Interests

Media studies, oral history, cultural studies, Appalachian studies, media history.

Biography

Dr. Jacob J. Podber is Associate Professor of Media Studies in the Radio/Television Department of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts. His book, The Electronic Front Porch: An Oral History of the Arrival of Modern Media in Rural Appalachia and the Melungeon Community, Mercer University Press, was the recipient of the 2008 Ray and Pat Browne Literary Book of the Year Award from the Popular Culture / American Culture Associations. In addition, The Electronic Front Porch won the Appalachian Writers Association Book of the Year Award - Third Prize. Dr. Podber's research has appeared in many leading media books and journals and has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2010 Oral History Association Article of the Year Award - Honorable Mention for "Television's Arrival in the Appalachian Mountains of the USA: An Oral History," published in Media History, the New Faculty Research Grant Award from the Broadcast Education Association, the Best Faculty Paper Award from Global Fusion, the Carl A. Ross Paper of the Year Award from the Appalachian Studies Association, and the Top Paper Award from the Broadcast Education Association Broadcast & Internet Radio Division. In 2008, he was awarded an Appalachian Music Fellowship from Berea College, Berea, KY. Dr. Podber teaches courses in Oral History and Media, Media and Society, and Television History and Criticism.

Courses

• RT 340 - Television Criticism
• RT 393 - Radio and TV in Society
• MCMA 500 - Mass Media as Social Institutions
• RT 489 - Oral History, Storytelling, and Media