Aca-Media

Ep. 82: After Mass Media with Melanie Kohnen and Amanda Lotz

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:26:19 +0000

Chris and Michael finally get back to business and introduce a conversation between Melanie Kohnen and Amanda Lotz about Lotz’s 2025 book After Mass Media, which explores how industrial shifts and technological changes have reshaped the entertainment landscape, as well as academic approaches to the media industries. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes when you heard someone describe a TV series as like an “[x]-hour movie,” this is a must-listen!

Ep. 81: Mike Miley & David Lynch’s American Dreamscape

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:06:51 +0000

Lift yourself out of the dregs of summer and everything else with this chat Mike Miley, author of the new book David Lynch's American Dreamscape. Miley shares his first encounter with Lynch’s Dune – as a 5-year-old! -- and his insights into the intertextuality of Lynch’s work, particularly Inland Empire. He also talks about being a high school teacher publishing academic books. Chris and Michael wrap up with brief reflections on the impact of AI on academia and an upcoming symposium on critical media literacy that we’ll feature in the next episode.

Ep. 80: Jordan Sjol Interviews José Rivera

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Fri, 09 May 2025 20:18:30 +0000

We have a special treat for listeners in this episode as DePauw University’s Jordan Sjol sits down with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer José Rivera for a conversation about his journey from playwriting to Hollywood, writing across different media, adapting literary classics, and balancing artistic integrity with commercial demands.

Ep. 79: SCMS25 Live Episode (with GSO Rep, Matt Payne, and AJ Christian)

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:23:45 +0000

If you missed it – and let’s be honest, most everyone did – you can catch up with the episode we recorded live on the eve of the SCMS 2025 conference in Chicago. Hear about the labor of the Graduate Student Organization from Kristina Brüning, the power of finding joy in play from Matt Payne, and the importance of building local community from AJ Christian. (With usual apologies that the sound isn’t great.)

Ep. 78: Swapnil Rai on Bollywood Stars and Podcast Pedagogy

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:13:29 +0000

Chris chats with Swapnil Rai about her book on how Bollywood stars transformed Hindi cinema into a global phenomenon, as well as how she uses podcasting activities in her classroom. And if you’ve got ideas for how students can study media by making media, you’re invited to submit a proposal for a symposium at Notre Dame on that very topic.

Ep. 77: Journalists at the 2024 Olympics/Paralympics

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:47:50 +0000

Aca-Media producer David Lipson was in Paris for the 2024 Olympics/Paralympics, so we sent him out into the field. He captured some sounds of the city and the people flocking to arenas and also turned modern journalism’s most essential tool – a smartphone – toward journalists themselves, uncovering the challenges, and a few joys, that unite media professionals across the globe today.

Ep. 76: Maggie Hennefeld on the Cultural Politics of Women’s Laughter

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:57:17 +0000

Stephanie Brown delves into the dangerous world of women laughing in this conversation with Maggie Hennefeld about her new book Death By Laughter: Female Hysteria and Early Cinema. Covering everything from 19th-century obituaries blaming giggle fits (rather than girdle fits) for women’s deaths to the modern-day political power of a vice presidential cackle, we’re certain this episode will entertain you … just short of killing you.

Ep. 75: Academic Publishing Roundtable

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 15:26:36 +0000

We’ve reached that late post-spring time of year, as Michael judiciously puts it, and if you’re lucky and industrious enough to have finished writing something over summer and you’d like to get published, we’ve got just the roundtable for you! One side of the table features experienced editors and the other side has young scholars with questions, so the end result is an engaging and enlightening discussion about how academic publishing works these days.

Talking Television, Ep. 17: "OJ TV"

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 01:22:09 +0000

O.J. Simpson died on April 10, 2024. Along—and intertwined—with the impact that he had on formations of "law and order," celebrity and scandal, race and gender, class and nation, Simpson had an enormous impact on U.S. television. This episode of "Talking Television" considers that impact, as TV scholars Hunter Hargraves, Lynne Joyrich, Brandy Monk-Payton, and Samantha Sheppard talk about the televisual construct of "O.J. Simpson" and about media and culture in the wake of "OJ TV."

Ep. 74: Wiseman Podcast

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 01:12:21 +0000

In this episode of Aca-Media, David Lipson talks with Shawn Glinis and Arlin Golden, the creators of Wiseman Podcast, which is devoted entirely to discussing the films of--you guessed it—Frederick Wiseman. Shawn and Arlin explain how the podcast is produced and why they feel Wiseman should be mentioned in the same breath as Kubrick, Coppola, and Scorsese. Also, Chris and Michael banter about an exciting result of a past episode.

Ep. 73: Thinking With Our Ears: Jacob Smith on Audio Scholarship

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 03:46:24 +0000

Bust out your fancy headphones for this episode, folks. In one our best episodes ever from an audiophilic perspective, Jonathan Nichols-Pethick talks with Jacob Smith about his recent experimental audiobooks, ESC: Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene and Lightning Birds: An Aeroecology of the Airwaves, both of which are available as open access files on the University of Michigan Press website. Then Chris and Michael chat about the gratification of SCMS volunteering, wish you a happy eclipse, and tout the glories of NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Ep. 72: Live in Boston at SCMS 2024

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:49:09 +0000

Recorded live on the scene! (so please forgive any less-than-ideal audio quality) Convening at the 2024 SCMS conference in Boston and gathering “after dark” on the conference eve (i.e. after the opening reception and its free bar, which might have made us all a little giddy), Chris and Michael chat with longtime Conference Manager Leslie LeMond and new president Vicky Johnson about what goes into choosing a conference city and what the future may hold, as well as some of the unique challenges the organizing team faced this year (yes, they talked about the awards situation). We then welcome Aniko (Madison friends, update your pronunciation) Bodroghkozy, who tells us about the new Television and Radio History Scholarly Interest Group. And we end with a few suggestions from Michael for sites to see, things to eat, and horrific animal scenes you may encounter while in Boston.

Episode 71: Justin Rawlins on Method Acting (February 2024)

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 16:28:42 +0000

Stephanie Brown chats with Justin Rawlins about his new book on method acting (Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance) and the discourse the method has generated over the years. Meanwhile, Michael tries to channel his inner authentic podcaster and nearly goes full-Leto.

Episode 70: Jordan Sjol on Medium Specificity

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 02:41:49 +0000

A conversation between Jonathan Nichols-Pethick and Jordan Sjol about Sjol’s JCMS article, “A Diachronic, Scale-Flexible, Relational, Perspectival Operation: In Defense of (Always-Reforming) Medium Specificity” and the recent feature film that Sjol co-wrote, How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Ep. 69: Reality TV and Unionization Efforts

info@aca-media.org (Christine Becker) — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:52:22 +0000

We continue on with our coverage of media industry labor, as Stephanie Brown talks with Andrea Ruehlicke about reality TV contestants fighting for fair rights and against exploitative conditions. Then Chris and Michael banter about a drag show and a symposium on drag performance bans held at Notre Dame last month.

Ep. 68: Talking to the Press about the Hollywood Labor Strikes

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:41:16 +0000

What is it like when your area of expertise is suddenly in the news? When the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes began, industry scholars Kate Fortmueller and Miranda Banks suddenly found themselves in demand, fielding dozens of interview requests from a range of news outlets. We talk with them about how they are talking about the strikes with the press and students. Then Chris and Michael banter about Michael’s recent appearance on the Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone podcast.

Ep. 67: Reflections on the SCMS Conference (Past and Future)

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:11:08 +0000

Return with us to our live taping at the SCMS conference in Denver in April 2023 as we talk with outgoing SCMS president Priscilla Peña Ovalle about the past and future of the SCMS conference. What are the hopes and challenges of conferencing for the Society in the post-pandemic world?

Ep. 66: What's New and What's Not in Precarious Labor

info@aca-media.org (Frank Mondelli) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:55:01 +0000

We’re going to SCMS 2023 in Denver, Colorado! In our latest episode we talk about our plans for SCMS, where we’ll be doing a live episode (which is next week at the time of publishing!). We then chat with Finley Freibert of the SCMS Precarious Labor Organization to talk about how things have changed – and not changed – over the last few years. Finally, we bid farewell to our longtime producer, Bill Kirkpatrick, who has joined the Sociology department at the University of Winnipeg.

Ep. 65: The Politics of Improv Comedy

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 02:45:13 +0000

Our latest episode is a fascinating deep dive into the practice, politics, and promise of improv comedy. Diana De Pasquale leads you on a tour, talking with four different practitioners of improv on what improv means today, especially to marginalized people. For example, is the famous improv mantra of “Yes, and …” perhaps in need of revision?

Ep. 64: An Obsession with Hummus (Food Instagram)

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:47:05 +0000

In this episode of Aca-Media, we bring you the editors and several authors of the collection Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation. This fascinating discussion explores the intersections of food and media (as well as food studies and media studies), the changing landscape of social media, and the cultural politics of “food porn.” Featuring Emily J.H. Contois, Zenia Kish, KC Hysmith, Sarah Tracy, Tara Schuwerk, and Michael Newman.

Ep. 63: That's Not Funny! The Right-Wing Comedy Complex

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 25 May 2022 18:20:09 +0000

In this episode we bring you a deep dive into the world of the right-wing comedy complex, from the hyper-visible Joe Rogan to the subterranean shows, circuits, and celebrities you may never have heard of, but whose success represents a crucial political development. Stephanie Brown talks with Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx about their new book That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them.

Presenting the Past, Ep. 9: PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff and Annette Miller

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:50:25 +0000

The ninth episode of “Presenting the Past” features Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, and Annette Miller, former Vice President of NewsHour Productions. The PBS NewsHour Collection in the AAPB includes nearly 15,000 episodes from October 1975 to September 2019, including two half-hour predecessor programs, The Robert MacNeil Report (1975-1976) and The MacNeil/Lehrer Report (1976 – 1983), and the two hour-long series that followed, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (1983 – 1995) and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (1995 – 2009), in addition to the PBS NewsHour (2009 - 2019).

The programs originally aired nationwide on public television stations, five nights a week; starting in 2013, the series added weekend news coverage. Covering national and worldwide news and public affairs, the programs feature interviews with leading newsmakers including presidents, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, secretaries of state, and world leaders, in addition to coverage of issues in the news related to education, economics, science, health, and cultural affairs. Funding for the digitization of the collection was generously provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources.

In this episode, Woodruff and Miller talk about the NewsHour’s history and their careers working on the series.

Presenting the Past Ep. 8: In Black America with John L. Hanson, Jr.

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 15:03:40 +0000

The eighth episode of “Presenting the Past” features John L. Hanson, Jr., producer and host since 1981 of the nationally syndicated radio and podcast interview series In Black America at KUT Radio in Austin, Texas. In 2019, KUT received a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to digitize, preserve and make available in the AAPB 745 episodes of the series. In Black America, which began in 1970 and continues to be broadcast weekly, features hundreds of interviews with influential members of the black community in conversation about issues and topics pertaining to Black America, including education, style, economics, social issues, families, culture, literature, and politics. In this episode, Hanson talks about his long career in radio and his work as producer and host of the series.

Episode 62: Cinema Is a Cat

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 22:31:12 +0000

It’s the film studies textbook you’ve been waiting for: Cinema is a Cat, which teaches film theory, language, and history using examples of cats in movies. Frank Mondelli talks with author Daisuke Miyao about the book, its inspiration, some of his favorite movie cats, and what dogs might have to say about all this.

Episode 61: Interview with Outgoing SCMS President Paula Massood

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 03:38:05 +0000

In this episode, we conduct an “exit interview” with the outgoing president of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, Paula Massood, who discusses the downs and ups of her time leading the Society during a global pandemic. Before and after the interview, Chris and Michael discuss the decision to move the 2022 SCMS conference online. It might feel like Groundhog Day, but we’ve got you, babe.

PRESENTING THE PAST EP. 7: DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING WITH JEAN WALKINSHAW

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 23:54:06 +0000

The seventh episode of “Presenting the Past” features Jean Walkinshaw, an award-winning documentarian and producer in the Pacific Northwest for over 50 years. In 2021, Walkinshaw contributed 44 public television documentaries and full interviews conducted for the documentaries to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB). The Jean Walkinshaw Collection accessible online covers much of Walkinshaw’s lengthy career spanning the years 1972-2008. Her documentaries focused primarily on notable artists, writers, and social, cultural and ecological themes of the Pacific Northwest region.

In this episode, Jean guides listeners through her career and filmmaking process, highlighting titles in her collection available in the AAPB.

PRESENTING THE PAST: EXPLORING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, EP. 6: NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO WITH BILL SIEMERING

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 22:48:46 +0000

The sixth episode of our special series "Presenting the Past," a collaboration between The American Archive of Public Broadcasting and Aca-Media, features Bill Siemering, a radio innovator and advocate, who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in October 2021.

As a founding member of the NPR Board of Directors, Siemering wrote NPR's original mission and goals, and as NPR’s first director of programming, led the development of All Things Considered. Siemering developed Fresh Air with Terry Gross at WHYY in Philadelphia, managed WBFO in Buffalo, NY, and KCCM in Moorhead, MN, was the executive producer of the documentary series Sound Print, worked with the Open Society Foundation, focusing on Eastern Europe, Africa and Mongolia, and founded Developing Radio Partners to enrich the programming of local stations in Africa.

In this discussion, he reflects on the influences that helped shape his ideas and approaches to public radio programming throughout his career.

Highlighted in this program are clips from Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), including the inaugural FM broadcast in 1947, the Peabody Award winning series Afield with Ranger Mac, and the write-in radio program Dear Sirs. Be sure to also listen to “Strasburg, North Dakota” (1977) from Minnesota Public Radio. Co-produced by Siemering, it highlights his interest in incorporating soundscapes and compelling storytelling into radio programming.

This discussion is led by Neil Verma, assistant professor of sound studies in Radio/TV/Film at Northwestern University, and a member of the AAPB Scholar Advisory Committee.

Credits:

Hosted by Neil Verma

Recorded and edited by Christine Becker

Produced by Ryn Marchese

Post-production and theme music by Todd Thompson

Episode 60: Lara Logan Spreads Misinformation

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 18:27:16 +0000

What happens when communication scholars confront professional liars? The answer is weirder than you might think. In this episode, we talk with Drew Zolides, who organized a silent protest of right-wing propagandist Lara Logan when she spoke at his university and ended up getting pulled into her performance in unexpected ways.

PRESENTING THE PAST: EXPLORING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, EP. 5: LATINO EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LATINO BROADCASTING, PART 2

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 16:24:28 +0000

The collaboration between Aca-Media and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting continues with episode 5 of our special series “Presenting the Past: Exploring the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.” This is Part 2 of our two-part episode on Latino Empowerment through Latino Broadcasting.

The fifth episode of “Presenting the Past” explores the history of Spanish language public radio and television programming and its roots in community activism. The discussion features activists Hugo Morales, Executive Director and co-founder of Radio Bilingüe Inc., and Jesús Treviño, television director, author and creator of Latinopia.com, along with scholars Dolores Inés Casillas, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies and Director of the Chicano Studies Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Gabriela Rivera Marín, a doctoral student at the University of Florida studying Hispanic Linguistics and co-curator of the AAPB Latino Empowerment through Latino Public Broadcasting exhibit.

To visit the exhibit on the AAPB website, go to https://americanarchive.org/exhibits/latino-empowerment.

PRESENTING THE PAST: EXPLORING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, EP. 5: Latino Empowerment through Latino Broadcasting, Part 1

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 16:24:18 +0000

The collaboration between Aca-Media and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting continues with episode 5 of our special series “Presenting the Past: Exploring the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.” This is Part 1 of our two-part episode on Latino Empowerment through Latino Broadcasting.

To visit the exhibit on the AAPB website, go to https://americanarchive.org/exhibits/latino-empowerment.

Episode 59: A Whole Bunch of Cranky Academics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 03:30:55 +0000

We’re back with a great bleeping episode! First, we interview Dmitri Latsis, head of SCMS’s Scholarly Interest Group Coordinating Committee about the role of SIGs within the Society. Then we take on Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Best Sitcoms of All Time” with an all-star roundtable of comedy scholars that is even more entertaining than the sitcoms they are talking about. And Chris and Michael banter about pretty much every bleeping thing you can think of.

PRESENTING THE PAST: EXPLORING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, EP. 4: BROADCASTING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 19:44:01 +0000

This episode of “Presenting the Past” features Newton Minow, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under President John F. Kennedy from 1961 until 1963. Minow would become a key figure in the establishment of public broadcasting in the U.S., and in this conversation, he reflects on his early vision for public service television.

Highlighted in this program are clips from the AAPB collection, including Minow’s famed “vast wasteland” speech to the National Association of Broadcasters in 1961, his lesser known address to the same organization the following year, as well as a panel discussion with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on the role of television in society.

Joining the discussion is Mr. Minow’s daughter, Mary Minow, Presidential Appointee to the National Museum and Library Services Board at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and current member of the AAPB Executive Advisory Council.

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 16: Finale

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 01:11:59 +0000

Since May 2020, Aca-Media has been bringing you a special series, “Talking Television a Time of Crisis,” organized by Hunter Hargraves, Lynne Joyrich, and Brandy Monk-Payton and featuring dozens of prominent academics and practitioners. These sixteen episodes over two seasons have helped us understand the relationship of TV Studies to, first, the COVID-19 pandemic, and then, following the murder of George Floyd, the struggle for racial justice in the context of multiple crises of political legitimacy, climate emergency, and more. In this finale, the organizers reflect on the series as a whole and offer their take-aways from this extraordinary series of podcasts.

PRESENTING THE PAST: EXPLORING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, EP. 3: INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:33:18 +0000

In the third episode of "Presenting the Past," Shirley Sneve, Vice President of Broadcasting for Indian Country Today, reflects on her work with Indian Country Today, Vision Maker Media (VMM), and archiving with the AAPB. Sneve also comments on the history of Native American public broadcasting and presents excerpts from a few of the documentaries that VMM has supported that present a diversity of perspectives on traditional and contemporary Native American culture.

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 15: Academics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:19:38 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis” continues with episode 15: Academics. How have the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice affected academia, and how might they force a reimagination of the role of television studies inside and outside the academy?

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Episode 14: Ethics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 16:16:02 +0000

Our special series "Talking Television in a Time of Crisis" continues with Episode 14: Ethics. What ethical practices should television employ in depicting and framing the pandemic and struggles for racial justice? And moving forward, what are the ethical responsibilities of audiences?

Host: Taylor Nygaard [Arizona State University]

Participants:

Heather Hendershot [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]

Jorie Lagerwey [University College Dublin]

Taylor Nygaard [Arizona State University]

Yoruba Richen [Documentarian]

Rebecca Wanzo [Washington University in St. Louis]

Khadijah Costley White [Rutgers University)

Episode 58: Faye Wanted You to Find Her

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 14:05:52 +0000

Aca-Media is back with a fascinating conversation about the great Faye Emerson, actress, talk-show host, proto-feminist, and bon vivant. She was once known as “The First Lady of Television” but is now all-too forgotten. Chris talks with media scholar Maureen Mauk and archivist Mary Huelsbeck about Emerson’s remarkable life and career, the Emerson collection at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Television Research, and the joys of archival research into film and television’s past.

In the banter, Chris and Michael discuss ways that YOU can get involved with Aca-Media, including a new segment: “Ask a Cinematologist.” We even have a jingle!

Presenting the Past: Exploring the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, Ep. 2: NET and Modern Conservatism

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:20:46 +0000

This is the second episode of our special series, “Presenting the Past,” a collaboration with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. We talk with broadcast historian Allison Perlman about the AAPB special exhibit "On the Right: NET and Modern Conservatism" and the state of conservative movement in the 1960s. What challenges did conservatives face following World War II and the defeat of Barry Goldwater? What were the debates and fault lines within the movement? And how did public media try to make sense of the conservative movement in this period when its future was unclear?

Link to this episode and show notes: www.aca-media.org/aapb#ep2

Link to the AAPB special collection "On the Right: NET and Modern Conservatism": https://americanarchive.org/exhibits/conservatism

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 13: Publics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 31 May 2021 21:55:42 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis” continues with episode 13: Publics. What new viewing publics have been created over the past year? How have such TV publics both connected and disconnected us, particularly in these times of media bubbles, and with what effects?

Hear the conversation with:

Hannah Hamad [Cardiff University]

Charlotte Howell [Boston University]

Rahul Muhkerjee [University of Pennsylvania]

Swapnil Rai [University of Michigan]

Mel Stanfill [University of Central Florida]

Presenting the Past: Exploring the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, Ep. 1: "Eyes on the Prize"

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 10 May 2021 19:38:35 +0000

In the first episode of “Presenting the Past,” a new special series from the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and Aca-Media, film scholar Michelle Kelley highlights a collection of 127 unedited interviews conducted for the landmark PBS documentary series Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954–1965, first broadcast in January 1987. Kelley provides context for the making of the series and explores examples of interviews that give different, yet valuable, perspectives on the civil rights movement than the one presented in the final cut of the series.

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 12: Aesthetics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:57:29 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis” continues with Ep. 12: Aesthetics. Questions include: How is television transforming aesthetically, and what new developments in TV form and style have emerged in this time of crisis? How have new forms of television changed our relationship to the TV image?

Featuring:

Josie Torres Barth [North Carolina State University]

Elana Levine [University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee]

Yael Levy [Northwestern University]

Jason Mittell [Middlebury College]

Isabel Pinedo [Hunter College/CUNY]

Nick Salvato [Cornell University]

Episode 57: What Happens When People Feel Strongly About Stuff

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 23:40:53 +0000

This episode features a Fan Studies Roundtable: what can Fan Studies tell us about our current political and cultural moment, and what is the state of Fan Studies within the discipline today? Then we bring you interviews with two more SCMS 2020 award winners, Rachel Webb Jekanowski (Best Dissertation) and Pansy Duncan (the Katherine Singer Kovács Essay Award). Finally, Chris and Michael banter about what they are watching, while Michael denies being a cat and/or French.

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 11: Optics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 22:30:53 +0000

Episode 11 of our special series “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis” is here: Optics. How does television seek to manage social and political crises around the world? How does television manage its own internal crises (of representation and of legitimation) in such a precarious cultural moment and climate of unrest?

This conversation is hosted by Mimi White (Northwestern University) and features Eva Hageman (University of Maryland College Park), Darnell Hunt (UCLA), Melissa Phruksachart (University of Michigan), and Brenda Weber (Indiana University).

This episode is dedicated to the late Jane Feuer

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 10: Economics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 02:04:15 +0000

Episode 10 of our special series “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis” is here: Economics. How has the business of television, from streaming to legacy media, changed in 2020? How can we rethink notions of value in the industry that might contest capitalist modes of production and consumption?

Hosting is Miranda Banks (Loyola Marymount University), and our guest scholars for this episode are Sarah Banet-Weiser (London School of Economics), Melanie Kohnen (Lewis and Clark College), Al Martin (University of Iowa), and Alisa Perren (University of Texas, Austin).

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 9: Tactics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 21:57:27 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television” is back for a second season, now as “Talking Television in a Time of Crisis”! In this second episode, we discuss tactics: How can we best analyze and address the power of television, particularly in times of crisis and controversy? How might we define a televisual activism—or is that a contradiction in terms?

Guest Scholars: Jonathan Gray (University of Wisconsin—Madison); Daniel Marcus (Goucher College); Quinn Miller (University of Oregon); Eve Ng (Ohio University); Samantha Sheppard (Cornell University)

Episode 56: Fascinating Brain Matter

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 04:01:40 +0000

Aca-Media is back with a series of fascinating conversations. First, we talk with Cara Dickason about her work on surveillance and teen girl media, the Graduate Student Organization and the Precarious Labor Organization, SCMS+, and more. Then we talk with two 2020 SCMS Award winners: Jinsook Kim, who won the Student Writing Award, and Allison Whitney, who won the Distinguished Pedagogy Award.

Talking Television in a Time of Crisis, Ep. 8: Politics

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 03:26:49 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television in a Pandemic” is back for a second season! In this episode we discuss how television manages, amplifies, and contains our collective anxieties about the election and about other political issues, and we ask: How can we best use television to promote democratic aims?

Guest Scholars: Matt Delmont [Dartmouth College], Sarah Kessler [University of Southern California], Kayti Lausch [University of Michigan], Roopali Mukherjee [Queens College], Susan Ohmer [University of Notre Dame]

Episode 55: Out of the Ashes and Into Academia

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 17:30:47 +0000

As we head into this weird and dangerous fall, we bring you one of the most important episodes of Aca-Media ever: a panel on organizing the academic workplace. How do we collectively organize within and outside of unions for improvements in labor conditions, compensation, and faculty governance? What tactics should we pursuing, and what difficulties should we expect? With Yulia Gilich, Rebecca Gordon, Chris Robé, Jamie Ann Rogers, and Ben Stork.

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Episode 7: Series Summary

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 16:24:10 +0000

The organizers of the ”Talking Television in a Pandemic" series reflect on the previous six episodes, summarize key take-aways from these conversations, and look ahead to the coming months. With Hunter Hargraves, Lynne Joyrich, and Brandy Monk-Payton.

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 6: Global Geographies

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:07:28 +0000

Our special series “Talking Television in a Pandemic” continues with a bonus sixth episode! What can non-North American perspectives teach us about television’s negotiation between the local and the global, both during the global pandemic and amidst global protest movements for liberation and racial justice?

Guest scholars: Chris Becker, Liz Giuffre, Misha Kavka, Jinying Li, Jeff Scheible, and Fracesca Sobande

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 5: Pedagogy

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 18:11:18 +0000

How do we teach TV today? What issues are emerging at this moment in the classroom? How has the social context and the virtualization of everyday life shifted the ways in which we reflect on and teach media? What can we do to support the mental and physical health of our students and colleagues, and how might that tie to media themselves? What can we do to ensure that our discipline is supported by university administrators in a time of so much uncertainty about the future of higher education?

Guest scholars: Bambi Haggins, Julia Himberg, Derek Kompare, Jacinta Yanders

Host: Julie Levin Russo

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 4: Technology

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:56:01 +0000

How are old and new technologies impacting TV production, textuality, and reception? What possibilities are emerging, and what might be closing down? How does this impact media industries and/or media audiences? How do discourses of technology overlap and interact with discourses around the pandemic as well as the protests, and what might we make of that? In other words, how does the idea of “virality” resonate with televisual/video technologies in all of their forms?

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 3: Phenomenology

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 17:53:55 +0000

What are the primary affects around and through TV consumption? How has the pandemic (and the protests following the murder of George Floyd) affected the ways in which we consume and critique television? What are our embodied viewing experiences as audiences trapped at home, and how might these experiences speak to new ways of perceiving and understanding TV? What can we learn from existing fan cultures about spectatorial engagement in this time? How has the pandemic affected our collective notions of comfort and discomfort, and how does this shake out across modes of distribution, genre, and style? Guest Scholars: Hollis Griffin, Suzanne Scott, Karen Tongson, Kristen Warner; Host: Hunter Hargraves NOTE: Some episodes of this series were recorded before the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020—when a white police officer pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd struggled for his life—and before the protests that broke out around the country and the world condemning that despicable murder and, more broadly, police brutality and systemic racial injustice. Racism too is a pandemic—one that intersects with the COVID-19 pandemic, with African Americans at higher risk of the Coronavirus because of centuries of health, employment, and social disparities. The horrific inequalities in the economic and criminal "justice" systems—and, of course, in the media—highlight how racism itself poses an ongoing public health crisis. In the wake of this murder—along with the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others—we have thus broadened the podcast conversations to include discussion of television's relation to racism, injustice, oppressive policing and policies (and the protests against these) together with discussion of television's relation to COVID-19, as considering these pandemics together is, we believe, critical to understanding the state of our world and the media today.

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 2: Ideology

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 16:55:56 +0000

What are the relations between televisual politics and aesthetics, identity and representation, communication and critique? How has the pandemic renewed interest in conversations around TV’s modes of address and how viewers make meaning from particular kinds of programming content? At a time when fraught politics are, one might say, on the very surface of texts today, how should we best deploy and/or aim to transform ideological analysis? This episode includes a special discussion of ideology in relation to the protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Talking Television in a Pandemic, Ep. 1: Epistemology

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 25 May 2020 13:28:35 +0000

In this episode, we discuss television and epistemology in a global pandemic: How do we know TV and how do we know through TV? What are the implications of people tuning in more and more to TV to attempt to gain knowledge (and cope with that knowledge) of the pandemic? What sorts of knowledges (or ignorances) might emerge, in various ways, from various genres on TV—not only news/documentary/public affairs but drama, comedy, fantasy, reality programming, etc.? What are the power effects of TV's production of knowledge and ignorance? How can we attempt to know television without just reproducing its own strategies, power dynamics, and blindspots?

Guest scholars: Herman Gray, Amelie Hastie, Taylor Cole Miller, Laurie Ouellette. Host: Lynne Joyrich.

For more on the participants, see http://www.aca-media.org/pandemic-tv

Episode 54: Always Time for Humane TV

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 16 May 2020 18:51:58 +0000

The start of something(s) new! Aca-Media continues remote broadcasting and introduces two new series for your listening – and streaming? – pleasure. First is a sneak peek of “Talking Television in a Pandemic,” a new series launching right here on Aca-Media, where television scholars Hunter Hargraves, Lynne Joyrich, and Brandy Monk-Payton discuss what it means to watch TV during the pandemic. Touching on everything from epistemology to pedagogy, this series will launch right here in your podcast feed, so don’t miss it! And not to be outdone, Chris begins an exciting new segment of Aca-Media and starts interviewing this year’s SCMS Award Winners, giving them a chance to claim the spotlight! This time we talk with Alisa Lebow, Patrick Brown, and Eliza Steinbock about their innovative and exciting scholarship and media projects.

Episode 53: Just a Plain Curiosity

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 16:22:27 +0000

SCMS is cancelled but the content rolls on! This episode of Aca-Media brings you a fascinating interview with Paul Taberham about animation and the avant-garde, including some great tips for teaching difficult media. Then Ryn Marchese discusses the amazing work being done at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Finally, Chris and Michael banter about how they are spending their self-isolation.

Episode 52: Reality Matters

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 16:01:39 +0000

In the depths of winter, we take you to warm, sunny Italy! Our intrepid host Chris Becker, apparently unsure how to order “pizza” in Italian, nonetheless bravely heads to Matera in order to talk with documentarians Chiara Ferrari and Quinn Winchell about cultural tourism in Matera (the setting for films from James Bond to Passion of the Christ). We then re-air the 2014 Fieldnotes segment with influential film scholar Thomas Elsaesser, who passed away in December, 2019. Finally, Michael and Chris banter about the year in media and politics, including the role of universities in social justice activism.

Episode 51: A Culture of Access

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 19:10:43 +0000

We move into fall with two fantastic interviews for you. First, Elizabeth Ellcessor talks with Margaret Price about disability and accessibility in academia, paying special attention to academic careers and the experiences of disabled faculty. We then talk with Catherine Grant in order to revisit the launch of [in]Transition five years on, discussing the state of videographic criticism as well as experiments with open access and peer review. Finally, Chris and Michael banter about “The Good Class,” Chris’s course (mentioned by THE Ted Danson!) on NBC’s The Good Place.

Episode 50: Looking Backward and Looking Forward

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 01:25:04 +0000

Aca-Media is turning 50! For our fiftieth episode, we talk with past SCMS president Pam Wojcik about the past and future of the organization. Then we bring you an interview with Usha Iyer about Bollywood, screen dance studies, “unwarping the non-western,” and much, much more—it’s a fascinating and wide-ranging interview. Finally, Chris and Michael banter about Chris’ class on “The Good Place” and Michael’s take on “Russian Doll.” Give it a listen: it will make you a better person!

Episode 49: Pretty Good for the Dog Days of Summer

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 17:37:54 +0000

Both segments featured in this episode reference “how the sausage gets made,” so prepare to learn a lot. We first hear from Juan Llamas-Rodriguez about how a seminar paper becomes a Journal of Cinema and Media Studies article, as well as how the Mexico-based theater chain Cinépolis has spread a luxury cinema model around the globe. Then Nedda Ahmed and Chris Cagle talk with Joel Neville Anderson about the financial complexities behind the Kanopy streaming service and the importance of fostering lines of communication between instructors and librarians. Chris and Michael wrap it all up with help from Scout the Wonder Dog, who is an expert in how the sausage gets eaten.

Episode 48: Double the FOMO

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 06 May 2019 23:01:15 +0000

Chris and Michael flash back to SCMS Seattle, where a group of scholars sat down to talk about TV’s global future and conferencegoers crossed paths with Emerald City Comic-Con. First up, a roundtable featuring Derek Kompare, Catherine Johnson, Petr Szczepanik, Bärbel Goebel Stolz, and Liz Evans chatting about online streaming and how it might affect commercial and public service broadcasting as technology and audiences forge ahead. Following that, Chris gets a first-hand report on the intertwined conference and comic-con experience from Paul Booth and Matt Hills. Finally, make sure you check out the links for the episode and the photos tucked in there, where you’ll see a whole new concept of getting dressed up for a conference presentation.

Episode 47: We Are a Sleep-Deprived Group

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 22:54:45 +0000

Chris has relearned how to sleep, and she’s back behind the Aca-Media mic. She and Michael bring you interviews with Alfred Martin and Michael Newman, members of the SCMS Katherine Singer Kovács Essay and Book Award committees respectively, as well as the inspiring backstory of the awards’ namesake. Then we head back in time to just before the 2014 SCMS conference, when we told you all about things to do in Seattle. Luckily, not that much has changed in the Emerald City since then, and Perry Como’s “Seattle” is still a killer earworm, so we’ve included the whole segment again on the eve of the 2019 SCMS conference. If you’re headed to Seattle, you’ll definitely want to listen to this one on your trip there to maximize the recommendations.

Episode 46: New Year, New Opportunities

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 01:46:43 +0000

Aca-Media is back to ring in 2019! Join our hosts Michael Kackman and guest host Stephanie Brown as they explore what it means to build and nurture communities inside and outside academia. We first talk with scholar/filmmaker/activist/all-around legend B. Ruby Rich from UC-Santa Cruz about her illustrious career, representation and diversity in academia and industry, Film Quarterly and cross-cultural exchange, and the “dignity of the image” in a global context. We then hear from Derek Kompare on his experience as chair of the SMU Meadows Film and Media Arts department. We delve into the administrative, social, and even emotional aspects of this rewarding and critical role, providing some guidance on how to make it a success.

Episode 45: Be Good to Each Other

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 03:11:01 +0000

As fall semesters kick off, we’re back with the second part of Producer Stephanie Brown’s two-part series on job searching in this precarious academic job market! Stephanie takes us back into a multi-layered conversation with the job seekers, adjuncts, and search-committee members from the last episode as well as some new faces. After a montage of concrete advice for job seekers and search-committee members to make the process more bearable, our guests share their experiences with alternative career paths, open access publishing, and much more. Stayed tuned until the end for a happy ending!

Episode 44: Can a Game Make You Cry?

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 17:17:25 +0000

Share this one with everyone you know who is on the academic job market! We present the first of a two-part series on job searches, with advice and empathy from those who are currently contending with the vagaries of the market. Producer Stephanie Brown talks with job seekers, adjuncts, and search-committee members in order to gain insight into the often frustrating process of gaining academic employment. Commiseration is provided! Then Christine Becker talks with Felan Parker about his new CJ article on Roger Ebert and the wars over video games as "art," including their relevance for more recent cultural struggles over games and gamers.

Episode 43: Very Special Episode

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 20:30:22 +0000

Aca-Media presents a Very Special Episode, albeit one without an easy, “feel-good” ending. The topic is precarity in academia. We bring you three segments: a roundtable (with Jamie Rogers, Jennifer Hyland Wang, and Bruce Brasell) on contingent and precarious academic labor (and what SCMS might do about it), an interview with Alex Russo on the turmoil at Catholic University, and a report from Brett Mills on the UCU strike in the UK.

Episode 42: We’re All in This Together

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:34:52 +0000

As spring zooms along as a semester and lags behind as a season, we bring you a new episode of Aca-Media with two segments that speak to our current times. First, we present different reflections on and strategies for “Teaching in Trump Times,” composed of submissions from educators across cinema and media studies, representing diverse contexts and experiences in the field. Second, from Fieldnotes, the ongoing oral history project by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, we present a wide-ranging interview with Hamid Naficy conducted by Kaveh Askari. http://www.aca-media.org/episode42

Episode 41: Held Together by an Ampersand

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 22:48:10 +0000

There's a new editor at Cinema Journ-- um, we mean, The Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. Chris talks with Caetlin Benson-Allott about her plans for the next five years and what SCMS members can expect from the journal formally known as CJ. Then Alisa Perren and Charlotte E. Howell converse about their relationship as advisor and advisee, providing insights into what makes for a great mentoring experience in grad school and beyond. Finally, Chris and Michael put out the call for YOUR stories of teaching in the age of Trump. Check out the call and send your stories to us here: www.aca-media.org/episode41.

Episode 40: Explode Out of the Chimney onto the Public Sphere

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 15:00:14 +0000

In our final episode of 2017, we feature an interview with outgoing Cinema Journal editor Will Brooker addressing the past and future of the Society for Cinema Studies’ journal. In addition, we feature an interview with Maggie Hennefeld on her work as co-chair of the Comedy and Humor Studies Scholarly Interest Group (SIG) and her upcoming book Specters of Slapstick and Silent Film Comediennes.

Episode 39: There’s More to Newark Than Whole Foods

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 20:17:41 +0000

In this episode of Aca-Media, we feature Amanda Lotz discussing her recent work on internet-distributed television and her Media Business Matters podcast. In addition, Brandon Arroyo presents excerpts of his Porno Cultures Podcast including interviews with Peter Alilunas on his entry into the field and an audio tour of the Little Theater in Newark, New Jersey with Whitney Strub.

Episode 38: This Really Is Summer

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 02:53:33 +0000

To help you with your SCMS proposal this month, we reprise an interview with Angelo Restivo on SCMS’s paper-selection process. Then we bring you a FieldNotes interview with groundbreaking television scholar Lynn Spigel, interviewed by Elana Levine. Finally, Chris offers to review your SCMS proposal over a pint, with her eyes closed!

Episode 37: A Much More Open Listening Practice

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:49:35 +0000

We’re back from the spring semester and talking about graduation and protest, balancing SCMS leadership and research, and a digital research project in transnational streaming radio for your summer listening. We discuss the recent Notre Dame student walkout before presenting an interview with Steven Cohan on his article in the latest issue of Cinema Journal on Danny Kaye, Cohan’s role as SCMS president, and the current functioning of the conference. Then we talk with Alec Badenoch on the web project Radio Garden (radio.garden) and its impact in radio studies and wide usage by listeners.

Episode 36: I Don’t Think I Have the Option to Remain Silent

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:54:15 +0000

In this episode, we talk to media studies researchers and teachers involved in protest, organizing, and public scholarship initiatives following the presidential election of 2016. Speaking with Carol Vernallis, Amanda Ann Klein, Chuck Tryon, Jorie Lagerwey, Jason Ruiz, we address a range of issues, from preparations for a Protecting the Commons workshop at SCMS 2017, to Console-ing Passions 2017 as a response to the political situation in North Carolina including HB2 and Moral Mondays, organizing local town halls, public scholarship and working abroad, the sanctuary campus movement, and pedagogical responsibilities. Throughout we feature audio excerpts (some submitted by listeners) from the Women’s March, town hall protests, and other events from recent weeks.

Episode 35: Radio Free South Bend

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 10:29:17 +0000

Recorded just before the inauguration, this episode takes two oblique angles on politics. First, Stephanie Brown discusses helping students’ find their voice through a podcast assignment for her “Sex and Gender in the Media” class and shares snippets her students’ work. Speaking of podcasts, Chris and Michael discuss PodcastRE.org, an exciting new project for podcast fans and (especially) scholars. Then we bring you an interview with Paul Douglas Grant on political filmmaking and the role of the translator in film studies. Finally, as part of a new project on Protecting the Commons, we encourage you to send in YOUR audio of your responses and reactions to the new regime for episode 36: info@aca-media.org.

Episode 34: Redoubled My Devotion to Teaching

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 23:44:12 +0000

In our last episode of 2016, we present Susan Ohmer discussing the experience of teaching a course on US presidential elections. We also feature SCMS Conference Manager Leslie LeMond on the work that goes into preparations for the annual SCMS conference, including the 2017 Chicago edition.

Episode 33: Partake in the Factional Wrangle

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 05:52:55 +0000

Recorded after Game 1 of the World Series and before the conclusion of the US presidential election, here we feature interviews with Kirk Combe and Sangeet Kumar on political satire media in an international context, as well as Cynthia Meyers on broadcast advertising and the red scare. Visit the website for full show notes!: http://www.aca-media.org/episode33

Episode 32: Following My Fascinations

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:38:41 +0000

Kicking of the fall semester, we present the first in a three part series with media scholars in conversations addressing the current election season—beginning with Chuck Tryon, author of the new book “Political TV.” In addition, we are featuring an excerpt of the excellent SCMS Fieldnotes interview with Constance Penley by Elena Gorfinkel. Visit the website for full show notes!: http://www.aca-media.org/episode32

Episode 31: Shape the Sonic Space

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 05:46:26 +0000

We’re back with an extended summer episode courtesy of the SCMS Sound Studies Scholarly Interest Group (SIG). Produced by Tim Anderson, the episode features excellent segments with Jeremy Morris on music formats, metadata and tagging; Brian Fauteux on Canadian college radio; Joan Titus on Shostakovich and musicology; and Nina Cartier on Blaxploitation soundtracks. Enjoy your summer!

Episode 30: Something You Do, Not Something You Study

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 19 May 2016 18:26:16 +0000

Just wrapping up the spring semester, this new episode features a report from the Academy Film Archives featuring interviews with the archive’s director Michael Pogorzelski, preservation officer Joe Lindner, and public access coordinator May Haduong. In addition, we present an interview with Nicholas Mirzoeff, speaking on his new book “How to See the World,” as well as scholarly and activist projects concerning Black Lives Matter, visual culture, and theorizations of the anthropocene. Hope you are having a great start to the summer!

SCMS and Furries in a Blender

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 19:35:34 +0000

A special Aca-Media short report! The non-academic talk of #SCMS16 has been the furry convention at the hotel next door, so Chris went along with a handful of fan studies scholars to check it out.

Episode 29: Creating a Space

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 22:41:53 +0000

Our pre-SCMS Atlanta episode includes a detailed report from the Radio Preservation Task Force Conference, featuring interviews with Josh Shepperd, Sonja Williams, Gerald Seligman, and Wendy Shay. In addition, we present a segment on the history and legacy of the SCMS Latino/a Caucus, from Luisela Alvaray, Laura Isabel Serna, and Rielle Navitski, featuring interviews with Margarita De La Vega-Hurtado and Charles Ramírez Berg. See you in Atlanta for SCMS 2016!

Episode 28: Everything You Thought You Knew Is Going to Dissolve, But-

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:59:42 +0000

Following last episode’s segment on graduate student-run journals, we present a segment on the undergraduate journal Film Matters, featuring co-editor-in-chief Tim Palmer of University of North Carolina Wilmington, guest editor-in-chief Gregory Chan of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and editorial board members Jen Pintao and Kailyn Warpole. In addition, we feature an excerpt of the SCMS Fieldnotes interview with Tom Gunning of University of Chicago, discussing a wide range of topics with Scott Curtis of Northwestern University after receiving the Distinguished Career Award at SCMS 2015.

Episode 27: A Much Broader Context of the Medium Out There

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 15:44:00 +0000

Our Cinema Journal Presents segment features Jun Okada, Associate Professor of English and Film Studies at SUNY Geneseo discussing her new book Making Asian American Film and Video: History, Institutions, Movements, as well as ongoing research. In addition, we’ve put together a segment on graduate student-run journals, including interviews with editors of InVisible Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture (featuring Victoria Gao, of the University of Rochester), as well as The Velvet Light Trap (featuring Caroline Leader and Derek Long of the University of Wisconsin–Madison) and Colleen Montgomery and Michael O'Brien of the University of Texas at Austin). Next month’s episode will continue this series, exploring more great student journals. Also, Chris gathers comments from fellow participants in a workshop on Television History, the Peabody Archives, and Cultural Memory at the Peabody Awards Archives at the University of Georgia.

Episode 26: A Chill In the Air

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 22:53:30 +0000

Drama! Tension! Melodrama! Horror! This episode will put you through the emotional wringer, it will give you the feels, it will help you understand both cannibals and Cubs fans. No preview can do it justice: you'll just have to listen. With Vicky Johnson, Lisa Schmidt, and "Very Special Guest Star" Elana Levine.

Episode 25: How Improvisational It All Is

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 16:17:44 +0000

Fall is here and the semester has begun. Michael and Chris share some teaching tips, and we'd like to hear your teaching tips too: email us at info@aca-media.org. Our Cinema Journal Presents segment features Debra Ramsay discussing war-based video games like Call of Duty. Then we bring you another Fieldnotes interview, this time with film scholar James Naremore, expert on Welles and Hitchcock. Finally, we reveal the winner of our book giveaway and issue a call for more folks to help out with the Aca-Media podcast. Please email us at info@aca-media.org if you'd like to be part of the production team.

Episode 24: Maybe Someone's Head Turned

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 15:47:19 +0000

It's an exciting, exciting episode of Aca-Media to help you while away the dog days of summer. First up: Kristen Warner talks about "colorblind casting" and waxes eloquent about her love for Magic Mike XXL. Bonus: We're giving away a copy of Kristen's new book to a lucky graduate student; to enter, email your idea for a segment of Aca-Media to info@aca-media.org. Then we bring you another Fieldnotes interview excerpt, this time with distinguished German film critic and scholar Gertrud Koch. Finally, Michael and Chris talk about what television programs are keeping them out of the summer heat.

Episode 23: What Academics Think is Fun

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 20:28:20 +0000

Michael and Chris are back from Dublin, and we have lots of great content for your summer listening pleasure. First, Bill interviews Jill Simpson, Executive Director of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, about her background and plans for the society. Chris talks with Jennifer Proctor about he [in]Transition video essay on textuality in film. Finally, we have a Vox Scholari segment of summer viewing recommendations.

Episode 22: To Get to the Heart of It

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 30 May 2015 21:13:49 +0000

It's been a while, but we're back with some good stuff! First, Austin Fisher discusses his video essay from [in]Transition, responding to Michelle Cho’s CJ article on spaghetti westerns. Then we air a tribute to distinguished media scholar Michele Hilmes, produced by Andrew Bottomley and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin. Finally, Michael and Chris lament the latest political developments in higher education.

Episode 21: It's Not About the Money

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 20:48:39 +0000

This episode features lots of great content to get you through your flight to Montreal. First we talk with Jon Lewis about his classic Cinema Journal article from 2000 about “How the Blacklist Saved Hollywood." Then media policy scholar Danny Kimball fills us in on the FCC's big network neutrality decision. Finally, after the most implausible segue in recorded human history, Casey McCormick and Eric Powell give you an invaluable guide to Montreal for the upcoming SCMS conference; check out their interactive map at http://bit.ly/1FeZgMg.

Episode 20: Three Times as Many Laughs

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 19:42:47 +0000

Don't fear the numbers! In a fascinating (and funny) interview, we talk to Jeremy Butler about how he uses quantitative analysis and digital tools to better understand film and television style. Then we continue bringing you interviews with great film and media scholars from the folks at Fieldnotes: this month Thomas Waugh talks with Linda Williams about Jump Cut, the pornography wars of the 1980s, and her more recent work on race and melodrama.

Episode 19: I Love to Hear Those Stories

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 17:19:03 +0000

This month we bring you the great film scholar Thomas Elsaesser as part of our collaboration with the new Fieldnotes project. Fieldnotes is conducting oral histories with notable media scholars, so look for more great interviews in coming episodes, and listen to the full interviews at the SCMS website (http://www.cmstudies.org/?page=fieldnotes). We also have a fascinating conversation with Rielle Navitski about researching Latin American film history, based on her contribution to a recent “In Focus” section of Cinema Journal on the subject. And if that weren't enough, we're giving away a NEW CAR! All you have to do is be one of the first fifty to take the Aca-Media survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WJS89V6). Fair warning: Michael has not yet told us what kind of car he has in mind for us to give away. But please take the survey anyway.

Episode 18: You're Gonna Scare Him Again

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 02:29:21 +0000

It's a spooky, mystery-filled Halloween for the Aca-Media team. Chris has just moved into a new house, only to discover that it might be haunted. While she and Michael investigate (luckily our SCMS grant enabled us to afford a deflux modulator!), we bring you a "Cinema Journal Classics" interview with Jennifer Hyland Wang about her 2000 CJ piece on Forrest Gump. Then we give you a tour of last year's SCMS Undergraduate Conference and a preview of what you can expect from next year's … if the ghost doesn’t get you first!

Episode 17: A Confidence In Our Form

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:28:26 +0000

Now that you've distributed those syllabi, but before the first papers come in, reward yourself with a new episode of Aca-Media! Our "Cinema Journal Presents" segment this month features Courtney Brannon Donaghue discussing Sony's film production in Brazil. Chris then introduces you to an exciting new outlet for video essays, [in]Transition, discussing the form's potential as well as questions of evaluation and review. Finally, Chris and Michael discuss baseball players who don't have a clue and a couple of British detectives who do. Even though Chris herself doesn't have a clue how to say Aca Hyphen Media Dot Org, that's where you should click right now to give it a listen.

Episode 16: Almost an International Incident

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:47:42 +0000

This month's episode features Jennifer Petersen on the famous 1915 Mutual v. Ohio case: the Supreme Court's ruling in that case that films are not speech seems obviously wrong today, but Jen helps us understand the cultural context of that decision and it's legacy today. We also bring you a Vox Scholari segment: an (academic) star-studded lineup of reading recommendations to get you excited about everything from cultural geography to intertextuality. Finally, Chris and Michael discuss all the shows they hope to catch up on.

Episode 15: How You're Supposed to Act on TV

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 21:32:20 +0000

The "academic summer" has begun, which means we're … working as hard as ever! This month, Luke Stadel joins us for our "Cinema Journal Presents" segment on the intersections of cable television, pornography, and regulation. It's safe for work but h-o-t-t nonetheless. Then Chris discusses the value of the standalone M.A. in Media Studies with professors at three schools that have started terminal M.A. programs. Finally, Michael and Chris discuss what they are watching.

Episode 14: Dirty Movies

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Thu, 08 May 2014 14:15:26 +0000

After a month's hiatus (lots of conference-going around here), Aca-Media is back! This month features Julie Wilson discussing her recent Cinema Journal article about celebrity activism. Then we bring you a roundtable on teaching experimental film and video that will interest you even if you never teach that topic--just lots of great insights into teaching media generally. Finally, Chris shares some of the shows she's most excited about viewing this summer.

Episode 13: A Bumbershoot is a Brolly

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 02:47:28 +0000

This episode brings you our 2014 SCMS Conference preview. Bill interviews programming chair Angelo Restivo about how papers and panels are selected for the conference, then scheduler Bruce Brasell tells us about putting together the program (be sure to take a look at the photos of Bruce's less-than-catproof scheduling system). Then Seattle locals offer suggestions on what to see and where to eat in Seattle, followed by Chris and Michael's own recommendations. See you in Seattle!

Episode 12: Things That are Now Natural to Us

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:17:24 +0000

Michael and Chris are freezing, yet they pull themselves together to provide another great episode. In the "Cinema Journal Presents" segment, Michael Slowik discusses music in early Hollywood sound film. Then Caetlin Benson-Allott introduces us to a great SCMS tradition, Grrrls Night Out. Finally, Chris discusses what she's watching and Michael sends one out to the snow-shovelers we love.

Episode 11: A Tricky Set of Layers

info@aca-media.org (Chris Becker) — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 20:47:54 +0000

This month we bring you a very cool interview with Michael W. Harris about music in Akira Kurosawa's Drunken Angel, which gets into all kinds of themes: postwar censorship, the meanings of Jazz and American culture in Japanese cinema, and the relationship between filmmakers and scholars. Then Chris takes a closer look at Scholarly Interest Groups within SCMS: what are they, what are they good for, and why would you want to be in one? Finally, Chris and Michael talk about the film and television they have been watching, for better and worse.