The government of India owned All India Radio [AIR] has barely made any earnings all these years but now, it is making huge revenues and thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is hosting 'Mann Ki Baat' every month. This program which was started in the month of October, has become a huge hit and already AIR has collected more than Rs 25 lakhs from the advertisers for the upcoming program scheduled on Sunday.

Generally the advertisement rates in AIR are Rs 500 to Rs 1500 per 10 seconds but for PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' show, AIR is charging Rs 2 lakhs per 10 seconds. Also with the present cricket world cup, AIR which is providing live commentary, it is charging Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 for a 10 second slot. The National public radio broadcaster is not just making revenues and its reach has also been very good. About 147 million people have heard the 'Mann Ki Baat' show of Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama and this is a big cheer for the AIR.

Now, AIR is looking to bring regional advertisers on the board as 'Mann Ki Baat' is broadcast in 240 channels across India as the show also gets translated in 14 prominent regional languages.

- TVR