Copies and creations: Iran's Ramadan entertainment
Jamming satellite stations and competing with Turkish and Arab shows, Iranian TV producers prepare for Ramadan, even copying the popular American television show "Modern Famliy."
"Well, we have no choice because there's no satellite TV in Tehran," Lily told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview. A non-religious bank teller who does not fast, Lily usually keeps to the ritual of following Turkish Ramadan specials via satellite each year.
Ramadan specials from Turkey have a huge following in Iran, mostly among Azerbaijani Turks living in various parts of the country. Because the Turkish spoken in Iran is not too distant from the Turkish spoken in Turkey, Iranian Turks generally understand a fair amount of the television content, and by watching it, gradually become familiar with its nuances. This year, however, most of Tehran's population cannot tune in to satellite TV because the administration is disrupting signals. Thus a big part of the Ramadan audience has been left to spend its evenings watching Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) productions. In most of Tehran's suburbs, however, satellite TV channels can still be easily accessed.
