Hey, didn’t I see you on TV the other night? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that during the past year at churches where I speak, from my apartment managers, even from those weird gothic kids I minister to. It amazes me how many people have seen San Diego’s little half-hour Christian program called CrossWalk on Friday nights. After all, it’s on public access, and nobody watches public access channels, right? Apparently not!
CrossWalk recently gained worldwide attention at the third annual Access Awards International Competition. This awards ceremony was held in Hollywood on Nov. 16 to honor excellence in public access programming. It was simulcast on cable channels around the world including Australia and Norway, and was broadcast into more than four million households.
Awards were presented by Max Gail (of the Barney Miller show). There to accept the awards were CrossWalk’s producer, Cher Brodeur, and her husband Mark of the popular local Christian band, JCc911. CrossWalk wound up winning six awards – first place in four categories and second place in two categories.
The program was voted Best Religious Magazine, Best Set Design, Best Lighting, and Best Musical Performance in the Entertainment division. The program also won second place for another Entertainment segment and for a second Religious Magazine segment.
Each First Place award earned a gold-plated medallion on a spinning stand. One of the most heartening aspects of the ceremonies was the number of times Jesus Christ was lifted up during the broadcast. Christ-centered clips of CrossWalk were shown each time Cher accepted an award. They also played an excerpt from the film version of Merlin Carother’s “Prison to Praise” video and The Four Heaven’s Sake gospel quartet sang “Jesus – There’s Just Something About That Name” and the Praise Big Band’s youngest member, 12-year-old Candice Safstrom, sang “I Just Feel Like Something (Good Is About To Happen).”
CrossWalk is produced by Cher Brodeur through her production company, Award Winning Productions. The name is apt because Cher won an Emmy for a documentary she produced on falconry while she was still a student! She was also the videographer for the post Oscar Awards party in 1992, and she produced the SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) video endorsed by Mayor Susan Golding.
CrossWalk can be seen on Friday evenings on channel 18 (Cox North) at 6:30; channel 24 (Cox South) at 6:30; channel 16 (Southwestern) at 6:30; and on channel 38 (Daniels) at 6.
Dave S. Hart of San Diego is a minister and freelance writer.
