Tunes Won't Shape the Times in Iran

Radio Farda's musical focus on under-30 listeners in Iran ["U.S. Station Seeks Ear of Iran's Youths," news story, June 5] may give it large audiences, but it will never create the ability to affect political evolution that the Voice of America, the BBC and Radio Liberty had during the Cold War.

In particular, U.S.-funded Radio Liberty, by appealing to mature, well-educated listeners in the Soviet Union, regularly reached people close to the power structure. Emigre broadcasters, many of them well-known to their listeners as writers or scientists, voiced commentaries or took part in unhurried roundtables that examined questions of Soviet political evolution. Radio Liberty also gave lengthy airplay for documents from dissidents inside the Soviet Union.

Farda's pop-music style may give it good audience numbers, but -- short of a mass uprising -- it can do little to change Iran's direction.

JAMES CRITCHLOW

Newburyport, Mass.

The author was a founder of Radio Liberty.