About

Senior Lecturer in Journalism.

I am part of a team of academics who collected an award for best performing course at the university.

Teaching responsibilities

I am an award-winning specialist in broadcast media, teaching all aspects of writing, recording and editing techniques including podcasting, live radio and videography. I also teach social media journalism and smart-speaker journalism.

Professional interests

I take a particular interest in the fast pace of breaking news and the way many different media platforms handle and broadcast these type of stories to a wide demographic. I enjoy teaching podcasting and live radio journalism. I am still an active freelancer, working for BBC radio.

I am constantly active in providing high-profile work experience for students. One example, our 3rd years enjoyed placements working on "Sunday" with Laura Kuenssberg with the politics team at BBC Broadcasting house in London. Read more about this here.

In 2019 I project-managed the refit and upgrade of the radio studios used for the study of podcasting and live broadcasts at the university. This included the latest Calrec digital desks, and PlayoutONE software. All industry standard and installed by Iain Betson who championed the install of many BBC studios at Salford.

Awards

BBC Gillard Gold, Breaking News - 2011

Sony Station Of The Year - 2011

Sony Station Of The Year - 2010

Silver Gillard Award - 2009

Gillard Station Of The Year - 2009

Research interests

I recently presented research entitled "The day students scooped the established media: the extreme experiential learning in a pop-up multiplatform newsroom" at The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Washington DC. http://aejmc.org/events/dc18/. I wrote about the experience and learning following my success on taking 100 students to cover a huge and ancient game called Shrovetide.

Abstract: Simulations are not enough to teach student journalists to react to unpredicted situations and produce high-quality content under adverse circumstances. Therefore, the university needs to provide experiential learning activities and training in real-world scenarios. This case-study explores one extreme experience of creating a pop-up newsroom as a learning environment to cover a medieval game. More than a hundred students were involved in real-time multimedia coverage, scooping the established media and creating new avenues of collaboration.

Membership of professional bodies

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)

Qualifications

Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

BTEC Media Studies

BTEC Music Technology 

Recent conferences

AEJMC 2018 Conference

Experience in industry

I have over 20 years collectively working for BBC radio as a presenter, producer and journalist.

From the early age of 16 I gained experience from working at BBC Radio One’s Newsbeat, BBC Radio 5Live and BBC 3 Counties Radio. Since then across the years I have worked on all aspects of programming including news, consumer and specialist programmes.

I’ve helped to develop stories with the news team on high profile stories such as the Philpott house fire in Derby and the murder of teenager Kadeem Blackwood. In addition, I was a producer at BBC Radio Derby for the Olympic torchbearing events and for the 2012 London Olympics. I have produced countless outside broadcasts.

I was part of the news team at BBC Radio Derby which won the Sony Radio Academy Award for station of the year three times between 2007-2011.

More recently I left my continuing contract at the BBC as Station Sound Producer, creating trails, jingles and voiceovers. I have also previously been Social Media co-ordinator for BBC local radio.

As such, experience has made me proficient in all aspects of recording editing and producing content to a high standard in TV, Radio and Online. I’m still a freelancer for the BBC and was on the breakfast production team during the bombing attacks at the Zavantem airport in Brussels in 2016.

International experience

AEJMC 2018 Conference

Additional interests and activities

I have a keen interest in music. I've been lead singer in a 70's guitar rock band called The Dark Horses for over 7 years now. In addition, I play the guitar and drums and have been called in to play these in recording sessions for other bands.

I studied music technology so in addition to recording for journalism I'm proficient at doing this in a recording studio for bands and musicians and I enjoy editing music.

In the media

• https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/dont-believe-read-worrying-rise-fake-news/ 
• Does fake news threaten democracy - BBC interview
• Alex Canner's Radio Audio
• Shrovetide: How I got University of Derby students broadcasting to over 400,000 viewers
• A morning in the life of a radio producer

Recent publications

Scholastic Journalism 2018 Abstracts