United States Agency for Global Media

VOA launches new prime time programs for Iran

February 26, 2016

Washington, D.C. — The Voice of America is shaking up its prime time television line-up in Iran with a fresh look and with new Farsi language programming that will continue to speak to Iran’s millennials and its diverse audience. “We are making efforts to keep pace with the media markets in Iran. The target is a younger audience and we are evolving with the times,” explains VOA Persian Service Director Setareh Derakhshesh.

Beginning Monday, February 29th from 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. Iran time, VOA Persian will offer four separate programs under one umbrella – New Horizon – each focusing on the rapidly changing issues affecting Iran and the world:

• Mondays:  New Horizon with Payam Yazdian, (International Issues)
• Tuesdays:  New Horizon with Masoud Safiri, (Inside Iran Issues)
• Wednesdays:  New Horizon with Ali Javanmardi, (Regional Issues and the Fight against ISIS)
• Thursdays:  New Horizon with Fahimeh Khezr Heidari, (Women and Minorities, Culture, and Social Issues)

Paired with the New Horizon programs and airing from 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. Iran time, VOA Persian will also premiere four half-hour Farsi language documentary series, produced by Bloomberg Television:

• Mondays:  C-Suite (an inside view of successful companies)
• Tuesdays:  Brink (technology, science, and cutting edge companies)
• Wednesdays:  Inside Series (another inside view of successful companies)
• Thursdays:  Game Changers (Bios of successful well-known entrepreneurs)

Promotion for the new lineup began last week.

The new one-hour lineup immediately precedes VOA Persian’s flagship news broadcast, NewsHour.

“Relations between Iran and the United States are evolving,” said Kelu Chao, acting VOA Director. “Our new prime time television lineup for Iran responds to the evolving needs of the Iranian audience.”

VOA Persian programs can be seen via the following satellites:

Yahsat (52.5 Deg East) – DL freq 11996 MHz, FEC sym rate 5/6 27.5 MSyms/s, DP – V, VC/ID 203

Eutelsat HB 13B (13 Deg East) – DL freq 12226 MHz, FEC sym rate 3/4 27.5 MSyms/s, DP – V, VC/ID 225

Asiasat-7 (105.5 Deg East) – DL freq 4040 MHz, FEC sym rate 1/2 26.5 MSyms/s, DP – H, VC/ID 415