DENTON (UNT), Texas -- For the second time in 10 years, Alan Albarran, chair of the University of North Texas Department of Radio, Television and Film, has received the annual Robert G. Picard Book Award by the Media Management and Economics Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Albarran was honored for being the editor of "The Social Media Industries," which was published in 2013.

The book examines how social media is an extension of the traditional media industries, but is distinctly different in its nature and ability to build relationships among users. Ten contributors present chapters covering business models found among the social media industries, social media as a form of entertainment content and ethics and privacy as applied to social media, among other topics. Albarran wrote the book's introduction and two other chapters.

He previously received the Picard Book Award in 2006 for " The Handbook of Media Management and Economics," a synthesis of research in the field through chapters contributed by 37 media researchers.

The Picard Book Award is named after the founding editor of "Journal of Media Economics" who is the director of research at the University of Oxford's Reuters Institute. The award is given to honor the author or editor of a book or monograph published during the previous year that makes a significant contribution to the field of media management.

Albarran joined the UNT faculty in August 2000 to become chair of the Department of Radio, Television and Film, and served as chair until August 2007. He became chair again in August 2011.

He was the editor of two scholarly journals -- "The International Journal on Media Management" and the "Journal of Media Economics" -- and has written or edited 14 books. He has given workshops and lectures in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America, and he was a Fulbright Senior Specialist to Moscow State University in Russia.

A former president of the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators and the Broadcast Education Association, Albarran received the BEA's Distinguished Scholar Award. He was also honored with the Award of Honor from the "Journal of Media Economics" and the International Education and Toulouse Scholar Awards from UNT.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and his doctoral degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus.