RADIO FARDA

In Brief

• Language: Persian
• Coverage: 24 hours a day, including news, analysis, roundtables, analytical programming, and music
• Frequency: MW, SW, Internet, and Satellite
• Internet: www.radiofarda.com

History

• Radio Farda was established in 2003 as a joint effort of RFE/RL and Voice of America (VOA). In 2007, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) decided to consolidate all of Radio Farda's operations under RFE/RL. Then in July 2008, RFE/RL assumed sole responsibility for all Radio Farda programming.

Highlights

• Farda regularly breaks and covers stories which the government denies Iranians access to in the national media. Much of the coverage, unavailable elsewhere, focuses on strikes, student protests, and the sentencing and punishment of rights activists.
• Farda receives hundreds of e-mails and text messages daily, mostly from inside Iran. In the March 2008 parliamentary elections, hundreds of listeners sent messages about the election procedures and violations -- a rare opportunity for Iranians to air their views uncensored.