All India Radio earns Rs. 10cr from Mann Ki Baat
PM Narendra Modi's signature 'Mann Ki Baat' has brought in for the All India Radio revenues of Rs. 10cr in the last two fiscals, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Lok Sabha on July 19. In 2016-17, AIR raked in Rs. 5.19cr, about 9% more than the Rs. 4.78cr in the previous fiscal. The monthly radio program debuted on October 3, 2014.
What brings in the high revenue?
The main source of revenue for the broadcast is advertising (Rs. 2L per 10 seconds). Radio reaches 99% of India's population, a significant exposure. It is aired in 18 languages and 33 dialects after the original program in Hindi. It is also available to global listeners on the internet and shortwave transmitters. Naturally, companies want airtime during the broadcast which has millions of listeners.
The broadcast being expanded to more platforms
Mann Ki Baat is expanding its reach. It has already been adapted for broadcast on Doordarshan channels. PM Modi is also reportedly compiling a collection of anecdotes from the program to be launched in book form by 2017 end. It will be published by Penguin Random House India. However, unlike AIR, the show doesn't earn advertising revenue from its digital form.
The Mann Ki Baat effect
Till now, AIR has aired 33 episodes. In the January'15 episode, then US President Barack Obama was a co-speaker. It has certainly had practical effects: inspired by a recent episode, Bijnor has decided to construct 20,000 toilets in Najibabad and Noorpur within a week. In the last episode on June 22, PM Modi talked about the Emergency, calling it the "darkest day for India".
