FORMER MP AND JOURNALIST ON VOA PROGRAMMING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RPO DUBAI 000043

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/24/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL IR KPAO
SUBJECT: FORMER MP AND JOURNALIST ON VOA PROGRAMMING

DUBAI 00000043 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Ramin Asgard, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: Voice of America (VOA) is well-positioned as an
alternative to state-run Iranian TV to provide uncensored,
impartial information that can help advance reform in Iran, a
former reformist member of Iran's Sixth Majles and journalist
told IRPOff 22 July. The former MP is in contact with VOA
officials regarding programming concepts and was very interested
in suggesting improvements that he believed would help VOA
increase its audience inside Iran. He claimed that elite
audiences in Iran prefer VOA to other foreign news broadcasts,
specifically BBC. The former MP alleged that since the Iranian
government is concerned about the impact of VOA, it does not
object to other foreign TV programs because they help dilute
VOA's potential audience share. Separate from VOA programming,
he suggested that IRPO publish a weekly aimed at Iranians to
address events that the Iranian government otherwise does not
report about. End summary.

Recommendations For VOA Programming To Help Expand Audience

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2. (C) IRPOff met with former reformist member of Iran's Sixth
Majles Ali Nazeri (please protect),who is also a former
journalist, on 22 July. The former MP claimed that Voice of
America (VOA) is well-positioned to provide uncensored news
regarding events inside Iran, in contrast to state-run TV that
strictly controls the message, but he believed VOA could do more
to attract additional viewers. He suggested that VOA devote 80
to 90 percent of its content to news and information that is
impartial, which would be viewed by Iranians as more credible.
He added that guests on VOA who are experts in their field,
well-known, and knowledgeable, would be respected by viewers.


3. (C) He said that VOA should become more "Iranian," by
including additional Iranian cultural program content, such as
music and Iranian movies, including material banned from
broadcast/distribution in Iran. The former MP suggested that a
large portion of the population would like to watch more dance
and music programs, and that adding 10 to 15 minutes of music to
VOA's evening schedule would attract a wider family audience.
He suggested that VOA broadcast concerts by Iranian musicians,
including those whose music currently is banned in Iran, and
particularly pop music. He explained that VOA is only received
in major cities, as in smaller provincial areas it is easier for
the IRIG to enforce the satellite ban. This same issue of
access to broadcast signals outside major cities also affected
radio broadcasts, and he argued that VOA and Radio Farda would
be more accessible to Iranians if the programs were broadcast
using medium-wave.

VOA Helps Undermine Hardliners

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4. (C) The former MP argued that reform would advance in Iran if
people were more aware of events, and he suggested that VOA
could provide this knowledge because it serves as an uncensored
source of information. Alleging that there is a silent majority
(the exact term he used was "turned-off majority") of
approximately 15 to 16 million Iranians who do not participate
in elections and are otherwise withdrawn from the political
process entirely, the former MP said that VOA is a good outlet
with which to reach this majority. He added that supporters of
VOA are increasing daily and that the impact of the programming
is "more than if there were 100 wars," as it helps undermine
Iran's hardline leaders. Responding to IRPOff's question about
whether Iranians are interested in a foreign media outlet's
perspective about events taking place inside their country, the
former MP said they are interested in outside messages as long
as they are balanced and well-done. Furthermore, given heavy
IRIG censorship, there was no access to uncensored information
about Iran internal affairs.

VOA Most Preferred Foreign Broadcast Among Elite Audiences

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5. (C) The former MP estimated that VOA TV is watched by 7 to 10
million viewers, primarily in large Iranian cities, and is less
watched in small towns because of limited satellite TV access.
Popular programs include News and Views (Khabarha va Nazarha);

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NewsTalk (Tafsir-e Khabar),which he described as the most
popular news analysis program; and Nightsong (Shabahang),which
he said appeals to Iranian family audiences. He explained that
Iranian youth like Shabahang because of its cultural content and
it appeals to their interest in fashion and movies. He has
three cousins from a conservative family who do not have a
satellite dish and are not allowed to watch satellite TV, but
whenever they visit the former MP they watch Shabahang.


6. (C) He noted that Iranian intellectuals, students, and
educated elites watch VOA rather than the expatriate channels
broadcasted from Los Angeles. According to the former MP, the
LA programs are cheaply produced, ill-informed, and often have
simplistic political messages consisting of "cursing" the
Iranian government. He said these programs sometimes insult
Islam, which alienates people in Iran who may be opposed to the
Iranian government but not to the Islamic religion. However, he
indicated that members of Iran's middle and lower classes like
watching the LA channels for entertainment. When IRPOff asked
about the popularity of BBC the former MP said that Iranians
prefer American broadcasts, as the British are not well-liked
and BBC's reputation has suffered since the revolution. If VOA
could improve its programming, it could more effectively compete
with foreign broadcasts such as BBC, he said.

Iranian Government Reaction To Foreign TV Programs

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7. (C) The former MP said that the Iranian government supports
the presence of other satellite TV networks, such as MBC and the
not-yet-launched BBC Persia, as a counter to VOA. The
government wants these programs to be effective so that they
dilute the impact of VOA, he claimed. The former MP argued that
Iranian state-TV cannot compete with VOA because VOA can report
freely about issues while state-TV offers censored information
from the perspective of the Iranian leadership. He believed
that Iran's state-run external media outlets, such as Press TV,
were copying VOA and had learned from and incorporated elements
of its programming.

Suggestion For IRPO Weekly Aimed At Iranian Audiences

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8. (C) While noting that Iran's state-run media does not provide
the public with information about certain topics, the former MP
asked if IRPO could publish a weekly from Dubai aimed at Iranian
audiences that would address internal events in Iran in an
uncensored and balanced manner. For example, he said that
according to his media contacts and reading of the Iranian
press, the state-run outlets had not publicized internally key
elements of the nuclear issue. For example, he noted that the
mass of Iranians had no understanding at all of what the P5+1
offer contained, nor did they know of the current two week
period Iran has to provide a substantive response to the offer.
He suggested that an IRPO weekly would be a good outlet to
provide this type of information, as well as other topics that
are not being reported in Iran.

Biographic Information

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9. (C) The former reformist MP was involved in cultural and
media efforts during his service in the Sixth Majles and he also
has a background in journalism. He started the weekly newspaper
Arzesh aimed at Iranian students, which was banned in 1999, and
he worked for Kayhan newspaper during former President Khatami's
administration. He currently is doing freelance work.


10. (C) Comment: The former MP spoke very highly of VOA and the
role he believed it could play in Iran, to the extent that
IRPOff had to press for information about other TV programs that
may be popular among Iranian viewers. He seemed most interested
in promoting the benefits of VOA to IRPOff and explaining how he
believed VOA could be made even more effective. His suggestions
that VOA provide more impartial and balanced programming, and
include well-respected experts, echoed comments made to IRPOff
previously by other Iranian contacts.
ASGARD