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Professor

University of Central Oklahoma

Experience

David Nelson worked 10 years in the broadcast industry in Oklahoma and Texas as a sports photojournalist, radio sports director, high school and college football radio color commentator, radio personality, radio program director, radio public service director and radio news director. He also has performed the voice-over work for numerous organizational training videos, radio commercials and station imaging campaigns.

Nelson serves as the host of the 33: Methamphetamine: A Love Story Podcast with Dr. Rashi Shukla. Nelson is a professor of mass communication and the faculty adviser to UCentral Radio, KZUC-LPFM.

Education and Certifications

  • B.A. in Radio/TV Communication from Cameron University.
  • M.A. in Communication from the University of Oklahoma
  • Ed.D. in Higher Education with a special emphasis in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University.

Research, Published Work, and Scholarly Activities

Nelson has been a panelist and presented papers at various local, state and national conferences, including the Oklahoma Speech Theater Communication Association (OSTCA), International Radio Television Society (IRTS), Broadcast Education Association (BEA), Southwestern Education Council in Journalism and Mass Communication (SECJMC) and the University of Central Oklahoma’s Ethics Conference. He has published academic work in BEA’s journal, Feedback, and his papers have won awards from OSTCA and BEA.  His dissertation,” Agenda-Setting Functions of Higher Education: An Analysis of the Coverage of Two Universities by Two Metropolitan Newspapers” was completed in 2004.

He has reviewed publication submissions for the Journal of Radio and Audio Media, and recently reviewed the study, "Impact of risk communication on COVID-19 through community radio in Tribal villages of Purulia district, West Bengal, India: A qualitative study" in 2023.

Nelson’s interest includes the agenda-setting functions of the media and international media. He spent a summer teaching in India at SRM University and, as a result, completed a paper analyzing India radio and its role in a developing country.

Classes Taught

  • MCOM 1103 Introduction to Mass Communication
  • MCOM 2013 Digital Audio Production
  • MCOM 2173 Sports Announcing
  • MCOM 3323 Mass Media Effects on Society
  • MCOM 3771 Radio Station Participation
  • MCOM 3990 Podcasting Production 
  • MCOM 3990 Media's Illusion of Love
  • MCOM 4453/5553 Global Communication
  • MCOM 4873 Professional Media Capstone

The views expressed by UCO faculty and staff on their personal websites and social media pages do not necessarily reflect the positions of the University of Central Oklahoma. UCO faculty and staff are advised to follow the university’s social media guidelines and are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with policies outlined in UCO’s Employee Handbook and/or Faculty Handbook.