Local podcast gets NY award nod

Producer Mary Coldwell "can't believe" the New York award nomination.

A Bristol-produced podcast programme, which recently won a Sony Radio Award, has been short-listed for an international accolade.

The Prisoner and the Budgerigar is now in the final of the 2009 New York Radio Programming Awards.

Producer Mary Colwell said: "I'm absolutely delighted that [the podcast] has been recognised; I can hardly believe it!"

The final judging takes place in New York later this year.

Mary Colwell added: "It says a couple of things to me - that religious broadcasting is alive and well and that people worldwide recognise and appreciate holiness, which can appear in many ways. It is fantastic news."

Father Robert King who features in the podcast said: "It's wonderful that The Budgerigar and the Prisoner has been met with such acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.

"It's a simple story of redemption that reflects our basic goodness as people made in the image and likeness of God. Its popularity fills me with hope."

The podcast won the radio equivalent of an Oscar - a Sony Radio Academy Gold - earlier this year.

And it was recently highlighted at a media conference as an example of excellent public service broadcasting in the new digital age.

The programme is also on the short-list to win the internet audio award at the Jerusalem Radio Awards - the announcement for this prize takes place at the Royal Academy in London in October.