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 IRIB Glass Building in Jame Jam, Tehran (2021) | |
| Type | Broadcastradio,television andonline |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | National International |
| Revenue | 40 trillionIRR ($950 million) (2019)[1] |
| Headquarters | Jaame Jam,Valiasr Street,Tehran |
| Owner | Government of Iran (publicly owned) |
Key people |
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Launch date | 1929 (radio) 1958 (television) 1966 (incorporated) 1979 (current form) |
Former names | National Iranian Radio and Television |
Official website | www |
TheIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB;Persian:سازمان صداوسیمای جمهوری اسلامی ایران,romanized: Sazmân-e Seda-o-sima-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân,lit. 'Voice and Vision Service of the Islamic Republic of Iran') orSeda o Sima (Persian:صدا و سیمای,lit. 'Voice and Vision') for short, formerly calledNational Iranian Radio and Television until theIranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranianstate-controlledmedia corporation that holds amonopoly of domestic radio and television services inIran. It is also among the largest media organizations in Asia and thePacific region and a regular member of theAsia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.[2][3] Its head is appointed directly by theSupreme Leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[4]
With 13,000 employees and branches in 20 countries worldwide, includingItaly,France,Belgium,Guyana,Malaysia,Lebanon, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting offers both domestic and foreign radio and television services, broadcasting 12 domestic television channels, four international news television channels, six satellite television channels for international audiences, and 30 provincial television channels countrywide, half of which are broadcast inminority-status languages in Iran, such asAzerbaijani andKurdish, as well as the local dialects ofPersian. IRIB provides 12 radio stations for domestic audiences, and through theIRIB World Service, 30 radio stations are available for foreign and international audiences.[citation needed] It also publishes the Persian-language newspaperJam-e Jam.[5]
On 24 April 1940, Radio Iran was officially opened by ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi – the then crown prince of Iran – withIsa Sedigh as the first head of the company.[6] The channel broadcast five hour programs including news, traditional and western music, religious and sports programming as well as programs dedicated to economic and political discussion. according to estimates from theStatistical Center of Iran, in 1976 about 76% of urban population and 45% of rural population had access to the radio.
National Iranian Television officially opened on 21 March 1967 to createNational Iranian Radio and Television. At that time, hardware equipment was at the disposal of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone and its media was producing by Advertising and publishing department. In later years, radio and television expansion request across the country to create an integrated entity and from 1971 all facilities were given to National Radio and Television. The Shah personally appointedReza Ghotbi as head of organization, and the duration of the programs increased quickly.
Before the 1979 revolution about 40% of TV programs were foreign, and imported and internal programs were usually modeled after foreign programs. After the revolution two TV channels (first program and second program) were active and with facility expansion, more than 95% of the urban population and about 75% of the overall population was able to receive TV signals.
During theIranian Revolution, whenGholam Reza Azhari became prime minister of Iran,Touraj Farazmand was chosen for head of National Iranian Radio and Television afterReza Ghotbi.[7]
The organization expanded greatly after the revolution, and in addition to internal and global broadcasting channels, it manages more than 100 electronic and written media.
A broadcasting budget of 4,000 billionTomans was expected in the 2018 budget bill. However, according to Ali Asgari (the organization manager), a channel budget like that ofBBC Persian consists of over 6,000 billion Tomans and IRIB needs a larger budget for managing 62 TV channels and 83 radio channels.[clarification needed]
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During theIran–Israel war, IRIB's headquarters including the studio ofIslamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) in Tehran was hit by an Israeli airstrike on 16 June during a live broadcast resulting in a temporary halt in programming.[8][9] Two IRIB employees, including IRINN's editor-in-chief, were killed in the attack, while the station said its offices were struck by four bombs.[10] The attack was condemned as a war crime by theInternational Federation of Journalists, saying "underinternational law, journalists are civilians, and deliberate attacks against them constitutewar crimes".[11] TheCommittee to Protect Journalists also condemned the strike.[12]
The IRIB sign includes theEmblem of the Islamic Republic at the top and two characters "لا". When this sign was conceived at the beginning of the revolution, it represented the revolution's slogan of"neither Eastern, nor Western – Islamic Republic" and thus symbolized denial of both capitalist and communist influence or specifically theUnited States andSoviet Union. These two words at the middle get together like a channel and there is an eye sign at the intersection of them (which was later adapted into the logo ofthe flagship television channel). At the bottom of the sign, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting phrase is written inNastaliq font in thePersian language.
According to Article 175 of theIranian constitution,
| Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting | |
|---|---|
| |
since 29 September 2021 | |
| Reports to | Council of representatives of two each from: President of Iran Head of the Judiciary Islamic Consultative Assembly |
| Appointer | Supreme Leader of Iran |
| Constituting instrument | Article 175 of theConstitution of Iran |
| Precursor | Director-General ofNational Iranian Radio and Television (1966–1979) |
| Inaugural holder | Reza Ghotbi |
| Formation | 1966 (as Director-General of National Iranian Radio and Television) |
The director-general of IRIB is Peyman Jebelli, who was appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran in 2021.
| # | President | Years | Time in post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reza Ghotbi | 1966–1979 | 13 years |
| 2 | Sadegh Ghotbzadeh | 1979 | 1 year |
| — | Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha (acting) & Other acting committees | 1979–1981 | 2 years |
| 3 | Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani | 1981–1994 | 12 years |
| 4 | Ali Larijani | 1994–2004 | 10 years |
| 5 | Ezzatollah Zarghami | 2004–2014 | 10 years |
| 6 | Mohammad Sarafraz | 2014–2016 | 2 years |
| 7 | Abdulali Ali-Asgari | 2016–2021 | 5 years |
| 8 | Peyman Jebelli | 2021–present | in post |
The isolation of Iran’s movie industry has forced filmmakers to reorient themselves around national television broadcasters. These networks churn out ideological products in line with the state’s Islamic gender norms, with women sometimes cast in traditional roles and deferential to men, who are portrayed as their guardians and protectors. Amid the intensified conflict with the United States, Iran’s security establishment has emerged as a major producer of blockbuster television and film centering on the prowess of theRevolutionary Guards and itsintelligence services. Iran is awash in sophisticated domestic versions of “Homeland,” and lacks the self-interrogating, subversive cinema that allows a society to have a public conversation with itself about gender, culture, marriage, and power.[14]
A study published in June 2020 by theJustice for Iran and theInternational Federation for Human Rights claimed that Iranian television had broadcast the potentially coerced confessions of 355 detainees since 2010.[15] Former prisoners stated they had been beaten and been threatened withsexual violence as a means for theirfalse confessions to be delivered for use by the country's broadcasters.[15]
IRIB, along with other Iranian state-run media, tend tocensor or silence voices or opinions of reformist politicians as well as ridicule them even as the reformists are in power since IRIB's editorial bias is closer to the Supreme Leader and thePrinciplists.[16][17]
In April 2024, IRIB reported on theApril 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel — but it actually showed footage of a fire inChile (not Israel), filmed several months prior.[18]
In 1989, five IRIB employees were prosecuted over a radio report in whichFatimah, the daughter of the ProphetMuhammad, was described as not being a suitable role model for women since she lived centuries ago. The incident reportedly resulted in lashes and purges in the agency.
In April 2025, four IRIB employees were arrested on charges related to the airing of a TV program insulting the Sunni caliphAbu Bakr. IRIB head Peiman Jebeli condemned the remarks as “sedition” and “unforgivable wrongdoing.”[19]
Pursuant to the United States PresidentialExecutive Order 13628, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is subjected to U.S. sanctions under theIran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act which gives theU.S. Treasury Department the authority to designate those in Iran who restrict or deny the free flow of information to or from theIranian people.[20]
IRIB was placed in the list of sanctioned entities of theEuropean Union in December 2022 due to its role in the repression of theMahsa Amini protests.[21] Following this order,Eutelsat ceased broadcasts of the IRIB international channels for the Europe region viaHot Bird satellite on 21 December 2022.[22]
IRIB is independent of the Iranian government and its head is appointed directly by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is the only legal TV and radio broadcaster inside the country but millions of Iranians watch foreign-based channels via illegal satellite dishes on rooftops.
Media related toIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting at Wikimedia Commons
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35°47′4.22″N51°24′43.78″E / 35.7845056°N 51.4121611°E /35.7845056; 51.4121611
