[box sid=”box-qa” width=”460px;” style=”background-color:#99cccc; margin:10px;” align=”left”]Professor Edward Rogoff is one of Baruch College’s most media-active faculty members. The Lawrence N. Field Professor of Entrepreneurship and chair of the Department of Management, Rogoff is often sought for his expertise in entrepreneurship (regional trends, immigrant/ethnic, later-life, and industry differences), business strategy, and regulated industries (especially the New York City taxicab industry). He has also been an expert witness in lawsuits.
Additionally, Rogoff is an active researcher and writer in the field of entrepreneurship. His work has been published in The Journal of Small Business Management, Entrepreneurship Research Journal, the New York Times, and Forbes, among others. He is the author of two books, The Entrepreneurial Conversation and Bankable Business Plans, and the co-author (with David Carroll) of a third, The Second Chance Revolution: Becoming Your Own Boss After 50. Rogoff himself was an entrepreneur in the broadcasting industry for 15 years.
Professor Rogoff has also been honored for exceptional teaching. He was named 2010 Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). He holds a BA, MBA, MA, and PhD from Columbia University.
As an academic, real-world expert, and exceptional teacher, Rogoff’s something of a triple threat.
For this interview, BCAM focuses on Rogoff’s media experiences.[/box]
BCAM: Describe the first time you were interviewed.
ER: It’s a long time ago. I was a doctoral student writing a dissertation that used the New York City taxicab industry as a case of the theories of regulation I was studying. In 1980 the industry proposed a fare hike, and I had testified against the increase, citing flawed Taxi and Limousine Commission data. Shortly afterward, I was contacted by a New York Times reporter, who called with a question. He wound up asking me if I could write an OpEd piece. I asked, “When do you need it by?” He said, “5 p.m.” (It was 2 o’clock.) “Well, I’ll try,” I answered. I wrote it and then dictated the story over the phone, which was the way we did it in those days. It was highly pressured situation, but the Op-Ed was in the paper by 9 that evening. Apparently the Koch Administration took note, and the fare hike was revoked.
How many times have you been interviewed since?
Hundreds of times.
What’s the challenge of being a media expert?
It’s to reduce your comments to the basics—to say it in a sentence or less. Writing academic papers is the exact opposite. There, comprehensive data and reasoned, measured arguments on all sides are required.
Have you met anyone interesting in the “green room”?
I met Mayor Michael Bloomberg. That meeting resulted in a later hourlong meeting with him and a request (later revoked) that I serve on the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
What’s your favorite gig and why?
Depends on the reporter. But when I speak to NPR or the New York Times—as I did recently when the price of a taxicab medallion in New York City went over $1 million—I heard from friends all over the country.
How has the “job” of media expert changed over the years?
Generally speaking, when I first started working with journalists they tended to be experts in the areas they covered. But newspapers have downsized. Now when I talk to a reporter about the taxicab industry, for example, I often need to educate him or her on the basics of the industry. More output is required. And over the last several years, the taxicab industry has become significantly more complex.
If one of your Baruch colleagues were to ask your advice on commenting to the media, why would you say?
I’d tell him or her to write out the basics. Get the fundamental information and edit it down. What do you want to get across? Experts sometimes need to jump to a conclusion that is substantiated by evidence. Of course, a lot will depend on the nature of the question. It would be hard to answer a question like, How has Groupon affected small business?, in one sentence.
Many in the Baruch community think of you as a management and entrepreneurship guru, but it sounds as if, to the outside world, you’re known as a specialist in the taxicab industry.
That’s true. Certainly, studying, writing, and speaking about entrepreneurship are the main things I do now.
But I’m still called on to speak to the focus of that early research into the taxicab industry. Part of my research included driving a cab for 10 weeks. It was the 1970s, and parts of that experience were heart-stopping. It’s a very difficult job; conversely, it’s an interesting way to see the city. Partly because of that experience, I’m more knowledgeable about what happens in the trenches and that makes me more respected in the industry. I know the reality and understand the economics.
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