AIR to launch 'India 360' to connect listeners with world

Bringing the world to radio listeners in a unique format, All India Radio (AIR) will launch 'India 360' initiative this Republic Day, highlighting India's bilateral ties with countries by presenting interesting facts and anecdotes.
"We will cover all countries with whom we have diplomatic ties. This initiative will be a unique effort to connect the radio listeners with the world," AIR Director General (News) Archana Datta said.
The programme will be of 8-10 minutes duration and will be broadcast in English once a week in coordination with the External Affairs Ministry's external publicity division.
It will be aired on FM Gold which is popular among the listeners, she said.

The aim is to highlight India's bilateral relations with the countries in an interesting radio format, bringing to the listeners the different aspects of a country after detailed research and airing the bytes of the Indian ambassador of each country, she said.
The ambassador in each country would speak about important aspects of bilateral relations like trade ties, people-to-people contact, and the Indian diaspora.

Japan will be the first country to be broadcast under this initiative coinciding with the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the chief guest of Republic Day function.
Plans are afoot to record his byte and air it as part of the programme, she said.

Making the programme interactive in nature, there would be quiz question at the end with prizes for the first three winners.
Social networking sites like Facebook and twitter would be utilised to popularise the programme.
"We have 3.5 lakh likes on Facebook and we will use it to help the listeners connect with the world around them," she said.