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PBS and WGVU present FRONTLINE: Our Man in Tehran

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PBS FRONTLINE and WGVU Public Television present the finale of a two part series Tuesday, August 14th at 9:00. WGVU spoke with New York Times Tehran Bureau Chief and FRONTLINE correspondent Thomas Erdbrink. He’s one of a handful of Western journalists living in Iran.

At a time friction between the United States and Iran – a renewed threat of war and sanctions - Erdbrink presents “Our Man in Tehran” - life inside the Islamic Republic.

“Almost 20 years later Iran is a totally changed country. I mean, under the influence of satellite TV, internet, cheap travel. People are very much up to date.”

As tensions rise between the United States and Iran, FRONTLINE correspondent Thomas Erdbrink explores the long, deep and complex history between the two countries and everyday life in Iran.

“I think American viewers will be very surprised because they will see that, and this is a bit of a cliché but when you see it, that in the end people are people. I didn’t make the documentary to convince the U.S. audience Iran is terrible or Iran is great. I’m a reporter. I want people to form their own opinions. But I did want to give them the opportunity to sort of get in touch with people in a funny way because there is also, you know we also have time to laugh in this documentary, and try to see what their lives are like? We talk a lot about Iran and the United States and often this is talk about war or sanctions or other things or where they shout ‘death to America.’ So, guess what? I went to talk to the guy who shouts ‘death to America’ see what he says?”

FRONTLINE’s Our Man in Tehran airs Monday, August 13th and Tuesday, August 14th at 9:00 PM on WGVU Public Television.

Patrick joined WGVU Public Media in December, 2008 after eight years of investigative reporting at Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV8 and three years at WYTV News Channel 33 in Youngstown, Ohio. As News and Public Affairs Director, Patrick manages our daily radio news operation and public interest television programming. An award-winning reporter, Patrick has won multiple Michigan Associated Press Best Reporter/Anchor awards and is a three-time Academy of Television Arts & Sciences EMMY Award winner with 14 nominations.