POLINSKY, HEATHER
Director and Professor
Biography
Before pursuing academia, I worked as an audio engineer at SoundTrax Recording Studios in Raleigh, North Carolina. After the studio hit some hard economic times, I left to pursue my master's degree researching the economic realities of the media and further pursued media economics and policy in doctoral education.
I joined the faculty of Central Michigan University in 1997. Over the years, I helped students begin Moore Media Records and advised WMHW-FM. I designed and taught courses in the audio post-production for video, music production, field audio recording, and the music industry. I enjoy teaching students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I produce radio segments for CMU Public Radio, podcasts for the College of Medicine and put most of my research efforts into studying media economics and policy.
Selected Scholarly & Creative Endeavors
2022 Communicator Award of Excellence for Podcast Series in Science and Medicine for Shifting Mindsets for Better Health, Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (May 2022). Segments aired on WCMU-FM https://radio.wcmu.org/show/shifting-mindsets-for-better-health
Sindik, A., Polinsky, H. (2020). Federal Communications Commission Reverse Incentive Spectrum Auction: Outcomes and Impact on the Broadcast Industry. Journal of Media Business Studies (ROMB).https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2020.1739365
Williamson, P. A., Stohlman, T. A., Polinsky, H. (2017). Me, my “selfie” and I: A survey of self-disclosure motivations on social media. The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) Journal of Cultural Studies, 2(2), 71-85. https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-cultural-studies/volume-2-issue-2/article-5/
Communicator Award of Distinction in Audio for the “Michigan Soapbox,” International Academy of the Visual Arts (May 2013). Segments aired on WCMU-FM from June 2012 – December 2014.
Education
MA: 1997, University of Wyoming
BSC: 1991, Ohio University
Research Interests
- Media economics & policy
- Media technology use
Creative Interest
- Radio & podcast production
Courses Taught
• Audio Production Course
• Recording Industry & Business
• Graduate Theory & Research Courses
• Seminar in Telecom Media Policy