IRIB programmes are the only entertainment for those living in deprived regions and villages

Iranian MP

At the end of last year, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) had some of its funding bids turned down in the Majlis, or parliament.

Now officials are concerned that the financial crisis at the state broadcaster will have a wider impact on Iranian society.

In the words of one MP quoted by the daily newspaper Resalat, IRIB programmes are the only entertainment for those living in deprived regions and villages.

'Bland programmes'

In the past year Iran has shut down dozens of reformist publications and jailed several prominent journalists.

Iran has shut down dozens of reformist publications

IRIB's critics accuse it not only of being anti-reformist but also of producing bland programming which has had listeners and viewers switching over to the greater variety of entertainment beamed to Iran from foreign satellites abroad.

In recent years the state broadcaster's budget has been one of the most controversial subjects during Iranian parliamentary debates.

Some of IRIB's opponents, both within the Majlis and outside, believe it has not been transparent about its revenues from advertising. IRIB says its commercial income from advertising nets it about $20m a year, while MPs believe the figure is closer to $50m.

A report on Tuesday in the pro-reformist Iranian newspaper Dowran-e Emrooz that IRIB's income from advertising could exceed $100m a year is certain to fuel the continuing row about the organisation's finances.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.