About

Welcome to mscrow.com which hosts collected writing, creative content and references to past projects.

My name is Eleanor and I’m Head of Outreach, Education and Communications for a health and life sciences research infrastructure. Previously, I was a senior lecturer in Journalism. I still write and create content. I have a passion for podcasts and, during the pandemic, produced Postcards from Home. I currently make this one.

I’ve designed websites, and all the creative gubbins that goes with that, since 1999 so I know my way around digital media.

Thesis

You can access my PhD thesis, entitled ‘Ethnic minority radio: interactions and identity’, here. The thesis focused on six case study stations taking in pirate, commercial, community and public service radio. I worked with the DJs and station staff to understand how the stations operated, the relationship they had with their communities and ultimately, how they communicated notions of ethnicity and identity.

Past papers

  • “Do pandemic teaching innovations have a place in post pandemic pedagogy?” – a paper written with Peter Murray, Senior Lecturer at Manchester Met, for the Association for Journalism Education Journal, September 2022. We explored how podcasts, produced for remote and blended learning, have relevance beyond the pandemic for journalism pedagogy, practice and inclusivity.
  • The ECREA 2008 paper explored an initial analysis using Giddens’ Structuration Theory to examine how the rules and resources utilised by those involved through interaction negotiates the reproduction and maintenance of the station .
  • The Radio Conference 2009 paper brought together the three theoretical aspects of the research providing the framework for an analysis of the interviews and programmes at two of the case study stations. The analysis enabled a detailed examination of how the programmes broadcast and the personas of the DJs and the station communicated notions of static or fluid identity to the audience.
  • The Radio Research 2013 paper presented an analysis and discussion of the interactions between a station, the DJs and their communities to bring off truly social events. Ethnic minority radio stations have, in particular, developed complex and lively ways to make radio a truly participatory experience. The paper explored how DJs utilise a variety of technologies/media and on-air performance to enable participation. These resources come to life through sophisticated, unspoken rules mutually created between listener and DJ incorporating shared cultural competences cloaked to casual listeners.
  • The ECREA 2014 paper profiled the ‘Prove It’ community radio research methodology originally developed as part of a Radio Regen project, funded by the Ofcom community radio fund. The paper examined how the methodology was developed, how it works and presents some of the early findings from one of the pilot radio stations.

Websites

In my previous life, I designed and developed websites for various clients which has been great fun and very satisfying to do. I always focused on accessible, usable designs. You can still reference my work at:

  • Ubuntu Fibres – a WordPress website profiling the creative and academic talents of Cristelle, an African textile artist.
  • Linuschka – I was asked to write the content for a sustainable and luxury wrap company based in Germany.
  • Cooler Projects – a WordPress website for a Manchester based consultancy who focus on projects delivering low carbon futures. The site uses a cutomised theme, graphics and scripts.
  • The Community Radio Toolkit – part of my day job and a WordPress website to host a handbook, forums and information supporting the UK community radio sector.
  • Unison Manchester – the Manchester branch of the public service union. This WordPress focuses on a blog for campaigning and membership services. It uses a custom theme, graphics and scripts.
  • Analyse This!!! and Collect This!!! – hand coded HTML/CSS websites which uses custom graphics. The websites are courses about learning to deal with qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Mossley Council – a community website, built with WordPress, for Mossley Parish Council.