(July 18, 2013 - by Ralph Kurtenbach) Gritty, real-life stories offered British radio listeners a glimpse into of how Jesus' suffering and death on the cross is still relevant to people's lives today.

"The Pulse Passion," a series of Good Friday audio spots that aired on The Pulse in West Yorkshire, U.K. The five audio productions recently earned producers at HCJB Global-UK a prestigious honor, one of the Sandford St. Martin radio awards. An Anglican Church leader, the Bishop of Bradford, Rev. Nick Baines, presented the award to producer Nick M.

"I'm so please to have won this award on behalf of The Pulse," Nick M. said afterwards. "It just goes to show that it's possible to broadcast the gospel message on commercial radio at the highest level." The mission's British office calls its creative radio effort, Whistling Frog Productions, with an emphasis on offering quality work to non-religious broadcast outlets.

"The whole team at Pulse and Pulse 2 would like to congratulate HCJB Global-UK on their award win, and we look forward to featuring further award-winning packages on our stations in the near future," said Jacqui Blay, an announcer and music program host at the station.

Each one-minute production featured a different element of the passion story (the events leading up to Jesus' death), along with a popular music track. Nick M's niece, Megan Hartshorne, voiced a tagline Bible verse that closed each spot.

"The themes in the pieces were being arrested, being beaten up, losing someone you love, starting afresh and meeting a loved one again," explained Nick M. "So the stories included a friend who'd been mistakenly arrested for a serious crime, a drug addict who'd been viciously attacked, leaving him brain damaged, another friend who was suffering after the death of her mother, an elated drug addict freed from her addiction, and a woman whose prayer to be in touch with her daughter again was answered."

"We loved The Pulse Passion for its subtle but effective approach," offered Rev. Cindy Kent, who chaired the panel of judges for radio programs. "It had strong voices and depth. They packed a lot into one minute. And the blend of music and speech was perfectly tailored to fit into a commercial radio sequence."

"It was brilliant just to do the recording, especially as I'm hoping for a career in broadcasting," added Hartshorne, 14. "But to be part of something that actually won an award is fantastic." Competition at the Sandford St. Martin Radio and Television Awards award was particularly tough this year, according to Nick M.

Last year the Whistling Frog Productions team walked off with a Merit Award as well, for "Jesus Meek and Mild?" which explored popular misconceptions about the person of Jesus. That series then went on to be honored with a Highly Commended Award from the Christian Broadcasting Council (CBC) Media Awards.

To hear the winning Pulse spots, visit www.audiopot.org and search for "Pulse Passion."

Source: HCJB Global-UK