Voice of America Washington, DC 20237  Tel: (202) 619-2538 Fax: (202) 619-1241 E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

Washington, D.C., February 18, 2000—As Iranians cast their votes in their parliamentary election today, Voice of America Farsi broadcasts continued to get through, despite Iranian government jamming attempts.  Today’s VOA Farsi call-in show, Round Table with You for example, focused on today’s parliamentary elections, with guest Dr. Ali Akbar Mahdi, Professor of Sociology at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Callers regularly phone Round Table with You from different cities throughout Iran, and today’s discussion was lively and informative for its listeners.  VOA correspondent Scott Bobb reported on the election results from Teheran.  Bobb also participated in the Round Table with You broadcast.

The Voice of America Farsi Service, working with the International Broadcasting Bureau’s Office of Engineering and Technical Services, has successfully countered the Iranian jamming, and both the service’s morning and evening programs are now audible on shortwave.  Some of the frequencies normally used by the service have been jammed since the end of January, but frequencies added in the last two weeks are getting through, according to IBB monitoring reports.

VOA’s Farsi Service broadcasts from 0300-0430 and 1700-1900 UTC.  Round Table with You is telecast at 1800 UTC every Friday.  The Voice of America is part of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), which became an autonomous U.S. Government civilian broadcast service on October 1, 1999, under the authority of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.  IBB is composed of the Voice of America, WORLDNET Television and Film Service, Radio and TV Marti, and the Office of Engineering and Technical Services.

Contact: George Mackenzie
Phone: 202-619-2538
E-mail: pubaff@voa.gov