Broadcasting primarily in English and Malayalam, the programming will also feature educational and entertainment shows in several other Indian languages.
360 Radio, a station for expatriates and families in the Gulf region with education as a thrust area, has been launched by Abu Rashid, a renowned Arab Media Personality in the UAE.
The bilingual station, operating primarily in English and Malayalam, will also be incorporating entertainment and educational programmes in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and other South Indian languages.
The online radio is equipped with the latest smart software and technologies. 360 Radio will also be making its educational programmes available as podcasts on the website, while the social media accounts will be presenting current affairs and expatriate news.
Speaking about the radio station, Abu Rashid said: “Radio 360 has started with a good idea as it targets students, families and education alike. As envisioned by the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Zayed, the UAE is a country that pursues an inclusive culture.”
Abu Rashid wished 360 Radio to be able to move forward with programmes that are inclusive of different languages and cultures. He also praised the new technology being used by 360 Radio during the opening ceremony.
He added: “I hope that 360 Radio, as the first educational radio in the UAE, will be a project in support of the educational programme and a platform to spread the message of students and teachers, and cordially collaborate with authorities such as the Ministry of Education for various academic and non-academic projects.”
Sheikh Sultan Bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chairman of 360 Radio, added: “The cosmopolitanism of the UAE is a beautiful asset and 360 Radio cherishes it. Listening to people who are different, enable us to learn new things about the world we live in, which is why the station’s motto is ‘Listening is a virtue’. 360 Radio facilitates these conversations among the expatriates for whom UAE is their foster land, while remembering their motherland, cultures and languages.”
On the expatriate front, the station intends to produce programmes that throw light on Emirati culture and history as well as on the history and lives of migrants to the UAE, introduce individuals from different communities whose work in the fields of art, culture, social work, business and innovation is remarkable, alongside giving expression to expatriate youth. As for education, 360 Radio will work as a hub of teachers, students, parents and educational administrators from different schools and colleges in the UAE through talks, debates and workshops, enhancing their subject knowledge, interest and exposure. In addition to programmes for the needs and interests of different members of the family, there are also programmes meant for family collective listening.
Binju Kochunny, Programme Director of 360 Radio, stated: “Radios have been a wonderful companion for people both on long roads and in busy traffic. After Covid, we know how creatively technology can be used in the process of learning and we must make the best of such possibilities. There is a student in every listener and there is a listener in every student who wants to be entertained while learning something new. 360 Radio addresses exactly this aspect.”
