Canadian English language school, The International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC), has launched a dedicated online radio station for international students. The station will broadcast a mix of music, games and English language tips 24 hours a day, allowing people around the world to tune in at any time.
Since its launch in early November, ILAC Radio has had over 2,600 unique listeners from more than 76 countries, with an especially large following in Turkey, Russia and Brazil.
ILAC Radio has had over 2,600 unique listeners from more than 76 countries
ILAC Director Bernardo Riveros told The PIE News that although the station was originally targeted at ILAC students, it has reached a far broader audience than expected.
“What we’ve found is that our students and agents around the world are all so excited about the station that they’re playing it at home, at work, in the office,” he said.
ILAC Director Ilan Cohen added that the station “gives people a sense of being involved with the school in real time”.
The station launched during ICEF Berlin, where some of the education agents in attendance took part in an idiom game show called ‘The Ball is in Your Court’. The winning team won a one-week trip to Vancouver and Whistler.
Soon to launch is the ILAC IDOL Karaoke competition, which allows listeners to vote for their favourite student singers via the station’s Facebook page.
ILAC is not the first language school to engage its students with radio. UIC, a language school in London, UK, won an ELTon award in 2011 from the British Council for its international student radio station, Communication Station, which enabled students to make and broadcast radio programmes.
