September 11, 2008

Radio-TV professor’s book wins award

by Pete Rosenbery

dr. jacob

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A book by Jacob J. Podber that offers a unique look at the arrival and impact of radio, television and the Internet on rural Appalachia is receiving literary honors.

“The Electronic Front Porch: An Oral History of the Arrival of Modern Media in Rural Appalachia and the Melungeon Community,” recently received the 2008 Ray and Pat Browne Literary Book Award for the Best Focused Study in Popular and American Culture. The Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association presented the award.

Podber is an associate professor in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Department of Radio-Television. Podber began his work while a doctoral student at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, which is in Appalachian Ohio. Mercer University Press released the book in fall 2007.

“It’s a great honor to have my book chosen for the best book award by such a diverse organization that covers such a wide array of fields and disciplines,” Podber said.

Podber earned a doctorate of philosophy in mass communications from Ohio University, a master’s degree in film from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Florida.