Murfin Music International
Encyclopedia
Murfin Music International and Murfin Media are companies run by Muff Murfin, and are based at The Old Smithy Studios in Kempsey
, Worcestershire
, England
.
Murfin owns several radio station
s in the UK
, and also hires time at its studios to produce jingles for radio. Murfin, with his then music partner, Colin Owen, were billed as the M and O Band, and reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart
in March 1976 with "Let's Do the Latin Hustle".
In 1981, Muff was a member of the consortium that won the IBA franchise for Hereford and Worcester and served as a director and consultant for Radio Wyvern during its early years.
In 1993, Muff took over the troubled Birmingham incremental station Buzz FM
. In 1994, he purchased Radio Harmony in Coventry, and re-launched the station as KiX 96. The station became part of the community, involving itself with education, media training and charity fundraising.
Muff was a director and founder shareholder of The Bear 102 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The station started broadcasting in 1996. He was part of the experienced and prudent management team that never had to resort to using overdraft facilities and that enhanced shareholder value by a multiplier of 42 over a five-year period. The Bear was later sold to the CN Group
in 2001.
In 1997, and at the request of several shareholders, Muff became a director and majority shareholder in Sunshine 855
, based in South Shropshire. After re-financing the company he purchased new premises and designed and built new studios and facilities. Also in 1997, he was invited to become a major shareholder in Radio Maldwyn
, a station in mid-Wales owned at the time by over 200 shareholders and running as a Friendly Society. The station became a limited company and Muff re-launched the station with his own finance and new management. The station has a TSA of 90,000 and is a very profitable small-scale licencee with all programmes being produced locally.
In 1998, Muff became a director and significant founding shareholder of Mansfield 103.2. The station is very local in output with all programmes being produced in the town.
In 1999, Muff purchased the Classic Gold
station which serves Worcestershire and Herefordshire from GWR. Again, new studios were built and the station was moved to the new premises adjacent to the AM transmitter site in Worcester. The station was later re-launched as Classic Hits and then Sunshine 1530
.
Muff is still an active member of the community in Coventry. He became a director of CV1 in Coventry. CV1 is responsible for the whole of the city centre management and the promotion of Coventry and Warwickshire. He is a member of the Coventry businessmen's group that has raised £1.5 million for the NSPCC
in Coventry. He is
also a member of the special events committee for the NSPCC in the Worcestershire area. He has an excellent knowledge of charity fund raising and its impact on the local area.
Muff has written, performed and provided a wide range of music for advertising, radio and television programmes and his jingles have run on radio stations in the United Kingdom and around the world.
, Capital Radio
, Radio Aire, BRMB
, Radio City 96.7
, Mercia FM
, Atlantic 252
, Radio Clyde
, Supergold
, Nescafe Network Chart, The Superstation
and Northsound Radio
.
They were also the UK agent for TM Studios.
network.
Kempsey, Worcestershire
Kempsey is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is bounded by the River Severn on the west, and the A38 main road runs through it and is about 3 miles south of Worcester....
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Murfin owns several radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and also hires time at its studios to produce jingles for radio. Murfin, with his then music partner, Colin Owen, were billed as the M and O Band, and reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in March 1976 with "Let's Do the Latin Hustle".
Biography
Muff Murfin trained originally as a teacher in the 1960s but he has been involved in the music business in a variety of ways since his teens. His first taste of the radio business was when he entered BBC Radio Birmingham's "DJ for a day" competition.In 1981, Muff was a member of the consortium that won the IBA franchise for Hereford and Worcester and served as a director and consultant for Radio Wyvern during its early years.
In 1993, Muff took over the troubled Birmingham incremental station Buzz FM
Buzz FM
Buzz FM was a United Kingdom radio station which was on the air between 1990 and 1994. It was broadcast to Birmingham on 102.4 MHz, and was launched as the city's fourth radio station after BBC WM, BRMB and Xtra AM...
. In 1994, he purchased Radio Harmony in Coventry, and re-launched the station as KiX 96. The station became part of the community, involving itself with education, media training and charity fundraising.
Muff was a director and founder shareholder of The Bear 102 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The station started broadcasting in 1996. He was part of the experienced and prudent management team that never had to resort to using overdraft facilities and that enhanced shareholder value by a multiplier of 42 over a five-year period. The Bear was later sold to the CN Group
CN Group
The CN Group Limited is an independent local media business based in Carlisle which operates in three different media fields.The company was formerly known as the Cumbrian Newspapers Group Ltd but changed its name to reflect the fact that is no longer primarily a newspaper publisher...
in 2001.
In 1997, and at the request of several shareholders, Muff became a director and majority shareholder in Sunshine 855
Sunshine 855
Sunshine Radio is a local radio station, based in Ludlow, Shropshire. The station serves South Shropshire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire-History:...
, based in South Shropshire. After re-financing the company he purchased new premises and designed and built new studios and facilities. Also in 1997, he was invited to become a major shareholder in Radio Maldwyn
Radio Maldwyn
Radio Maldwyn - The Magic 756 was a local commercial radio station serving Mid Wales and the English border counties. Their transmitter site is currently based a few miles outside of Newtown, Powys.-History:...
, a station in mid-Wales owned at the time by over 200 shareholders and running as a Friendly Society. The station became a limited company and Muff re-launched the station with his own finance and new management. The station has a TSA of 90,000 and is a very profitable small-scale licencee with all programmes being produced locally.
In 1998, Muff became a director and significant founding shareholder of Mansfield 103.2. The station is very local in output with all programmes being produced in the town.
In 1999, Muff purchased the Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
station which serves Worcestershire and Herefordshire from GWR. Again, new studios were built and the station was moved to the new premises adjacent to the AM transmitter site in Worcester. The station was later re-launched as Classic Hits and then Sunshine 1530
Sunshine 1530
Sunshine 1530 was a radio station which broadcast to Herefordshire and Worcestershire on 1530 and 954 kHz Medium Wave from studios in Worcester, England.-History:The station started life as Radio Wyvern on both FM and AM in...
.
Muff is still an active member of the community in Coventry. He became a director of CV1 in Coventry. CV1 is responsible for the whole of the city centre management and the promotion of Coventry and Warwickshire. He is a member of the Coventry businessmen's group that has raised £1.5 million for the NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
in Coventry. He is
also a member of the special events committee for the NSPCC in the Worcestershire area. He has an excellent knowledge of charity fund raising and its impact on the local area.
Muff has written, performed and provided a wide range of music for advertising, radio and television programmes and his jingles have run on radio stations in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Current
- Big City RadioBig City RadioBig City Radio is a British community radio station based at Star City in Nechells Birmingham. The station is run by Murfin Music International and broadcasts on 89.1FM to the Birmingham area and online....
which serves AstonAstonAston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
and Central Birmingham - Mansfield 103.2 which serves MansfieldMansfieldMansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, AshfieldAshfieldAshfield is a local government district in western Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of 111,387. The district is mostly urban, with a tradition of coal mining. There are three towns in the district; the largest being Sutton-in-Ashfield...
and BolsoverBolsoverBolsover is a town near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. It is 145 miles from London, 18 miles from Sheffield, 26 miles from Nottingham and 54 miles from Manchester. It is the main town in the Bolsover district.The civil parish for the town is called... - Sunshine 855Sunshine 855Sunshine Radio is a local radio station, based in Ludlow, Shropshire. The station serves South Shropshire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire-History:...
which serves South ShropshireSouth ShropshireSouth Shropshire was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district in south west Shropshire, England.South Shropshire was the most rural district of one of the UK's most rural counties, the population of the district was 40,410 in 2001 spread out over 1,027 km² of forest, mountains,...
, HerefordshireHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
& MonmouthshireMonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:... - Sunshine Radio (FM)Sunshine Radio (FM)Sunshine Radio is a radio station which broadcasts to Herefordshire and Monmouthshire from its studios in Hereford, England. It is operated by Murfin Media Ltd, and previously by Laser Broadcasting.- History :...
which serves HerefordshireHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and MonmouthshireMonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
Closed
- Sunshine 1530Sunshine 1530Sunshine 1530 was a radio station which broadcast to Herefordshire and Worcestershire on 1530 and 954 kHz Medium Wave from studios in Worcester, England.-History:The station started life as Radio Wyvern on both FM and AM in...
which served HerefordshireHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and WorcestershireWorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region... - Radio MaldwynRadio MaldwynRadio Maldwyn - The Magic 756 was a local commercial radio station serving Mid Wales and the English border counties. Their transmitter site is currently based a few miles outside of Newtown, Powys.-History:...
which served Mid WalesMid WalesMid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
and The Borders
Radio jingles
Under the name of Standard Sound, Murfin produced radio jingles for Radio LuxembourgRadio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
, Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
, Radio Aire, BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
, Radio City 96.7
Radio City 96.7
Radio City 96.7 is a British Independent Local Radio station, based in Liverpool, that serves Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales...
, Mercia FM
Mercia FM
Mercia is an Independent Local Radio station serving Coventry and Warwickshire. The station, owned and operated by Orion Media broadcasts from studios shared with BRMB at Broad Street in Birmingham.-History:...
, Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252 was a long wave radio station broadcasting to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 252 kHz from its 1988 purpose built transmission site Clarkstown radio transmitter, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km away in...
, Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde
Radio Clyde is a division of Bauer Radio based in Glasgow, Scotland. They currently operate an FM station and an AM station from studios in Clydebank West Dunbartonshire.- History :...
, Supergold
Supergold
Supergold was a oldies radio sustaining service operated by Chiltern Radio Group in the United Kingdom.-History:The Supergold service was launched at 10am on Sunday 24 June 1990, following requests from the Radio Authority for radio stations to split frequencies into separate AM and FM services or...
, Nescafe Network Chart, The Superstation
The Superstation
The Superstation was set up as an over-night sustaining service for Independent Local Radio...
and Northsound Radio
Northsound Radio
Northsound Radio was the name for the original Northsound Radio station, broadcast from Aberdeen, Scotland to the north-east of Scotland. In 1995, the station split to become two commercial local radio stations.- History :...
.
They were also the UK agent for TM Studios.
TV music
The company also made TV music, such as the themes for LWT's Gladiators and You Bet which were seen across the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network.
External links
- MMI listing on Media UK
- Official site
- Article on plans to build a mini-empire of local radio stations
- Radio Authority public interest test on MMI's purchase of Classic Gold 954/1530
- Old Smithy recoding studios website
- Interview with Muff Murfin on RecordProduction.Com
- http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/airwaves.html#radio_wyvern_film Documentary regarding launch of Radio Wyvern featuring clips of Muff pitching his jingles to the board of the station]