Will Obama's Iranian Message Get an Audience?

It is unclear whether Iran's state-run IRIB will broadcast Barack Obama's unprecedented direct appeal for better relations, although footage was running today on the English-language satellite channel Press TV. News websites also reported it as their leading story.

But a bigger obstacle to the Nowruz message reaching the masses may be the holiday's central role in Iranian culture.

Nowruz is a time when millions of Iranians head to tourist spots for a vacation. Those who can afford it go abroad.

Few are likely to be paying close attention to television, which broadcasts little news at this time of year. Newspapers habitually take a two-and-a-half week publishing break.

The result is a virtual news blackout, amply illustrated two years ago when 15 British sailors were arrested by a revolutionary guard patrol which claimed they had trespassed on Iranian waters. While the incident generated wide international coverage, it was several days before most Iranians learned of it.

If the Iranian authorities decided not to screen the message or to partly censor it, satellite dish-owners could still watch it on the Persian language channels run by the BBC and Voice of America. Despite being officially outlawed as transmitters of unwelcome western influence, there are an estimated 5 million dishes in Iran.