McLean, VA, June 10--Davar Veiseh, owner and founder of RangaRang TV, sits at the studio microphones during his daily talk show in McLean, Virginia.
The Farsi language television station broadcasts 24 hours a day to the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Callers from all over the world debate the situation in Iran ahead of Iranian presidential elections 17 June
Under a sign reading "Persian Rug and Carpet TV" a glass door leads to a television station dedicated to the Iranian opposition and financed by the sale of Persian carpets, quality guaranteed.
From the studios with the look of a hangar, wedged in between a gym and another carpet store outside Washington, RangaRang TV broadcasts 24 hours a day via satellites over North America, the Middle East and Europe.
The television studio could not be more modest. On the right, immense rugs from Esfahan and Tabriz hang from the ceiling. Back and to the left are carpets in gilt frames. In between, a small desk, a chair, a microphone and a relaxed salesman who goes live four nights a week.
"In June, we are focusing on framed carpets to do something different," says Mohammad Sehat, the station's administrative manager.
The studio, covered with television monitors, is the political heart of the station. Each day, at 11:30 am, Davar Veiseh, owner and founder of RangaRang, takes calls from viewers around the world who would like to debate the situation in Iran on the run-up to the June 17 presidential election.
Davar launched his station as RangaRang, Farsi for the color palette, 16 years ago "to fight the Iranian government, financing our political activities with commercial activities," he said.
The target audience is the Iranian community around Washington and all Iranians in the United States, estimated at about 300,000, mostly on the West Coast.
"Our message is not to take part in the election at all because if people participate in the election, they will legitimize this regime," he said.
A large bearded man, Davar stays out of camera range, and prefers to broadcast photographs that viewers have sent in as he answers their questions.
He left Tehran in 1989 and since then has fought for political pluralism in Iran by giving every viewpoint a voice, even the official one.
"We have a lot of calls from Iran, often pro-government people calling. I try to talk to them to highlight the weakness and problem areas in the Islamic system so the other listeners, the silent majority, can also listen," he said.
Davar, like many Iranian exiles, is convinced that the regime is tottering and ripe for change.
"Regardless of who is elected, nothing will change and the people will rise to overthrow the regime, I think within four to six months, maybe earlier," he said.
The station receives about 10,000 viewer calls monthly, Sehat said. He looks forward to seeing the audience grow with the broadcast of the audio portion of RangaRang into the Middle East and Europe over the Hotbird satellite by the end of June. In the United States, the images are relayed by Intelsat Americas 5. In Europe and the Middle East, the station uses Telstar12.
"It costs about 60,000 dollars a month to run that place, three-quarters of which is the cost of the satellites," Sehat said.
Sehat admitted that the station runs a chronic deficit, but gets some relief by selling airtime to political groups.
"We sell time blocks to groups, pro-Shah, Marxists, far right conservatives. We allow all voices of the political spectrum," he said.
"We don't have any support from the US government," he said. "We would only accept their support without any strings attached. We are not mercenaries. But our goals are the same: freedom, democracy."
But not carpets.
