BBC Persian service in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

I wrote this post on my Farsi blog a few days ago. It had a wide reaction from Farsi readers in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. A new blogger friend of mine, Jad Iqbal, has already translated this post on his blog for his readers. I just did a few changes and added to it, and thought it would be good to share it with my English readers here, too. I wrote several posts about BBC Persian, specifically about the BBC Afghan service. As a frequent visitor to BBC websites, I would like to share my understanding and criticisms of the BBC's work in Afghanistan, especially after September 11, when BBC Radio experienced a dramatic decline in listenership. As a member of the Afghan media family, it has always been essential to observe how the media reflects the events in my country. As media was my favorite field for the past years, i would like to write more about Afghan media and its current condition.

On its first anniversary, BBC Persian TV has asked viewers for feedback on the service over the past year. There were many who praised and spoke highly of BBC Persian TV, but for me, this is surprising when BBC Persian has said:

With 8 hours of varied programs a day, including news, analysis, documentaries and general entertainment from the very start, BBC Persian has attracted many viewers in Persian speaking countries.

BBC Persian is referring to Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran. But here are some initial circumstances that BBC Persian has provocatively and naively spoken about.

First, the people of Afghanistan are mostly living below the poverty line and they don’t have the ability to buy a TV set, let alone to buy a satellite so that they can watch BBC Persian TV. It’s possible that offices in major cities such as Herat and Kabul, and maybe Mazar-e Sharif watch their channel, and there may even be a small number of people who incidentally flick onto the channel. But this does not at all mean that BBC Persian has won over the country to its TV service.

Second, BBC Persian TV doesn’t have any entertainment programs made for Afghans, and no one is interested in the programs it produces and airs for its Iranian audience. There are more than 20 private channels across Afghanistan that broadcast interesting and entertaining programs and maintain a direct relationship with their local audiences. They have live programs where they get feedback from their viewers, who sometimes participate in debates and other activities. For a one-sided channel whose direct audience is only Iran, it is naive and not wise for the BBC to pat itself on the back and say that they have attracted lots of viewers in Afghanistan. As far as I’m concerned, such a simplistic belief on the BBC’s part is just laughable.

Also, regarding Tajikistan, over the last year, only one reporter has contributed once a month. With this belief that they targeted a big audience in Tajikistan, they must have joked. The people of Tajikistan have enough access to different channels in the former Soviet Union. They have better access because they speak Russian. They speak Farsi but use the Cyrillic alphabet for writing. In addition, people don’t have enough money to buy a satellite dish to watch BBC Persian TV, whose programs don’t relate to the country, its people, its culture, or its history.

Thus, BBC Persian TV exaggerates and naively deludes not only its viewers but also itself. Since 2002, with the birth of hundreds of local radio stations, the BBC Afghan service has lost its listeners. Not only this, but the BBC Persian service also didn’t improve its programs for Afghan listeners. As a matter of fact, BBC Persian Afghan service remained a traditional radio that lagged behind.

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