For the 15th year in a row, Church messages created by Bonneville Media Communications have been recognized by the National Catholic Association for public communicators.
Three Church messages received Gabriel Awards, the highest honors awarded by the Catholic association."Even though we've received recognition for so many years in a row, it's still quite an honor," explained Bonneville Vice Pres. Gary Dixon. "The competition is stiff and the association receives entries from all over. We take the competition pretty seriously and it's always an honor to be recognized."
This is the 23rd year the Gabriel Awards have been presented and more than 650 entries were received, vying for 27 television and 21 radio awards.
In 10 of the categories, there were no qualifying candidates.
The Church winners were: "Together Forever," a 30-minute television program illustrating important issues of family life, winning in the category of Television-Religious; "I'll Always Make Time for You," a 60-second public service announcement for television, winning in the category of Television-Public Service Announcements/National; and "What a Day Sounds Like," a 60-second public service announcement for radio, winning in the category of Radio-Public Service Announcements/National.
A certificate of merit was also awarded for "7:00 A.M.," a nationally broadcast public service announcement for radio.
"We're especially thrilled with the Gabriel for `Together Forever,' " Dixon said. "The show is full of gospel doctrine and it was wonderful to be recognized by the association for that production."
The purpose of the competition is to recognize excellence in communications efforts that contribute to a deeper understanding of religious values.
The Church messages are produced as part of the missionary efforts and share insights on issues relevant to the family and individual.
Michael M. McLean, a Bonneville senior writer and producer, accepted the awards at the Nov. 3 ceremony.