Roger Cooper
School Director and Associate Professor
Areas of Expertise
Roger credits his mother for his love of media and his father for loving what he does for a living. He grew up in a small Arkansas town with an inexplicable interest in the business of media and followed that passion to his present position as Director of the School of Media Arts & Studies. Along the way, Roger worked professionally as a sportwriter (five years) and as a creative director at an advertising agency (two years). He spent a year in Japan as a Fulbright Scholar, followed by six years as a consultant for Japan’s National Association of Commercial Broadcasters. He has also taught and/or presented research in Australia, Qatar, and the Ukraine. Roger came to Ohio University in 2004 following 12 years at Texas Christian University and became School Director in 2005. Roger’s current research focuses on the attributes that lead to long-term success in the creative industries. He has presented papers on the subject at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conferences. He also conducts research on the factors that influence exposure and use of media in today’s dynamic environment. A recent manuscript co-authored with Tang Tang will appear in an upcoming issue of Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Roger has also published research articles in Communication Theory, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journalism Educator. Roger is fascinated with stand-up and improv comedy (watching, not performing). He considers Richard Pryor to be a true genius, has watched each episode of Seinfeld at least 643 times (only a slight exaggeration), and considers a 1976 Tonight Show appearance by Steve Martin to be a transformative event. He will serve on a panel about the famed Second City Comedy Theatre at the 2008 AEJMC conference in Chicago.
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