Editing Telecommunications in Iraq (section)

==Radio and television==
{{main|Media in Iraq}}

The number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003.<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> Iraqis get much of their news from TV. Radio listening has declined in tandem with the rise of TV. For private media, advertising revenues seldom produce a reliable income.<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14546541 "Iraq Profile: Media"], ''BBC News'', 22 August 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>

* [[Radio broadcasting|Radio stations]]:
** government-owned radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available (2007);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ "Communications: Iraq"], ''World Factbook'', U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 28 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref> 
** ~80 stations (2004). 
* [[Television broadcasting|Television stations]]:
** government-owned TV stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad (2007);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> 
** ~21 stations (2004). 
* [[Receiver (radio)|Radios]]: ~4.6 million (1997).{{update after|2014|2|17}} 
* [[Television set]]s: ~1.8 million television sets (1997).  It has been reported that 88% of households in Iraq have television (2004).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=7.5. Total television households and digital households, 2001-2003|doi = 10.1787/435882050446}}</ref>

During the reign of [[Saddam Hussein]], broadcasting was largely the domain of the [[Iraqi TV|Iraqi Broadcasting and Television Establishment]] (IBTE). The IBTE, in turn, was dominated by the Ministry of Information. The IBTE often broadcast programming favorable toward Saddam Hussein, including music videos praising him and poetry readings when the station was down. Most IBTE transmitters were in the Baghdad area with a few regional stations. The IBTE aired former [[CBS]] reporter [[Dan Rather]]'s interview with Saddam Hussein, as well as the news from [[Baghdad Bob]] during the run up to the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].  After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the IBTE was dissolved.<ref>[http://www.wrth.com/ World Radio Television Handbook] (WRTH), 1990, 2003, and 2005.</ref><ref>[[Encarta|MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia]], out-of-print.</ref><ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/etc/video.html "Saddam Music Videos"], video clips from the ''Frontline'' PBS documentary the [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/ "Survival of Saddam"], 25 January 2000.</ref>

The current regulator is the [[Communications and Media Commission (Iraq)|Iraqi Communications and Media Commission]],<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150801130309/http://www.iraqicmc.org/ Iraqi Communications and Media Commission]}}</ref>  and the public broadcaster is the [[Iraqi Media Network]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iraqimedianet.net/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801161258/http://www.iraqimedianet.net/|url-status=dead|title=My Blog – My WordPress Blog|archivedate=August 1, 2015}}</ref> successor to the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]]'s and several other radio and television stations. The Iraqi Media Network currently operates the Radio of the Republic of Iraq and the government supported [[al-Iraqiya]] TV station. Many private TV stations are also available, such as the popular [[Al Sharqiya]]. Up to 97% of homes have a satellite dish and there are more than 30 Iraq-facing satellite networks. Iraqi radio stations showcase the diversity of popular opinion, from hard-line Islamic fundamentalism to [[Radio Sawa]], politically oriented stations, and stations featuring content appealing to Kurdish listeners. In the northern autonomous Kurdish enclaves, rival political factions operate their own media.<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013/>

The [[BBC World Service]] broadcasts in Iraq, as does the [[American Forces Network]] (AFN) and [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] (BFBS). Other foreign radio stations operating within Iraq include the UAE's [[Middle East Broadcasting Centre]] (MBC), Paris-based [[Monte Carlo Doualiya]], Moyen-Orient, and [[Radio France International]] (RFI).<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013/>