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English, Media and Creative Arts

Dr Andrew Ó Baoill

B.Sc., MA., PhD

Contact Details

Lecturer Below The Bar
Discipline of English
School of English and Creative A
NUI Galway
E: ANDREW.OBAOILL@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr. Ó Baoill holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied at the Institute for Communications Research. His work focuses on the political economy of the mass media, with a particular interest in the interplay of technological change, regulation and not-for-profit media. He has also published on critical pedagogies for media studies, including on open scholarship.

At the University of Galway, he contributes to modules in English and Media Studies, including the BA (English and Media Studies). He is the recipient of an Irish Research Council New Foundations grant. Currently serving as chair of the SECA Curriculum Committee, he is also a member of the Mincéirs Misl'd in Education Committee, a sub-committee of the university's Widening Participation Committee.

A graduate of the University of Galway (then NUI Galway), where he earned a BSc in Mathematics, he was the founding station manager of the university radio station, Flirt FM. He was appointed to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission by the Irish government in 1997, serving a three year term, and also worked as a Market Analyst within eircom's Strategic Pricing Unit from 1998-2002. He holds an MA in Communications and Cultural Studies from Dublin City University. He was a member of the founding Steering Group of Media Literacy Ireland. He is a member of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR, where he currently serves as a vice-Chair of the Community Communication and Alternative Media (COM) section, and is active with the International Communication (INC) section.

While studying towards his PhD at the University of Illinois, he served as producer of Media Matters with Bob McChesney (WILL-AM, Illinois Public Media), as station manager of WRFU-LPFM, as a presenter with WEFT-FM, and as a member of the steering group of the Urbana Independent Media Center. He is currently producer of A Critical Ear, broadcast in Galway on Flirt FM, and in the US on WRFU-LP, and occasionally on other stations such as WORT FM (Madison, WI). He holds a radio experimenter's ('ham') license, callsign EI7EIB.

He was, while studying at Illinois, president of the Graduate Employees' Organization (IFT/AFT 6300, AFL-CIO), and is currently a delegate to the Galway Trades Council (IFUT). Subsequent to his PhD studies, Dr Ó Baoill served from 2009-2014 on the faculty of Cazenovia College, where he was faculty advisor of WITC FM.

Research Interests

Grounded in the critical/cultural tradition, my research is focused on the structure of our evolving media environment, with a particular focus on the interplay between technology, participation, and democratic systems. My work draws together both the attitudes and activities of media participants, and the role of external factors such as economics and media policy. In my work I have drawn on my wide professional experiences – in media production and management; as a member of the Irish Broadcasting Complaints Commission; and in market analysis at eircom – as well as on my extensive work in socially engaged media to foster an understanding of the connections and tensions between our economic and legal systems and our social experiences.
 
I am particularly interested in how alternative media practitioners, such as community media outlets, navigate the landscape of regulatory, technological and funding constraints to secure production opportunities, and the tensions inherent in such strategies. I am currently examining this dynamic in a number of contexts, including study of the Sound & Vision scheme operated by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. This line of work has also involved a study of the manner in which alternative media practitioners have leveraged ‘second tier’ broadcast outlets when access to traditional broadcast channels has been removed, or unavailable in the first place, as well as the changing role of radio stations as curators of cultural content.
 
Underlying this work is an interest in how institutional constraints shape the actions of those seeking to engage in social change. My grounding in the critical/cultural tradition of communication studies serves to support my interest in investigating how individuals and groups come together to change their societies, and the conditions under which this occurs. My previous research projects have dealt with a variety of cases where technology and public participation are entwined. In examining these issues, I am able to draw, in addition to my scholarly training, on my varied experiences both as a member of a regulatory body as well as someone who has worked with a variety of such bodies in the communications and media field.

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland - 'Toward Resilient community Media' 01-JUN-19 31-DEC-19
New Foundations 2018: SUSTCOMMED 01-MAY-19 31-JAN-20

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2022) 'Fragility and Empowerment: Community Television in the Digital Era'
Ó Baoill, A; Scifo, S (2022) 'Fragility and Empowerment: Community Television in the Digital Era'. International Journal of Communication, 16 (19):566-584 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2021) 'Using the crisis: media studies pedagogy and the pandemic'
Ó Baoill, A (2021) 'Using the crisis: media studies pedagogy and the pandemic'. Media¿lni¿ studia, 15 (1):9-21 [Details]
(2021) 'Beyond a spot on the dial'
Ó Baoill, A (2021) 'Beyond a spot on the dial'. Radiofonias ¿ Revista de Estudos em Mi¿dia Sonora, 12 (1):9-34 [Details]
(2021) 'Towards wide-scale adoption of open science practices: The role of open science communities'
Armeni, K, Brinkman, L, Carlsson, R, Eerland, A, Fijten, R, Fondberg, R, Heininga, VE, Heunis, S, Koh, WQ, Masselink, M, Moran, N, Ó Baoill, A, Sarafoglou, A, Schettino, A, Schwamm, H, Sjoerds, Z, Teperek, M, van den Akker, OR, van't Veer, A, Zurita-Milla, R (2021) 'Towards wide-scale adoption of open science practices: The role of open science communities'. Science And Public Policy, 48 (5):655-611 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'
Dolber, B;O'Baoill, A (2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique, 16 :264-279 [Details]
(2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'
Dolber, B; Ó Baoill, A (2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique, 16 (1):264-279 [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'
Dolber, B,O'Baoill, A (2018) 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies'. Triplec-Communication Capitalism & Critique, 16 :264-279 [Details]
(2014) 'Copyright, Community Radio, and Change: How the U.S. Community Radio Sector is Negotiating Changing Copyright Rules and the Rollout of Digital Distribution'
Ó Baoill, Andrew (2014) 'Copyright, Community Radio, and Change: How the U.S. Community Radio Sector is Negotiating Changing Copyright Rules and the Rollout of Digital Distribution'. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 21 (1):163-176 [DOI] [Details]
(2000) 'Slashdot and the public sphere'
Ó Baoill, Andrew (2000) 'Slashdot and the public sphere'. First Monday, 5 (9) [DOI] [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2020) Global Dialogues: Community Media In The Post-pandemic World,
Ó Baoill, A. (2020) Panel moderator (Invited): Community media in the UK and Ireland. Global Dialogues: Community Media In The Post-pandemic World. UNESCO Chair on Community Media, University of Hyderabad. [Co-chaired Session], Global Dialogues: Community Media In The Post-pandemic World, Online , 01-JUL-20 - 31-JUL-20. [Details]
(2020) IAMCR 2020,
Ó Baoill, A. (2020) International Communication section, online session. [Invited Oral Presentation], IAMCR 2020, Online/Tampere , 01-JUL-20 - 31-JUL-20. [Details]
(2021) Union for Democratic Communications (UDC) 40th Anniversary Conference,
Ó Baoill, A. (2021) Steward or Agitator: Alternative Media, Ideology, and Sustainability. [Oral Presentation], Union for Democratic Communications (UDC) 40th Anniversary Conference, Online , 01-JUN-21 - 30-JUN-21. [Details]
(2021) International Communication section, IAMCR 2021,
Ó Baoill, A. (2021) Online panel. [Invited Oral Presentation], International Communication section, IAMCR 2021, Online/Nairobi , 01-JUL-21 - 31-JUL-21. [Details]
(2021) IAMCR 2021,
Ó Baoill, A. (2021) Learning from each other: reciprocity and comparability. [Oral Presentation], IAMCR 2021, Online/Nairobi , 11-JUL-21 - 15-JUL-21. [Details]
(2022) Galway Open Scholarship Week 2022,
Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Chair: Scholactivism and Openness: building relationships with civil society. [Chaired Session], Galway Open Scholarship Week 2022, Online/Galway , 11-APR-22. [Details]
(2022) ICA 2022,
Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Tactics and Strategy: The Urbana Indymedia Model. [Oral Presentation], ICA 2022, Paris, France , 01-MAY-22 - 31-MAY-22. [Details]
(2022) Community Communication and Alternative Media Section. IAMCR 2022,
Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Pandemic as Critical Juncture: Exploring prospects for inclusion, sustainability, and radical change for community media in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Community Communication and Alternative Media Section. IAMCR 2022, Online/Beijing , 01-JUN-22 - 30-JUN-22. [Details]
(2023) Media Education Research Section. IAMCR 2023,
Ó Baoill, A. (2023) Open Educational Resources: pedagogy, ideology, and media for social change. [Oral Presentation], Media Education Research Section. IAMCR 2023, Lyon, France , 09-JUL-23 - 13-JUL-23. [Details]
(2023) IAMCR 2023,
Bona, N.; Ó Baoill, A. (2023) Buskers in Galway: not in the European Capital of Culture neither on the streets. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], IAMCR 2023, Lyon, France , 09-JUL-23 - 13-JUL-23. [Details]
(2023) IAMCR 2023,
Ó Baoill, A. (2023) Community Communication and Alternative Media section. [Track Chair ], IAMCR 2023, Lyon, France , 09-JUL-23 - 13-JUL-23. [Details]
(2023) IAMCR 2023,
Ó Baoill, A., Medrado, A. (2023) Presentation to Community Communication and Alternative Media section. [Oral Presentation], IAMCR 2023, Lyon, France , 09-JUL-23 - 13-JUL-23. [Details]
(2022) Irish Travellers / Mincéirs & the State, 1922-2022,
Boyle, A.; Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Voice, Participation, and Visibility. [Oral Presentation], Irish Travellers / Mincéirs & the State, 1922-2022, University of Galway , 01-SEP-22 - 30-SEP-22. [Details]
(2022) Impact of Digital Platforms on Public and Private Television in Europe. International Communication Section. IAMCR 2022,
Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Impacts of Digital Platforms on Community Television in the Liberal-North Atlantic countries. [Invited Oral Presentation], Impact of Digital Platforms on Public and Private Television in Europe. International Communication Section. IAMCR 2022, Online/Beijing , 01-JUN-22 - 30-JUN-22. [Details]
(2022) Pandemic Publications, SECA,
Ó Baoill, A. (2022) Crisis and Resistance. [Invited Oral Presentation], Pandemic Publications, SECA, University of Galway , 01-DEC-22 - 31-DEC-22. [Details]
(2018) IAMCR 2018,
Ó Baoill, A (2018) The challenge and paradox of sustainability for community media. [Refereed Abstracts], IAMCR 2018, Eugene, OR, USA , 20-JUN-18 - 24-JUN-18. [Details]
(2018) IAMCR 2018,
Ó Baoill, A (2018) Media literacy for the digital age: placing the Irish experience in international context. [Refereed Abstracts], IAMCR 2018, Eugene, OR, USA , 20-JUN-18 - 24-JUN-18. [Details]
(2018) IAMCR 2018,
Ó Baoill, A (2018) Panel Discussant. [Other], IAMCR 2018, Eugene, OR, USA , 20-JUL-18 - 24-JUL-18. [Details]
(2016) IAMCR 2016,
Ó Baoill, A (2016) A Community-based Research approach to reviewing community media structures. [Refereed Abstracts], IAMCR 2016, Leicester, UK , 27-JUL-16 - 31-JUL-16. [Details]
(2015) IAMCR 2015,
Ó Baoill, A. (2015) The prospects and challenges for Irish college radio. [Conference Paper], IAMCR 2015, Montreal, Canada , 12-JUL-15 - 16-JUL-15. [Details]

Thesis

  Year Publication
(2009) Broadcasting in an On-Demand World Creating Community Radio in the Era of Podcasting and Webcasting.
Ó Baoill, Andrew (2009) Broadcasting in an On-Demand World Creating Community Radio in the Era of Podcasting and Webcasting. Thesis [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2014 Invited membership Epsilon Psi Chapter of Sigma Iota Rho
2011 Invited membership Alpha Lambda Delta
2006 Profile Media Giraffe Project
2002 Illinois Distinguished Fellowship University of Illinois

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
H-Podcast (a project of H-net) Member, Advisory Board 30-AUG-15 /
Community Communication and Alternative Media section, IAMCR Vice-chair 01-JUL-20 / 01-JUL-24
Coalition for Independent Technology Research Member /
INSIGHT@ NUI Galway, News Lab Team Advisory Associate Member 14-AUG-15 /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Management Committee, COST action CA22165 Country representative (Ireland) 01-SEP-23 /
Mincéirs Misl'd in Education Committee Member 01-SEP-23 /
Curriculum Committee, SECA Chair 01-SEP-22 /
Equality Impact Assessments expert panel Panelist 01-SEP-21 / 01-JUN-24
NUI Galway Open Educational Resources project Working Group member 01-SEP-21 / 01-JUN-22
Equality, Diversity, and Progression Committee (EDP). School of Humanities. Member 01-SEP-19 /
Placements Committee (ad hoc). School of English and Creative Arts. Member 01-SEP-19 /
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Progression Committee (EDIP) of SECA Member 01-SEP-19 / 01-JUN-22
Open Scholarship Community Galway (OSCG) Committee member 01-SEP-19 / 01-JUN-22
Publications working group. IAMCR Community Communication and Alternative Media Section. Member 01-JUL-18 / 01-JUL-19
Media Literacy Ireland Member, Interim Steering Group 01-SEP-17 /
Exploratory Working Group. MA in Digital Humanities. Member 01-SEP-14 /
International Conference on e-Government (ICEG). Conference Committee member 01-SEP-05 / 01-JUN-14
University of Illinois Communications Colloquium (UICC). Committee member 01-SEP-04 / 01-JUN-09
Galway Trades Council Delegate 01-SEP-17 / 01-SEP-23
Champaign County Central Labor Council Trustee 01-SEP-08 / 01-JUN-09
Broadband Access Committee, Champaign-Urbana Cable Television and Telecommunications Commission. Member 01-SEP-08 / 01-JUN-09
Graduate and Professional Affairs Committee, Illinois Student Senate. Member 01-SEP-07 / 01-JUN-09
Labor-Management Committee on Health Services. Ranking Labor representative 01-SEP-07 / 01-JUN-09
Graduate Employees' Organisation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign President 01-JUN-06 / 01-JUN-07
Graduate Employee Constituency Council. Illinois Federation of Teachers. Member 01-JUN-06 / 01-JUN-09
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. Steering Committee Member 01-SEP-05 / 01-JUN-06
Taskforce on the Future of the College of Communications. Member 01-SEP-03 / 01-JUN-04
Board of Directors of College Campus Radio Ltd. d/b/a Flirt FM Member 01-FEB-95 / 01-JUN-02

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
Cazenovia College Assistant Professor 15-AUG-09 / 11-JUN-14
University of Illinois, Centre for Writing Studies Writing Consultant, Writers' Workshop 15-AUG-08 / 01-JUN-09
University of Illinois, College of Media Instructor, Media Studies 15-AUG-05 / 01-JUN-09
College Campus Radio Ltd d/b/a Flirt FM Founder / Station Manager 01-SEP-95 / 30-SEP-96

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2009 University of Illinois PhD Communications
1998 NUI Galway BSc (Hons) Mathematics
2001 Dublin City University MA (Communication and Cultural Studies) Communication and Cultural Studies

Consultancy

  Client Description
WILL AM
Producer. Media Matters with Bob McChesney. WILL-AM/NPR.org
Griffith College, Dublin
2019. Member, Independent Programme Review Panel. Griffith College, Dublin.

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Other UK Community Radio Awards 04-OCT-20 / 31-DEC-23
Outreach IAMCR pre-conference on Community Communication 01-JAN-13 / 01-JUL-13
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) Volunteering: Theory, policy, and practice (SP-3115). 01-JAN-16 / 31-DEC-16
Policy Development Consultation on Travellers: Towards a More Equitable Ireland 01-JUN-19 / 30-JUN-19
Outreach Media Studies symposia, Cazenovia College 01-JAN-13 / 31-DEC-13
Outreach Galway Advertiser 01-JAN-16 /
Outreach Participation as Research 01-JAN-17 / 31-DEC-17
Outreach Tech and Inclusion Advocates Ireland 01-JUN-23 / 30-JUN-23
Outreach Grassroots Radio Conference 01-OCT-19 / 31-OCT-19
Board Membership Broadcasting Complaints Commission 01-JUN-97 / 01-JUN-00
Outreach Flirt FM at 20 reunion / celebration 01-SEP-14 / 28-SEP-15
Consultancy (Pro-bono) WRFU-LP FM 01-SEP-08 / 01-JUN-09

Reviews

  Journal Role
Media and Communication Reviewer
New media and society Reviewer
Radiofonias ¿ Revista de Estudos em Mi¿dia Sonora Reviewer

Other Activities

  Description

2018 to present. Active member (peer reviews, session chair). IAMCR International Communication Section.

2010 to present. Active member (peer reviews, session chair). IAMCR Community Communication and Alternative Media Section.

Review work for outlets not listed above: 2023. Reviewer. International Journal for Press/Politics (IJPP). 2021. Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Class and Culture (Intellect). 2021. Member, Advisory Committee. Corporate Communications Journal (Emerald Publishing). 2021. Registered Expert. Horizon Europe. 2021. Reviewer/expert. Polish Research Agency. 2011. The Communication Review. Reviewer. 2011. Critical Studies in Media Communication. Reviewer. 2010. Argumentation and Advocacy. Reviewer. 2009-2014. Annual Conference, International Communications Association (Communication Law and Policy Division). Reviewer. 2008-2014. Communication, Culture and Critique. Reviewer. 2008-10. International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR). Editorial Review Board. 2008-09. University of Illinois Student Interdisciplinary Conference. Reviewer. 2007-2009. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Reviewer. 2007-08. International Journal of Electronic Government Research. Reviewer.

2019. Member, Independent Programme Review Panel. Griffith College, Dublin.

2012. ICA Virtual Conference. Respondent.

Teaching Interests

Based in the discipline of English, I teach on both the BA in English and the BA in English and Media Studies, and coordinate the minor in Media Studies. My teaching interests include media technology; media industries and political economy of the media; cultural studies of media and journalism.

I am interested in hearing from potential PhD students interested in critical study of our media environment, and in those interested in post-graduate work in the fields of journalism and media studies. 

Recent Postgraduate Students

  Graduation Name Degree Primary Supervisor
2020 Sarah Schaefer PhD Y

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2015 to 2018 Journalism Studies DJ6101 Journalism theory and research for postgraduate students
2014/15 to date Media Industries EN2121/EN2122 2BA seminar
2021-2024 Media for Social Change MES4100 A module in the media studies minor, focused on exploring media projects aimed at social change. Engages with social movement theory, political economy of media, alternative and activist media, and more.
2016/17 to date Media Culture Society EN2133/EN2134 Political economy of media and communication
2024 to date Media for Social Change EN6143 MA-level module
2014/15 to date Technology and Culture EN3119/EN3120 3BA seminar

External Collaborators

  Name Organisation / Institute Country Description of Collaboration
Salvatore Scifo Bournemouth University UNITED KINGDOM
Sustainability and community media. Currently guest editors for the Journal of Alternative and Community Media.
Andrea Medrado University of Westminster UNITED KINGDOM
ARCH: Archiving for Radio and Community Heritage.
Nivea Bona Boston University U.S.A.
Galway 2020/European City of Culture Fellow (Moore Institute), 2020-2021. Social movement media, media literacy.
Brian Dolber UC San Marcos U.S.A.
Political economy of media studies. The first publication of our collaboration, 'Pressing Pause: Critical Reflections from the History of Media Studies', is available from TripleC: https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/927