Frank Murphy (radio)
Encyclopedia
Frank Murphy is known as a radio personality and formerly as a producer for a number of popular radio programs such as the Don and Mike Show, Kevin and Bean
, and Mark and Brian.
Frank Murphy is currently working at WWST
(Star 102.1) in Knoxville, Tennessee
. He is a co-host of the "Marc & Kim and
Frank Show," on the air weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
In addition to his radio experience, Frank is a member of Knoxville's long-running improvisational theatre
company, Einstein Simplified.
Frank is an active blog
ger and was voted East Tennessee's Best Local Blogger in 2008 and was voted first runner up in 2007 by readers of the Knoxville News Sentinel
.
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.
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.
(Power 106) in Los Angeles. While there, Murphy appeared as an extra in the movie "It's Pat" and as a featured extra on Jay Thomas' sitcom, "Love & War." Thomas left the radio station in 1993.
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.
. 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.
(Y-107). 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 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.
format.
). It was renamed the Marc & Kim and Frank Show. Murphy is also heard on weekends as one of two rotating hosts of the Journal Broadcast Group cluster's public affairs program and as host of a music show.
Frank is often heard on-air talking about weight-loss, death, funerals, the Body Farm
, swimming, the Washington Redskins
, or his love of marshmallow candies.
In June 2002, Murphy joined the comedy improv group Einstein Simplified. They perform short-form improv every Tuesday night at Side Splitters Comedy Club
in Knoxville. In addition to their weekly show, the members of Einstein Simplified perform at private parties, corporate functions and the annual First Night
Knoxville celebration on New Year's Eve.
The group was cast in the partially improvised horror film "Fish Bait" in 2008. Filming took place in early October on Norris Lake. Murphy plays a character named "Frank" who books a fishing trip with three buddies when things go awry.
, radio, TV, food, Catholicism and improv.
In addition to his own blog, Murphy posts to the microblogging social media site Twitter
. His Twitter name is @FrankMurphyCom.
Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
, and Mark and Brian.
Frank Murphy is currently working at WWST
WWST
WWST is a radio station licensed to Sevierville, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville market. It is owned by the Journal Broadcast Group...
(Star 102.1) in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. He is a co-host of the "Marc & Kim and
Frank Show," on the air weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
In addition to his radio experience, Frank is a member of Knoxville's long-running improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
company, Einstein Simplified.
Frank is an active blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger and was voted East Tennessee's Best Local Blogger in 2008 and was voted first runner up in 2007 by readers of the Knoxville News Sentinel
Knoxville News Sentinel
The Knoxville News Sentinel is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. It operates , an award-winning news website....
.
Early career
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 RathskellerRathskeller
Ratskeller is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall or nearby...
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.
The Don and Mike Show, WAVA
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 GoldthwaitBobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
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.
The Jay Thomas Show, KPWR
Five days after WAVA changed formats, Murphy began a new job as morning show producer for Jay Thomas at KPWRKPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
(Power 106) in Los Angeles. While there, Murphy appeared as an extra in the movie "It's Pat" and as a featured extra on Jay Thomas' sitcom, "Love & War." Thomas left the radio station in 1993.
The Kevin & Bean Show, KROQ
A few months later Murphy departed for a job as morning show producer for Kevin and BeanKevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
at KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
. He worked alongside Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
and Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla
Adam Carolla is an American radio personality, television host, comedian, and actor. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast on the ACE Broadcasting Network...
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.
The Mark & Brian Show, KLOS
In 1996, Murphy was hired as executive producer of the syndicated Mark and Brian show based at KLOSKLOS
KLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...
. 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.
Morning Show, KLYY
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 KLYYKLYY
KLYY is a radio station located in Riverside, California, broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino, California and Greater Los Angeles area. KLYY airs a Spanish adult hits music format.-History:...
(Y-107). By the end of the year, the station had switched to a Spanish language format and all the on air personalities had been fired.
FM in the AM, Comedy World Radio Network
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.Phil & Murphy in the Morning, WOKI
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 (WOKIWOKI
WOKI is a United States FM radio station serving the Knoxville, Tennessee area with an News/Talk format. It is an ABC Radio O&O station through Cumulus Media.WOKI operates at 8,000 watts at 98.7 MHz with a tower twenty miles northwest of Knoxville, TN...
). 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.
Ashley & Murphy in the Morning, WRMX/WTXM
Murphy soon landed a job working with Ashley Adams at Oldies 95.7 & 106.7 (WRMX & WTXM). The morning show was re-named Ashley & Murphy in the Morning. Murphy was let go in early 2005, shortly before the station adopted the satellite-delivered Jack FMJack FM
JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
format.
Marc & Kim and Frank Show, WWST
In April 2005, Murphy joined Marc Anthony and Kim Hansard on the pre-existing Marc & Kim show at Star 102.1 (WWSTWWST
WWST is a radio station licensed to Sevierville, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville market. It is owned by the Journal Broadcast Group...
). It was renamed the Marc & Kim and Frank Show. Murphy is also heard on weekends as one of two rotating hosts of the Journal Broadcast Group cluster's public affairs program and as host of a music show.
Frank is often heard on-air talking about weight-loss, death, funerals, the Body Farm
Body Farm
A body farm is a research facility where human decomposition can be studied in a variety of settings. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, permitting the development of techniques for extracting information from human remains...
, swimming, the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, or his love of marshmallow candies.
Improv career
Murphy took an improv class in 2000 from the City of Burbank Department of Parks & Recreation. The class was titled "Improv for Ages 13 and Up" and was taught by Steve Saracino.In June 2002, Murphy joined the comedy improv group Einstein Simplified. They perform short-form improv every Tuesday night at Side Splitters Comedy Club
Side Splitters Comedy Club
Side Splitters Comedy Club is a place that showcases stand-up comedy. There are two locations, one in Tampa, FL and the other in Knoxville, TN...
in Knoxville. In addition to their weekly show, the members of Einstein Simplified perform at private parties, corporate functions and the annual First Night
First Night
First Night is an artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors by organizations in the city, such as churches and theaters...
Knoxville celebration on New Year's Eve.
The group was cast in the partially improvised horror film "Fish Bait" in 2008. Filming took place in early October on Norris Lake. Murphy plays a character named "Frank" who books a fishing trip with three buddies when things go awry.
Blogging
Murphy started writing a daily blog on his website on August 1, 2005. He was voted Favorite Local Blogger in the 2008 Knoxville News Sentinel "East Tennessee's Best" readers poll. He was first runner up in the same poll in 2007, 2009 and 2010. He often writes about the Body FarmBody Farm
A body farm is a research facility where human decomposition can be studied in a variety of settings. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, permitting the development of techniques for extracting information from human remains...
, radio, TV, food, Catholicism and improv.
In addition to his own blog, Murphy posts to the microblogging social media site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. His Twitter name is @FrankMurphyCom.
External links
- http://www.star1021fm.com/StarDJs/FrankMurphy/tabid/4379/Default.aspxFrank Murphy DJ page on WWSTWWSTWWST is a radio station licensed to Sevierville, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville market. It is owned by the Journal Broadcast Group...
station website] - Frank Murphy Information Page on Einstein Simplified website
- Partially improvised horror film "Fish Bait"
- Frank Murphy Blog