Dr Andréa Jean Baker

Lecturer, Journalism

Higher Degree Research (HDR) Coordinator, School of Journalism, Australian and Indigenous Studies (JAIS)
Journalism Honours (JAIS) Coordinator
JAIS, Faculty of Arts Board representative

PhD, Philosophy, (Monash); Grad Dip, Management, (La Trobe); BA, Media & Politics, (Swinburne); RM (London); RN (QLD).

View contact details in Monash Staff Directory

Recent Grants and Awards

2011, Dean's Commendation's for Excellence in Unit Teaching Evaluations for JCS 2616: Journalism: City-Country (2nd semester, 2010).

Latest Work

2011, Virtual Radio Ga Ga, Hampton Press, New York City: USA).

“The most substantive and valuable history of net-radio to date, Virtual Radio Ga Ga offers a snapshot of this particular moment of radio’s reinvention of itself that will be of tremendous historical value in decades to come” (Assistant Professor Martin Spinelli, Department of Radio and Television, City University of New York’s Brooklyn Campus, New York City, USA).

"Virtual Radio Ga, a very readable examination of modern media habits, combines academic analysis with an understanding that comes from practical broadcasting experience" (Steve Ahern, former Head of Radio, Australian Film, Television and Radio School, (AFTRS), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia).

“A well written and very important book Virtual Radio Ga Ga breaks significant new ground in the areas of post-subcultural theory and new media studies" (Professor Andy Bennett, Director, Griffith Centre for Cultural Research, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia).

“A very thorough and well-researched analysis, Virtual Radio Ga Ga generates exciting original research into an important radio niche and setting it in a range of institutional and theoretical contexts” (Professor Guy Starkey, Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, Head of Department, Professor of Radio and Journalism, University of Sutherland, Sutherland, UK).

“The music and radio industries desperately need many more such studies, for which Virtual Radio Ga Ga provides an excellent template” (Chris Priestman, Head of Media Arts & Design, Faculty of Arts, Media & Design, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK).

Biography

Andréa Baker joined Monash University’s Journalism section in July 2001. She has taught Newsroom Theory and Practice and Online Journalism and been the unit coordinator for Radio Journalism; Broadcast Journalism; Applied Journalism Research Project (internships) and International Journalism field trips to outlets in the USA (2006, 2008, and 2010), UK (2007, 2008, and 2010) and Europe (2007). In 2006 and 2008 her teaching of these units was selected to be part of Monash’s Faculty of Arts, Vice-Chancellor’s Showcase of Excellence in Teaching and in 2008 she was nominated for a national teaching award, Hert-B, Best Entrepreneurial Tertiary Educator. Andréa has supervised honours and Masters theses and is registered to supervise PhD candidates. Andréa has taught journalism and media studies at Swinburne (2000–2001) and La Trobe Universities (2000-2001); and held visiting teaching/research residencies at City University of New York’s (CUNY)’s Brooklyn College (2005) and Hunter College (2009) in New York City (USA).

Industry

Andréa’s media career began in the 1990s in Melbourne when she was appointed executive producer of Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)’s Women on the Line, Australia’s National Community Radio Women’s News and Current Affairs program, eventually becoming a producer at Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Radio National for Women Out Loud; Background Briefing, Radio Eye; Bush Telegraph; Hindsight, Comfort Zone and The Media Report. Her radio work has broadcast on SBS, BBC and public radio in USA and Canada. In 1999 Andréa’s Background Briefing report on ATSIC was Highly Recommended in the Louis Johnston’s Memorial Media Award for Excellence in Australian Indigenous Broadcasting. The 8 part series, ‘Women and Native Title’, which she produced for Women on the Line was a Finalist in Louis Johnston’s Memorial Media Award for Excellence in Australian Indigenous Broadcasting and won the Katherine Davenport Award (USA) for Best Women’s News Story. In 1996 Andréa won two radio awards for reportage about women’s health issues: State and Suburban Finalist, Victorian Medical Benefits Fund Health and Well-being Awards. Andréa has also worked in community television and had numerous articles published in local, national and international newspapers and magazines.

Research Interests

Andréa’s doctoral thesis compared the consumption of online technologies by Australian (Monash) and North American (City University of New York) journalism students. She is a regular delegate at the annual International Association for Media and Communications Conferences (IAMCR) and has received widespread media coverage about her research in The Age, Australian, Yahoo Asia, UK’s Evening Standard and Education Times.

Research interests include: Magazine and newspaper cultures, alternative/radical media; radio features and documentaries; journalism internships; study tours; international field reporting radio, internet, net-radio and digital radio and television histories (public, community and commercial); music journalism and music capitals; indigenous media; alternative and community media; British Cultural Studies (1960-1990s); global journalism; USA, UK and European media, youth and feminist media, youth subcultures; media and globalisation; media ethnography, quantitative research, practice-based research: radio features and documentaries.

Keywords

Radio features and documentaries; digital and broadcast histories; journalism and cultural (arts-music) studies; global journalism, alternative/radical media, cultural journalism; Urban-Rural press, cities as musical capitals.

Areas of Supervision

Marked (Honours thesis)
2002, (Traditional) Women and Radio (La Trobe University, VIC, Australia).
2011, (Exegesis) Underground music scene in Brisbane (QUT, QLD, Australia).
2011, (Exegesis) Radio plays, Australia, UK and Germany (RMIT, VIC, Australia).

Marked (Masters thesis)
2011, (Traditional) Australian Music Journalism (Monash, VIC, Australia).
2011, (Traditional) Female journalists in Bangladesh, (Monash, VIC, Australia).

Supervised (Honours thesis)
2009, (Traditional) Time Out Magazine; New York City and Sydney: Hybrid Media.
2010, (Traditional) Local Newspapers and Hyperlocalism (Australia).
2010, (Traditional) Media Representation the Whaling Industry: Australia and Japan.
2012, (Traditional) Twitter and journalism.
2012, (Traditional) Women in broadcasting.

Supervised (Masters thesis)
2008, (Traditional) 9/11 and Online Media.

Supervised (PhD thesis)
2011-2013, (Exegesis) Deregulation of the Australian Agricultural industry.
2012-2014, (Traditional) Social media and newsfeeds.

Research Projects and Grants

2004–2002 — $10,000, Industry Grant from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Regional Fund to produce radio current affairs pieces about the La Trobe Valley

Teaching (2012)

Helping with radio module, ATS1328 (Journalism 1) (1st semester 2012)

Unit Coordinator (Undergraduate)

ATS2788 (Radio Journalism) (1st semester, 2012)
ATS2646 / ATS3646 (Journalism: City-Country) (2nd semester, 2012)
ATS3923 (Reporting Arts and Culture) (2nd semestr, 2012)

Unit Coordinator (Honours)

ATS4371 (Honours Thesis) (1st & 2nd semester, 2012)
ATS4375 (Research Seminar) (1st & 2nd semester, 2012)
ATS4374 (Specialist Seminar) (1st & 2nd semester, 2012)
ATS4373 (Professional Project) (1st & 2nd semester, 2012)

Unit Coordinator (Masters)

APG4774 (Reporting Sound and Image) (1st semester, 2012)
APG5813 (Journalism Studies Project) (1st semester, 2012)
Supervision of Masters and PhDs theses

Publications

Monographs

Baker, A. (2011). Virtual Radio Ga Ga (Hampton Press: New York City).

Books Chapter

Baker, A. (2002). Chapter 5, ‘Women in Radio Journalism’, in Siddiqi, K, (ed.), Journos on Journalism, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Publications, Monash University, Gippsland campus (Australia).

Co-Editor

Baker, A. (ed.) (2012). Reporting Arts and Culture, textbook, forthcoming.

Submitting (co-authored) academic journals:

Baker, A., & Higgins. T. (2012). Time Out magazine (Sydney and New York City), Hybrid model of Media, Journalism: theory, practice, and criticism.
Baker, A., & Smethurst. A. (2012). Regional press in Victoria, Hyperlocal Reporting and Online Challenges, Journalism Studies.
Baker, A., Harrington, R. & Miralles, C. (2012). Fashion magazines, street press versus Media empires (Vogue, Russh, The Fashion Journal), Fashion Theory.
Baker, A., & Marcinska, N. (2012). Austrālijas Latvietis, Minority ethnic press, Ethnicities.
Baker, A., Durst. O., & Baker, R. (2012). Frankie magazine, Mainstream versus Alternative magazine,Journalism Practice (under review).

Refereed Journal Articles

Baker, A. (2012). 'Exploring subcultural models of a discursive youth net-radio hierarachy',Continuum (Special Edition: Mediated Youth Cultures), (26)3, June, pp. 1-14.
Baker, A. (2011). College student, net-radio audiences: a transnational perspective, The Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 8(2), pp. 121-139.
Baker, A. (2010). 'College net-only radio: A case study of Brooklyn College radio', The Journal of Radio and Audio Media, 17(1), pp. 1-13.
Baker, A. (2009). ‘Comparing the regulatory models of net-radio with traditional radio’, International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, 7(1). pp. 1–14.
Baker, A. (2007). ‘Youth, net-radio, a three-tiered subculture’, Conference proceedings, International Association for Media and Communications Conference, United National Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Sorbonne University’s Journalism and Mass Communications Department, Paris, France, July.
Baker, A. (2006). ‘Net Radio Generation’, Conference proceedings, International Association for Media and Communications Conference, American University, Journalism and Mass Communications Department, Cairo, Egypt, July, pp. 3–6.
Baker, A. (2005). ‘Local News on regional TV’, Communications Update, Communications Law Centre, 167, pp. 2-5.
Baker, A. (2005). ‘The Banker, BAFTA and Sting’, Screen Education, October.
Baker, A. (2005). ‘Internet radio grabs multicultural youth’, Australian Mosaic, 12 (4), December, pp. 23–25.
Baker, A. (2004). ‘Media beyond Media’, Real Time magazine, NSW, August Issue 62, September.

Encyclopedia/Dictionary Entries

2011, Who’s Who in Media Research, Intellect Books, London, UK.
2011’s Who’s Who in the World, Marquis: New York City, USA.

Film and Radio Documentaries

2011-2012, work in progress, Demise of Arts Journalism in mainstream newspapers from a global perspective, (The Australian, The New York Times, The Times).
2008, Radio documentary, 2 part series (54-minutes each) radio features ABC Radio National’s Hindsight about the former coal mining town, ‘Yallourn’ in Gippsland, Victoria.
2007, Film, International field trip to London, (UK) and Paris and Brussels (Europe) 20-minutes, Department of Marketing, Monash University.
2006, Film, International field trip to New York City (USA), 12-minutes, Department of Marketing, Monash University.
2005, Radio feature, produce a 26-minute feature for ABC Radio National’s The Media Report, ‘Media and Globalisation’, interview with Professor Anthony Giddens, London School of Economics
2005, produced a 4-minute radio current affairs piece about New York youths and net-radio, New York City, US for SBS Radio’s Alchemy program.
2002–2004, Radio feature, co-produced a 6 current affairs pieces (5-minutes each) ABC Radio National’s Bush Telegraph.
2002, Film, In Your Ear, 5-minute film, Tropfest, Australia’s Largest Short Film Festival.

Conferences

Baker, A. (2012). Keynote Address: ‘Indigenous Media in the Digital Age’, Mahi Papaho Media Studies conference, National Association of Media Educators (NZ) , Wellington, NZ, July 3-6.
Baker, A. (2011). Youths and net-radio, exploring sub-cultural models of audiences, The Radio Conference: A Transnational Forum, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), January 10-14.
Baker, A. (2009). ‘Youth net-radio subcultures’, Audience section, International Association for Media and Communications Research Conference, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de (UNA) Mexico, Department of Humanities and Communications, Mexico City, July.
Baker, A. (2009). ‘Internationalising journalism education’, Journalism Education and Research section, International Association for Media and Communications Research Conference, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de (UNA) Mexico, Department of Humanities and Communications, Mexico City, July.
Baker, A. (2007). ‘Youth, net-radio consumption, a two –tier subculture’, International Association for Media and Communications Research Conference, United National Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Sorbonne University’s Journalism and Mass Communications Department, Paris, France, July.
Baker, A. (2007). ‘Youth, net-radio consumption, a two –tier subculture’, Arts in action, Faculty of Arts, Caulfield campus, Monash University, June.
Baker, A. (2006). ‘Net Radio Generation, an international perspective’, Audience section, International Association for Media and Communications Research Conference, (IAMCR), American University, Journalism and Mass Communications Department, in Cairo, Egypt.
Baker, A. (2005). ‘Net Radio Generation’, International Radiocracy Conference, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne (RMIT), Australia, July. pp. 11-13.
Baker, A. (2003). ‘Desperately Seeking an Internet Radio Audience,’ Media and Communications Conference, University of Melbourne, December.
Baker, A. (2003). ‘Music Journalism Education and the internet’, Journalism Education Conference, University of Western Sydney (UWS), NSW, November.
Baker, A. (2003). ’Music Radio Journalism on the internet’, UNESCO, University of Newcastle, NSW, November.
Baker, A. (2002). ‘Online Radio’, This is Not Art Festival, University of Newcastle, NSW, September.
Baker, A. (2002). ‘Internet Radio in Australia’, (poster), International Association for Media and Communications Research Conference, (IAMCR), Barcelona, Spain, July.
Baker, A. (2001). Development of Internet Radio Stations in Australia, International Radiocracy Conference, Durban, South Africa, September.

Media

Coverage about net-radio research in The Age's Green Guide, Impress, Beat, The Australian, Yahoo Asia, UK’s Evening Standard and Education Times.
Andréa has given expert commentary on ABC TV’s Media Watch (2007); ABC Radio News, ABC 774, ABC Radio National’s Media Report (2005) and SBS Radio’s Alchemy (2005).

Editorial Positions

Academic peer reviewer: Journal of Youth Studies (USA)
Academic peer reviewer: Continuum, the journal of media and cultural studies (AUST)
Academic book reviewer: Broadcast Histories, Bloomsbury Press (UK)

Professional Memberships

Australian Radio Audio Researchers Association (ARARA)
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA)
Committee for Concerned Journalists (CCJ)
Australian Film Institute (AFI)
Journalism Education Association (JEA)

Industry and Community Engagement

Freelance cultural arts reviewer.
Commissioned by the City of Melbourne’s Melbourne Music Week (November, 18-26, 2011) to hold a Q and A session on Sunday, 20th November, 2011 about the History (and current State) of Music journalism in Australia at The Order of Melbourne with a particular focus on Melbourne’s input. The panel included a range of prestigious and iconic music journalists.