Frank Murphy (radio personality)

Murphy began his radio career in 1982 at the campus radio station of George Mason University, WGMU. That summer he worked the midday shift at WVBK-AM in Herndon, Virginia, without being paid. At the start of 1983, he was named station manager of WGMU, just as it was transitioning from a closed circuit broadcast available only in the Rathskeller to a carrier current transmission which could be heard in the dorms and student apartments on any AM radio.

A WGMU air band contest caught the attention of Denise Benoit, the promotion director of WAVA-FM. She contacted Murphy and hired him as her intern for the summer of 1984. At the end of his internship, Murphy was hired by the station as its assistant promotion director, a position he held until 1986. During 1985 Murphy was heard on the air reading snow closing announcements in the morning or doing an occasional weekend air shift. He was most often heard as part of Don Geronimo's afternoon drive program, especially when the show would broadcast from local bars on Friday afternoons.

In November 1986, Murphy replaced John Nolan as morning show producer for the Don and Mike Show. In this position, he regularly made appearances on the show, often when something went wrong and hosts Don and Mike were heard to yell out "Fraaaank". Frequent guest Bobcat Goldthwait would jokingly refer to him as "the omnipresent Frank." He continued in that job until Don & Mike left WAVA in 1991 upon the announcement of the station's sale to Salem Communications.

Murphy served as morning host until the sale became final. During that time, Murphy won the Best New Talent in the Market award at the March of Dimes Achievement In Radio Awards. When the sale's closing was delayed, Murphy partnered with afternoon host Joe Friday and traffic reporter Janet from Another Planet to create a new morning show for the station's last few months.

WAVA changed format on February 12, 1992.

Five days after WAVA changed formats, Murphy began a new job as morning show producer for Jay Thomas at KPWR (Power 106) in Los Angeles. While there, Murphy appeared as an extra in the movie "It's Pat" and as a featured extra in episode 17 ("Two on the Aisle") of the first season of Jay Thomas' sitcom, "Love & War." Thomas left the radio station in 1993.

A few months later Murphy departed KPWR for a job as morning show producer for Kevin and Bean at KROQ. He worked alongside Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla and often participated in on air segments. Kevin & Bean once challenged Murphy to sell over 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies for his daughter.

Underground singer-songwriter Wesley Willis visited KROQ several times. He wrote and performed on-air a song titled "Frank Murphy." The lyrics included the lines: "You are a working-class dog. You are a producer for the Kevin & Bean Show. You work hard at 106.7 KROQ. You are a working-class man."[4]

In 1996, Murphy was hired as executive producer of the syndicated Mark and Brian show based at KLOS. Mark & Brian would refer to him as "Mr. Owl" due to his love of trivial information. He participated in the annual "Football Bet," always choosing to support the Washington Redskins. His unusual punishments included cleaning a public restroom, collecting semen from a bull and picking the nose of a stranger. He was also known for writing the difficult trivia questions for the "You Can't Win" game.

In February 1999, Murphy reported for jury duty at the L.A. County Criminal Courts Building. During his two weeks of service, he was accepted a job as co-host of the morning show on KLYY (Y-107).[5] By the end of the year, the station had switched to a Spanish language format and all the on air personalities had been fired.

Murphy was unemployed until being contacted in early 2000 by radio host Brian Whitman about a new Internet company called Comedy World. Murphy joined the new company as both producer of a talk show co-hosted by comedian Allan Havey and actress Susan Olsen and as host of his own weekend talk show called FM in the AM. By 2001, the company had become known as the Comedy World Radio Network and had added terrestrial radio affiliates in Syracuse, Atlantic City, Spokane, Reno and Savannah/Charleston. In April of that year the company filed bankruptcy, leaving Murphy and his co-workers unemployed.

Murphy did a number of odd jobs around Hollywood until being hired as co-host of a morning show in Knoxville, Tennessee. In April 2002, the Phil & Murphy in the Morning show debuted on 100.3 The River (WOKI). Murphy worked with longtime Knoxville personalities Phil Williams and newsman David Henley. In July 2003, the entire staff was dismissed when ownership of The River transferred from Dick Broadcasting to Citadel Communications.

Murphy soon landed a job working with Ashley Adams at Oldies 95.7 & 106.7 (WRMX & WTXM). The morning show was renamed Ashley & Murphy in the Morning. Murphy was let go in early 2005, shortly before the station adopted the satellite-delivered Jack FM format.

In April 2005, Murphy joined Marc Anthony and Kim Hansard for the Marc & Kim and Frank show at Star 102.1 (WWST). It was renamed the Marc & Kim Show in June 2013 when Frank left the show to concentrate on his duties at sister station WNOX.[6] Murphy was also heard on weekends as a music deejay and as one of two rotating hosts of the cluster's public affairs program.

From November, 2013 to December, 2019, Murphy hosted the afternoon show on 93.1 WNOX, which aired a classic hits format. Murphy often represented WNOX as emcee of various functions including the City of Knoxville's New Year's Eve celebration, the Knox Asian Festival, the Greater Knoxville Heart Walk, and the Walk to End Alzheimer's. Murphy hosted the station's morning show from January 2 to September 4, 2020.

On February 15, 2021, Murphy began hosting the midday show on 104.9 WPLA, which airs a classic hits format under the brand Lake FM.