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Service

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian is the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's multimedia news and information service for Persian-speakers in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and around the globe.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian has evolved into the Persian-speaking world's leading international broadcaster since its launch on 28 December 1940.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian is designed to reach audiences on radio, television, the internet, mobile phones and handheld computers in whatever way best suits the audience.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian television and radio programmes and online services are produced from studios and newsrooms in London, with significant on-the-ground contributions to coverage of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the rest of world coming from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's vast network of correspondents.

Broadcast hours

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian television broadcasts for eight hours a day.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ radio broadcasts in Persian seven days a week for an average eight hours a day.

bbcpersian.com is available on demand online 24 hours a day.

Editorial

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian showcases high-quality, accurate, impartial, editorially independent, balanced news, information and analysis from a global perspective.

It covers the political, social and cultural issues that matter to its diverse audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and across the globe. With its new TV presence, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian is bringing the world to Persian-speaking audiences – reporting the news wherever it leads.

Behrouz Afagh, Head of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service's Asia and Pacific Region, says: "The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian multimedia service has the audience's needs and concerns at the heart of its agenda. It is contemporary in its style, and independent and penetrating in its journalism."

Research

Independent research carried out in 2006 and 2007 shows that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's existing Persian-speaking audiences regard it as the most trusted, impartial and objective international radio news provider in the Persian-speaking world, with an established reputation for quality.

The independent research says ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian is seen as authoritative. Its audiences say they value ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian's original reports and analysis as well as the access it brings to opinion-formers and leading political personalities.

Newsgathering

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian draws upon the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's unmatched newsgathering resources across the world, with eyewitness reportage and expert analysis from 250 specialist correspondents, based in more than 70 bureaux around the globe.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Newsgathering maintains a bureau in Tehran for its English-language services. However, the Iranian authorities have refused the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ permission to maintain a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian presence in Iran.

Working alongside the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's international network there are also ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian journalists stationed around the world including in the key locations of Beirut, Dushanbe, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Kabul and Washington.

Audiences

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Persian currently attracts about 10 million listeners and online users each week, of which around 2.4 million are adult Iranians. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ anticipates that the launch of Persian TV will increase the audience by a further eight million in Iran and Afghanistan within three years.