India’s Prime Minister to host own radio show on AIR

India’s newly-elected Prime Minister is planning to reach out to the country’s listeners this week with a show on the national broadcaster All India Radio (AIR).

According to DNA, Narendra Modi will go live on public service AIR on October 3, from New Delhi for about 50 minutes, in a pilot of a show he hopes will become a weekly or fortnightly opportunity to reach up to two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people.

Although eclipsed in recent years by satellite television, radio is still the main source of news and information for many Indians, particularly in rural areas.

AIR plans to translate Modi’s speech simultaneously into 24 Indian languages and there is also a proposal to make the broadcast available in 16 foreign languages.

Officials at India’s broadcast ministry said Modi was keen to turn the radio address into an interactive session soon and would like to take questions from citizens.

Modi made an interactive broadcast on Teachers’ Day this month that was viewed in schools nationwide.