BBC Monitoring

A senior Iranian provincial official has said that the local TV station in Ardabil Province will possibly go on satellite in November, Ardabil Province's Sabalan TV has reported. The event is to coincide with the birthday of Imam Reza, the eighth Shi'i imam, on 22 November 2007.

Speaking at a ceremony to introduce the new head of the Ardabil TV and Radio Organization, the governor-general of Ardabil Province, Ali Nikzad, spoke about the importance of developing the national media to satisfy people's requirements.

Dr Ali Darabi, the deputy director of the Iranian TV and Radio Organization, said that a special programme will be drafted to develop all Iranian TV and radio channels for the coming four-year period. More than 100 TV and radio channels exist in the country, he said. Another TV and radio satellite will be launched if the Majlis passes the bill, Darabi added.

He emphasized the role of provincial channels in expanding the g! eographical borders in the world. According to the survey, Darabi said, 80 per cent of the Iranians who live in foreign countries had noted the improvement in national channels' promotion of Islamic values.

The representative of the Iranian spiritual leader in the province and Friday prayer imam of Ardabil, Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Hasan Ameli, pointed out the key role of the media in developing public culture. The enemy is supplied with state-of-the-art equipment, he said and asked that provincial experts cooperate and assist officials in this regard.

MPs from Ardabil Province in the Majlis spoke about the role of the national media in Islamic society.

At the same time, the new head of the provincial TV and Radio Organization, Adel Qadimi, stressed the historical and cultural significance of Ardabil Province for the country. He said that Ardabil Province has 380 km of joint border with the Azerbaijani Republic.

The former head of the pr! ovincial TV and Radio Organization, Navadat, said that achievements of Ardabil in producing and broadcasting the local programmes was due to cooperation and coordination between employees and personnel of the organization.

At the end of the ceremony, Navadat was thanked for his eight-year services.

Source: Ardabil Provincial TV, Ardabil, in Persian 1545 gmt 27 Oct 07