Iran’s national broadcaster IRIB has launched a new show format, featuring live interaction, on its first network, Radio Tehran.

The Iranian Online radio show is IRIB’s first live interactive program combining live talkback and online interaction through the Telegram social media network, which is similar to whatsapp and twitter.

Listener talkback content was previously not broadcast live on IRIB stations.

Iranian online is a format run in different shifts by different radio hosts. The listeners not only talk to the host, but also talk directly with each other online to share music and offer solutions to problems for other listeners.

In the program, people can take part online via Telegram social messenger (@Iranionline), SMS (+983000090) and phone, “to share the ideas, circumstances, problems and so on,” according to IRIB’s Saeed Madankan.

“The host and announcer of the program acts as a link between listeners. The program mostly focuses on social issues like environment, elderly people, children, traffic jams,  and so on.

“By joining to this program you will find out the friendly atmosphere in which all the listeners try to propose a solution to solve a problem by collective wisdom. This is the turning and positive point of online program which makes empathy and kindness among all groups of a society.”

The newly established format aims to engage young listeners, and is having great success.

“Our new generation producers are really talented… they have researched the listeners and are trying to engage them in many different ways.

“For us this is new,  because the young generation wants to have their say freely,” says Madankan.

View more of his remarks here, and listen to a sample of programming below.