IRIB and Audience Decline: Big Mass Media in the Age of Small social Media

IRIB has been the most outstanding media organization in post-revolution Iran. Despite the substantial loss of its audiences in the competition to satellite television channels and social media, it has often played a pivotal role as a tool for the political, cultural and social dynamics and mobilization of the masses in recent two decades. The policymaking rules in IRIB are complex, and what happens in many cases is not officially on paper. The lack of published comprehensive studies about this policy system has made it very difficult to understand its performance and policymaking mechanisms. IRIB has been not only a tool for political mobilization but also a tool for fighting against Western culture (Westoxification) and promoting Islamic values in post-revolutionary society. Therefore, this broadcasting system has become an indicator to evaluate the success or failure of the established and unique policy making system more than anywhere else in the world. Several ideas have been raised over the past two decades for deregulating the broadcasting media but all have failed for different reasons. This failure has not only been due to the opposition of state officials but due to the implementation of a pseudo-privatization policy of IRIB. This trend has led to a broadcasting media ecosystem that endures a particular crisis, in addition to the usual climaxes of the broadcasting media in the world. This paper not only examines the policymaking procedures of IRIB over the past four decades but also illustrate how it has faced the mentioned challenges.