Communication & Journalism Department

Michael Brown, Ph.D

Michael Brown (M.A. University of Wyoming, Ph.D. University of Utah) is primarily a media historian with an interest in media transformations during the late 19th and early 20th century. Dr. Brown’s research interests include the development of broadcasting and the use of photographs and illustrations in the press from that time period. More recent research explores the use of radio in international settings including current research conducted in Kazakhstan. In addition to research, Dr. Brown has actively produced radio documentaries that feature interviews with musicians from communities where the music is central to community life. To date these documentaries have explored Cajun, Hispanic, Native American, and black American musical traditions.

Dr. Brown is a member of the American Journalism Historians Association, the Popular Culture Association and the Broadcast Education Association. He is one of the founders of BEA’s Radio Division and served as the division’s vice-chair and chair. From 2008 through 2010 Dr. Brown served as the editor of the Journal of Radio and Audio Media, which publishes radio and audio research from around the world. He is currently a member of the Radio Preservation Task Force charged with locating radio archives for the Library of Congress.

Selected Publications and Editorial Work

Brown, Michael, Askhat Yerkimbay, and Karlyga Myssayeva, "Radio and the Development of the Kazakh Language," Journal of Radio and Audio Media, under review.

Brown, Michael, 2015, "The Visual Art of Political Cartoons: an Interview with Jim Morin" (Pulitzer winner with the Miami Herald), Visual Communication Quarterly, 22(3), p. 87-­‐90. 

Brown, Michael, 2014, "Twenty Years of JRAM: Reflections from Michael Brown,"  Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 20(2).

Brown, Michael, 2012, Guest Editor, "Symposium on Post-­‐Soviet Radio," with four papers from Russia (2), Estonia, and Kazakhstan, Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 19(2), p. 276-­‐319. 

Gatua, Mary, Michael Brown, and Tracey Patton, 2012, "Grassroots International Community Radio and Public Service Media: The Case of FIRE (Feminist International Radio Endeavor),” in The Palgrave Handbook of Global Radio, Hendricks, ed., (Palgrave McMillan).

Brown, Michael, 2010, Editor, "Symposium on Radio in Iran," with two papers from Iran, Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 17(2), p. 226-­‐250. 

Price, Cindy, and Michael Brown, 2010,"Adapting Small Market Rural Media to the Challenges of New Media: Interviews with Small Market Rural Managers," Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy 5(6), p.1.

Gatua, Mary, Tracey Patton, and Michael Brown, 2010, "Giving Voice to Invisible Women: 'FIRE' as a Model for Successful Women’s Radio in Africa," Howard Journal of Communication 21(1), p.164.

Sample of Radio Productions

The Worlds of Music one-­‐hour documentary series was done with UW Creative Writing Professor David Romtvedt and explores the relationship between music and community. The six-program series produced from 2004 to 2010 aired on numerous regional public radio networks and independent community radio stations, and are housed at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 

"Stringband Music of the North Carolina Piedmont: Interviews with Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops."

"Frolic: the Black Stringband Music of the North Carolina Piedmont. An interview with Joe Thompson."

"Music for the Love of It: The Experiences of Bayou Seco. Interviews with Jeannie McLeary and Ken Keppeler."

"Waila Music of the Tohono O’odham Nation: Interviews with Angelo Juaquin, Jr., Daniel Juaquin, Gerald Leos, Sr., and Isaac Jose."

"Music of Northern New Mexico: An interview with Antonia Apodaca."

"Music of the Cajun Community: Interviews with Marc Savoy, Ann Savoy, and Al Berard."