If you’re looking for stocking filler presents for the media person in your life, 2022 was a bumper year for radio and journalism books.
Here is radioinfo’s list of some of the radio, journalism, media and podcast books we enjoyed this year.
The Ten Rules of Reporting
Alan Sunderland has been a journalist for more than 40 years, covering almost every beat and news-type. He was most recently the editorial director of the ABC, in charge of reporting standards and ethics. In this book, Alan distills decades of experience into a handbook for journalists listing the basics and some important ethical considerations for working journos.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ten-Rules-of-Reporting/Alan-Sunderland/9781761108242
Media Unmade
The founder of Mumbrella, Tim Burrowes chronicles the decade between 2010 – 2020 when media was unmade and remade in the face of new social media rivals, radically changed delivery technology, changing regulations, mergers and acquisitions. Tim considers how the newspaper rivers of gold evaporated, TV viewers turned to Netflix, and radio listeners started streaming. He covers the financial challenges that faced Aussie media as he chronicalled it during his time at Mumbrella.
Just like radioinfo, Tim was there at every turn and his book is a record of the steps that led to the current dynamics of media in Australia today. 2GB’s Alan Jones and SCA’s Rhys Holleran are some of the many players covered in the book.
https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/media-unmade-by-tim-burrowes/9781743797303
Making Radio and Podcasts
This year Steve Ahern published the 4th edition of his popular text book that teaches all the key skills needed for a career in radio. This edition goes further than the previous books to focus on the wider audio industry and podcasting. With the world’s audio industry entering a new golden age, Ahern has expanded the book to outline skills required for podcasting, technical knowledge needed to troubleshoot and understand streaming, and success strategies for smart speakers.
An Incomplete History of Community Radio: 2SER’s 46 Boxes of Stuff
Liz Giuffre and Demetrius Romeo sorted through 46 archive boxes stored in the basement at 2SER’s Sydney headquarters to put together a history of the station told in the stories of some of its high profile alumni. Founded in October 1979 at the beginning of Australia’s community radio movement, the station, jointly owned by UTS and Macquarie University, has been instrumental in developing Australian media leaders.
Told through the stories of past 2SER personalities such as Tanya Plibersek, Robbie Buck, Richard Kingsmill, Tracee Hutchison, Yarraka Bayles, Steve Ahern, Anne Sheridan and many more, the book is a snapshot of the massive changes that faced Australian media in the 1970s and 80s and a commentary on how community broadcasting democratised the media landscape of today.
https://www.standanddeliver.com.au/store/products/2ser46boxesofstuff
This Working Life
ABC broadcasters Lisa Leong and Monique Ross have turned the popular podcast This Working Life into a book to help readers navigate their careers “with courage, openness and a good dose of laughter in uncertain times.”
You spend most of your waking life working, a jaw-dropping 90,000 hours for the average person. You deserve to feel joy during that time. The book explores the question of how to achieve that and how to navigate your career in uncertain times. Chapters include ‘Who are You when the On Air Light Goes Off,’ ‘Who is in the Car With You,’ and other radio themed sections. https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/this-working-life-by-lisa-leong/9781743798065
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rusbridger’s 2018 publication chronicling The Guardian’s slow and difficult evolution from a newspaper to a global digital media news publisher is interesting for it’s frozen-in-time snapshot of that process.
The new generation of news has brought more changes since the book was published, but Rusbridger’s observations on fake news and the strategies behind it are still relevant today for understanding the power of online media to deceive as well as inform. The book also unveils fascinating behind the scenes stories of what was happening inside newspapers as the old business model began to implode.
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374279622/breakingnews
Did you read something good this year? Share the author and title in our comments section, or email details to [email protected]