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10 Questions with ... Chris Murphy
February 7, 2006
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NAME:Chris MurphyTITLE:Program Director/Afternoon Co-HostSTATION:WMAYMARKET:Springfield, ILCOMPANY:Midwest Family BroadcastingBORN:Hatched in Brunswick, GARAISED:Apple Valley, MN
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
25 years in radio, news/talk stations I've worked at include WHBL/Sheboygan, WI, WOSH/Appleton-Oshkosh, and WMAY.
1. How did you get your start in radio- why did you choose radio?
My stepfather was the News director at a small daytimer. I had a summer job every year in high school because the station was able to stay on until 8:30 at night in the summer. While my step-dad had a great influence on my career, I knew I wanted to be in radio after growing up with all those great Twin Cities rockers, especially U-100 (WYOO). They were screaming Top 40 rock guys who could stop the music for two minutes and talk about how crappy the Minnesota motorcycle helmet law was. At 13, I thought they were the coolest!
2. What are you passionate about?
I'm big on family issues. I left this job for four years to raise my kids during the day while my wife worked. I did nights on our Lite Rock station during that time. I feel that kids aren't raised with enough love, and that many of today's problems can be traced back to parents dumping their kids in daycare centers. It's the only thing Dr. Laura is truly right about.
3. You're PD of a mostly local-live talk station (syndication at night) that competes with the usual syndication- heavy talker across town (Rush, Hannity, etc. with a local morning show). What kind of things do you do to compete- can a stress on local issues beat the big names?
Rush is still rock solid, and we came to the conclusion long ago that even local issues don't make inroads on his show. We go down an opposite path and have an unbelievable comedy team in place in Johnny Molson and Andy Lee. Johnny spent time as a morning sidekick in Chicago, and Andy Lee is working his first radio job and brings a unique "unradio" approach to the show. As for afternoons, the typical Illinois state worker is undervalued and under challenged. It creates frustration, and being local in the afternoon gives them a chance to vent on issues that affect them, and that's always done well against the myriad of syndication that the other guys have thrown at us. (I believe Hannity is the sixth different syndicated show they've had in 8 years.)
4. Most of your shows have an online component- Jim and Pamela have blogs, Molson and Lee have a message board. Is that something that the station encourages or did it just happen organically? Are things like blogs important for connecting with the audience?
It's a little of both. The hosts enterprise them, and we encourage the use as long as they promote it through the links on the website. So much of the audience doesn't have a chance to call in, and this is another way for them to be heard. Again, the listeners love to vent, and we encourage that. We are just as mad about all the red tape and garbage as they are.
5. If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you be doing today?
Wow, good question! I know my wife sees my paycheck and wishes I was a doctor. Probably a sales and marketing job. I think the role of the Program Director has changed so much in the last 10 years, and I really enjoy working on the marketing of our radio station.
6. Who are your mentors, your inspirations, the people you've learned the most from?
Doug Silver with Silver Broadcast Consultants was great at teaching me the basics of talk radio. I recommend him highly for those looking to go deeper into local talk. Our ex-GM, Tom Kushak, taught me patience in developing a host. But working with our current GM, Glen Gardner, has been like getting a second degree. His vast experience as OM at WTDY/Madison has been a wealth of knowledge, and he knows where that controversial "line" is. It's great to know that when the heat gets turned up over something one of us says or does, that the GM has been there himself and has our backs.
7. Of what are you most proud?
In life, my two little girls and their mother. Radio wise, while I'm proud of the good people that I've had a chance to work with that have gone on to bigger and better things (Mark Grote at WBBM/Chicago, Abdul Shabazz at WXNT/Indianapolis, Shawn Balint at KTRS/St. Louis, Jason Lee at KSL/Salt Lake City), I really think the pride of the station (and my God, he's going to clobber me now for a raise!) is our Morning Host and News Director, Jim Leach. His morning show has become the benchmark in Springfield, and our News Department gets more than its share of scoops. He's made my job easy.
8. What do you do for fun?
Anything my girls want to do, which at 8 and 6 could drag me to the Mc Donald's Play Place. And this is sick, but I have a good friend who is the PD of a small non-com owned by the school board here in town. Every once in a while I'll come out and hang out and feed my disc-jockey fix. He's been a guest a number of times on my 'MAY show too, and being blind, he brings a unique insight on the world. I'd give him a gig, but his state job pays way too well and has great benefits.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ______________.
...a 64 ounce jug filled with Pepsi. I became fodder at the Christmas Party for it!
10. What's the best advice you ever got? The worst?
Best: Stop trying to teach radio people how to be interesting and start teaching interesting people radio skills.
Worst: Listening to a corporate PD tell me I should put Rush on our extremely successful local station. I did it, we lost 10 points, and I got canned.
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