George Rodman was born in West Orange, New Jersey, in 1948. He is Professor and Emeritus Chair of the Department of Television and Radio at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, where he has taught since 1978. He is also an Emeritus Bernard H. Stern Professor of Humor. Before arriving at Brooklyn College, he taught at the University of New Hampshire for three years.Rodman is the author of four editions of Mass Media Issues (McGraw-Hill), 12 editions of Understanding Human Communication (with Ron Adler, Oxford University Press), Making Sense of Media (Allyn & Bacon), and several books on public speaking. In a way, Rodman is genetically predisposed to an interest in mass media. His grandmother was a first cousin to, and grew up with, Hollywood mogul Cecil B. DeMille. His grandfather was a personal lab assistant to Thomas Edison and was later president of the Radio Manufacturers of America.Rodman has been married to the former Linda Barbera since 1982. They have three children and one grandchild. When not traveling, they live on Museum Mile in Manhattan and on Long Island.Rodman earned his PhD from the University of Southern California in 1975, his MS from Illinois State University in 1971, and his BA at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1970. He attended Netcong High School (NJ) from 1962 until 1965, and graduated from James Caldwell Senior High School in 1966.