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10 Questions with ... Jim Murphy
November 9, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I’m one of those people who’s been in the business for a long, long time, having broken in in my native New England back in the 70s. I worked in news in my first couple of jobs but fairly quickly discovered that my real passion was the programming side and thus began the transition. My first PD job was at Country WHIM AM/FM Providence. In the decades since then I’ve programmed Country, Rock, Top 40, AC and News/Talk in Providence, Boston, Milwaukee, San Jose, San Francisco, Roanoke, VA and Santa Rosa with a couple of GM stops mixed in at suburban stations within the Boston metro.
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
Exciting! AM Top 40 WSAR/Fall River, Mass, in the tradition of WRKO and WLS. 5000 watts day and night. So amazing to hear that big processing in my headphones having come directly from college radio.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
Tried out just for fun at my college station, WSND/Notre Dame, and never looked back.
3. You folks live and work in the paradise that is Wine Country. How do you make sure that you super-serve the locals that comprise your listenership?
That is probably easier to do in Sonoma County than in most other markets. There is definitely a there, here. Living and working here, you are very aware of the unique feel and vibe of this community, and it has a major impact on what you talk about on the radio and in everyday life. Our talented and amazingly hard working jocks (Jeff Woodworth mornings, Amber middays, Tanner afternoons and morning show alumnus Eloy, while involved in new pursuits, back on the team for weekends and fill-ins), know it’s a given that a certain percentage of their show content needs to be local, and they do a great job at it. Equally important, our sales and promo teams do a great job keeping us wired to local events, some of them virtual during the pandemic, and the jocks always have plenty of local happenings to talk about and give listeners the chance to participate in. Of course I can’t talk about our local area without addressing the wildfires we experienced every year from 2017 through 2020. On those occasions, the Hot101.7 on air team flipped the switch and was all about vital information, as all of our stations banded together and went into simulcast mode with sister News/Talk KSRO where needed, adding extra voices and reporting depth to essential crisis coverage that our community depended on.
4. Have tourists been finding their way back to your part of the world as the pandemic eases up a bit? Are your clients finding that business is picking up?
Yes, our region and our clients are definitely on the mend. For evidence, check out the traffic on 101 North on any Saturday or Sunday!
5. Are you wearing more “hats” than you have in the past?
Yes. Radio is leaner than it used to be, that is indisputable. An increasing number of people, myself included, have multi-station responsibility, and sometimes multiple responsibilities on multiple stations! You have to keep learning new skills and leveraging technology so you can juggle all the hats and get more done with fewer people to delegate to. We do have the people and the resources to get the job done, we just need to stay nimble.
6. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community?
The last two years have not been typical but prior to COVID and since we launched this great station in 2011, Hot 101.7 would have the promo tent setup and jocks present and doing the announcing at numerous community events throughout the year, from parades to 4th of July fireworks to youth sports events to the fair to back to school nights at local colleges. All of that is coming back in phases, and we hope 2022 will mean a full return to these activities.
7. What is the most challenging part of the job?
Not allowing imagination and innovation to take a back seat to the demands of daily execution.
8. What advice would you give to someone trying to break into radio in our current climate?
Make sure that this is really in your blood and that you’re willing to do whatever it takes, and make sure you have the full suite of digital and social skills, and the content to back it up, to make your band relevant beyond the AM/FM dial.
9. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid? Jock(s)?
As if I haven’t dated myself enough already! WRKO/Boston, when it was Top 40. Jocks would be JJ Jeffrey and Chuck Knapp.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
John Franks, Owner of WHIM/WHJJ/ WHJY Providence in the 70s and 80s Al Brady Law, my GM at WHDH Boston and WQFM Milwaukee in the 80s and 90s. And certainly John Franks has influenced my career the most, he literally taught me the business.
Bonus Questions
If you were planning a station holiday show and had an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together and where would they play?
Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo at the Green Music Center, Sonoma State University.
FINAL THOUGHT
Thanks for asking me to do this Tom, I’ve enjoyed it, just as I’ve enjoyed the privilege of being the hands on, day to day PD of Hot 101.7 for the last two years. I’ve been part of this now heritage station since before we launched it in March of 2011. It holds a very special place in my radio heart and I will continue to be fully involved. That said, and this is bittersweet because I love this station, as I write this I’m in the process of handing off the Hot PD role to the eminently qualified Danny Wright, who I think will take all the things we’ve discussed here to an even higher level. Danny continues as PD/Mornings at Classic Rock KVRV (97.7 The River). I’m moving back into the PD role at Country KFGY (Froggy 92.9), while continuing as PD of News/Talk KSRO and Classic Hits KHTH-HD2 (K-Hits 107.9). Dan Weir steps away from the Froggy PD role to focus on our cluster’s all-important digital footprint in his ever-expanding role as director of digital assets, while retaining Froggy afternoons of course.
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