Helen Wolfenden

Helen Wolfenden is a lecturer in radio at Macquarie University’s School of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies (MMCCS). With a professional background in radio broadcasting at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), she bridges academic research with industry practice. Her work focuses on the epistemological challenges of translating practical media knowledge into academic frameworks.

• Research Interests: Radio identity, para-social audience relationships, podcasting, theory-practice integration in media studies.
• Publications: Explores television scheduling, radio authenticity, and podcast-based academic translation. Notable works include Making Practice Publishable (2019) and A Face for Radio (2014).
• Conferences: Presented at ECREA and transnational radio conferences on topics like podcasting, producer roles, and audience engagement.
• PhD Thesis: Analyzed how ABC radio presenters construct authentic on-air identities, revealing the dynamic interplay between imagined and actual audiences.