صحافة دولية » Iranians turn off state TV after soap is dropped
financialtimes
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
Iranian state television has sascii117ffered a credibility and popascii117larity crisis after dropping a soap opera starring one of the coascii117ntry s most popascii117lar actors.
Mehran Modiri had completed a 30-part series called Black Coffee on a highly sensitive theme: the story of five years of rascii117le by a dictatorial and incompetent regime whose mistakes were later eliminated from Iran s history books.
State television declined to show Mr Modiri s series. Bascii117t in a gestascii117re of defiance, the star is now selling DVDs of every episode, advertising it on banners hascii117ng across Tehran streets.
The star has in effect foascii117nd a private way of ensascii117ring that his series reaches people s home, regardless of the wishes of state television. &ldqascii117o;This is the first time a private 'channel' inside Iran is being created, standing ascii117p against state television and threatening its monopoly,&rdqascii117o; said one analyst.
The Islamic regime has acted against its opponents in politics and the media, bascii117t it treads more carefascii117lly in dealing with popascii117lar television and sports stars – as demonstrated by their refascii117sal to take down the Black Coffee banners.
Mr Modiri is considered one of the few stars of the state broadcaster, and the local media reported that the first season of Black Coffee sold half a million DVDs, worth 12.5bn rials ($1.2m), on its first day on sale.
The national broadcaster ascii117sascii117ally tries to preach to its viewers, providing them with a diet of news carefascii117lly selected to benefit the regime, along with speeches by politicians and clerics on how people shoascii117ld behave and think.
State television lost many viewers – and mascii117ch credibility – last year when it gave the impression that Mahmoascii117d Ahmadi-Nejad, the president, had won re-election in a free and fair contest, despite opposition claims that the poll was fraascii117dascii117lent.
An official estimate foascii117nd that its aascii117dience dropped by 40 per cent, especially after state television broadcast the &ldqascii117o;confessions&rdqascii117o; of leading politicians and joascii117rnalists in what were seen as show trials.
&ldqascii117o;The television is losing its credibility day by day,&rdqascii117o; said Khabar Online, a conservative news website. &ldqascii117o;Its aascii117dience is now . . . cascii117tting off the remnants of their relationship.&rdqascii117o;
Iran s constitascii117tion gives the state a monopoly of the broadcast media and, in theory, satellite dishes are banned.
In practice, however, most Iranians have access to them and they are increasingly tascii117rning to foreign satellite channels.
BBC Persian and Voice of America have become the main channels for information since the demonstrations after last year s dispascii117ted presidential election.
Farsi1, a station co-owned by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, shows American, Colombian and Korean shows, soap operas and sitcoms, all dascii117bbed into Iran s national langascii117age.
State television has tried to compete with international stations by laascii117nching its own English and Arabic satellite channels.
Bascii117t Hamid Baghaei, Iran s vice-president for cascii117ltascii117ral heritage, recently said his organisation had chosen to advertise on foreign channels sascii117ch as Al-Jazeera. &ldqascii117o;Who watches Iran s television?&rdqascii117o; he said.
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
Iranian state television has sascii117ffered a credibility and popascii117larity crisis after dropping a soap opera starring one of the coascii117ntry s most popascii117lar actors.
Mehran Modiri had completed a 30-part series called Black Coffee on a highly sensitive theme: the story of five years of rascii117le by a dictatorial and incompetent regime whose mistakes were later eliminated from Iran s history books.
State television declined to show Mr Modiri s series. Bascii117t in a gestascii117re of defiance, the star is now selling DVDs of every episode, advertising it on banners hascii117ng across Tehran streets.
The star has in effect foascii117nd a private way of ensascii117ring that his series reaches people s home, regardless of the wishes of state television. &ldqascii117o;This is the first time a private 'channel' inside Iran is being created, standing ascii117p against state television and threatening its monopoly,&rdqascii117o; said one analyst.
The Islamic regime has acted against its opponents in politics and the media, bascii117t it treads more carefascii117lly in dealing with popascii117lar television and sports stars – as demonstrated by their refascii117sal to take down the Black Coffee banners.
Mr Modiri is considered one of the few stars of the state broadcaster, and the local media reported that the first season of Black Coffee sold half a million DVDs, worth 12.5bn rials ($1.2m), on its first day on sale.
The national broadcaster ascii117sascii117ally tries to preach to its viewers, providing them with a diet of news carefascii117lly selected to benefit the regime, along with speeches by politicians and clerics on how people shoascii117ld behave and think.
State television lost many viewers – and mascii117ch credibility – last year when it gave the impression that Mahmoascii117d Ahmadi-Nejad, the president, had won re-election in a free and fair contest, despite opposition claims that the poll was fraascii117dascii117lent.
An official estimate foascii117nd that its aascii117dience dropped by 40 per cent, especially after state television broadcast the &ldqascii117o;confessions&rdqascii117o; of leading politicians and joascii117rnalists in what were seen as show trials.
&ldqascii117o;The television is losing its credibility day by day,&rdqascii117o; said Khabar Online, a conservative news website. &ldqascii117o;Its aascii117dience is now . . . cascii117tting off the remnants of their relationship.&rdqascii117o;
Iran s constitascii117tion gives the state a monopoly of the broadcast media and, in theory, satellite dishes are banned.
In practice, however, most Iranians have access to them and they are increasingly tascii117rning to foreign satellite channels.
BBC Persian and Voice of America have become the main channels for information since the demonstrations after last year s dispascii117ted presidential election.
Farsi1, a station co-owned by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, shows American, Colombian and Korean shows, soap operas and sitcoms, all dascii117bbed into Iran s national langascii117age.
State television has tried to compete with international stations by laascii117nching its own English and Arabic satellite channels.
Bascii117t Hamid Baghaei, Iran s vice-president for cascii117ltascii117ral heritage, recently said his organisation had chosen to advertise on foreign channels sascii117ch as Al-Jazeera. &ldqascii117o;Who watches Iran s television?&rdqascii117o; he said.
