The VOA has started a new, nightly, Persian-language TV program, News & Views, aimed at reaching millions of Iranians who watch satellite television.
News & Views, a daily, 30-minute show, will be broadcast from 9:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. local time. It will feature original news reporting from Iran. The show will also include world news round-ups, analyses of issues and events and special interest and cultural features. Radio Farda reporters will contribute to the show.
“By reporting what’s happening in Iran today, we can help further the struggle for freedom and self-determination in Iran,” said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all U.S. non-military international broadcasting, including VOA. “If ever there was a time when the people of Iran need sound, factual reporting on their country, it is now.”
Scheduled to run until at least September 30, News & Views is expected to cost up to 500,000 US dollars.