Educated at Keele, Lyon and the London School of Economics, his research interests include: media history; health and communication; European media; and the mass media and national identity in small nations.

He was deputy head of the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Cardiff before coming to Swansea, where he was Head of the School of Arts from 2005 to 2008.  He has taught in the USA, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Ukraine and several African countries.

Major recent publications

• Get Me a Murder a Day! A History of Mass Communication in Britain (London: Edward Arnold, 1997)
• The Circuit of Mass Communication: Media Strategies, Representation and Audience Reception in the AIDS Crisis
  (co-authored, London: Sage, 1998)
• Shadows and Substance: The Development of a Media Policy for Wales (Gomer, 1997)
• Understanding Media Theory (London: Arnold 2003) 

Selected other publications since 1997

National Identity and Small Nations

2003

• 'Constructing the National: Television and Welsh Identity' in Scriven, M & Bell, E (eds) Group Identities on French and British Television London: Berghahn Books.

2002

• 'An uneasy relationship: the National Assembly and the Press and Media' in Jones, JB and Osmond J (Eds) Building a Civic Culture Cardiff Institute for Welsh Affairs

2000

• 'Claiming the National: the Welsh media and Devolution' Scottish Affairs
• 'No dreads but some doubts: The Press and the Referendum Campaign' in Jones, JB & Balsom, D (eds) The Road to the National Assembly for Wales Cardiff: University of Wales Press

1998

• "The Press and Media" in Osmond, J (ed) The National Assembly Agenda Cardiff: University of Wales Press (co-author)

Shorter articles

1999

• "Happy Being Sad: Wales and Devolution" The Parliamentary Monitor June

1997

• "Nobody Knocked at My Door: the lessons of the Devolution campaign" Planet 125 October / November
• "United We Fall? The Takeover of HTV" Planet 124 August / September
• "Dear Ron - a new media policy for Wales?" Planet 123 June / July 
• "Sianel Pedwar Cymru: Corporate Behemoth or Cultural Redeemer?" Planet 122 April / May
• "Cardiff's Silly Burghers: Marketing the Capital City" Planet 121 February / March

European Media

2000

• 'Death or Renewal: the dilemma of public service broadcasting in western Europe' in Bromley, M & Stephenson, H (eds) No News is Bad News: TV, Radio and the Public London: Longman

Health and Communication

1999

• "Dying of Ignorance? Journalists, News Sources and the reporting of HIV/AIDS" in Franklin, Bob (ed) Social Policy, the Media and Misrepresentation London: Routledge pp 69-85

Media History

1997

• The Mass Media and Power in Modern Britain Oxford University Press (co-author)