The three young girls can hardly sit still, buoyed by excitement and that extra piece of chocolate cake. It's their father's birthday and they're throwing him a surprise party.

But this is no ordinary birthday with hugs and hastily wrapped presents. Their dad is behind bars, serving a life sentence for aggravated kidnapping and capital murder.

So, in what has become routine for them, the girls sit inside a dilapidated radio studio, sending out their greetings via the airwaves. "Happy Birthday, Daddy," they shriek into the microphone, and then launch into song.

It's all part of another week on "The Prison Show," a radio program designed for the bulging prison population in Texas. The state's 145,000 inmates have limited phone and visitation privileges, so "The Prison Show" keeps a number of them – 27,000 in 20 Houston, Beaumont, and Hunts- ville prisons – up to date on life beyond bars, while giving outside listeners a glimpse into their daily struggles and the lives of those who love them.

Lonely wives call in, dreaming about the day when they'll be reunited with their sweethearts. Dads call, counseling their children to hang in there and not slip up so close to parole. And parolees call, just to "send a shout out" to friends left behind.

Each week, for two hours on Friday night, the switchboard at the local Pacifica station in Houston lights up in anticipation. Callers will stay on hold as long as it takes, just to share the latest bits of news from home: a busted water pipe, a sick relative, a bad day at work.

"There have been people who have been calling for years, and we get to hear all their dirty laundry: their illnesses, their financial difficulties, things they wouldn't even tell their neighbors," says the show's host, Ray Hill. "But that's part of the magic of the thing. We become like family."

Mr. Hill believes strongly in showing the human side of an often dehumanized segment of society. He began the radio program 21 years ago after spending four years in prison for burglary. While similar programs spring up from time to time across the country, none has been as long-standing or as well received.

Part of it may be Hill's absolute love of his job. He's quick to laugh, a full-bodied laugh that encourages others to join in – and just as quick to cry. He has a closely manicured white beard and a rolling belly, and if it weren't for the opal pinky ring, he'd look a lot like old St. Nick.

"The Prison Show" begins with prison updates, guests' comments, and answers to inmates' letters. The second hour is the families' opportunity to call in.

Tonight, like every Friday night, Sandy and Holly are calling from Dallas to offer a bit of encouragement to their friends on death row.

"Lizard, Max says you're a Cowboys fan. I'm sorry. I'm sure it's just a phase you're going through, possibly temporary insanity," says Sandy.

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