders to understand the nature of the production of Islamic televangelism. The discussion with the industry insiders reveals the conceptions of celebrities are wedged between television economy and culture.   Keywords: celebrity preachers, Islamic televangelism, television production, religion, industry professionals.     Abstrak Penyiaran program keagamaan semakin mendapat tempat dalam media Malaysia hari ini. Perkembangan genre program ini telah membangkitkan satu fenomena dikalangan penceramah program, di mana mereka semakin dikenali sebagai ustaz dan ustazah selebriti. Fenomena ini semakin mendapat perhatian para penonton dan pengguna media sosial yang menunjukkan senario ini memerlukan perhatian ilmiah. Sehubungan dengan ini, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti proses produksi program keagaamaan bagi meneliti bagaimana konsep penceramah selebriti ini dihasilkan. Kaedah penyelidikan yang dijalankan adalah melalui temubual dengan penggiat industri televisyen di Malaysia. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa fenomena penceremah selebriti terhasil di antara aliran dwi-faktor kepentingan dalam media yakni ekonomi media dan budaya industri tersebut.   Kata kunci: penceramah selebriti, program keagamaan, produksi televisyen, agama, penggiat industri.