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TOM MURPHY WAS THE TEEN IDOL OF 91DERFUL RADIO...LATER DID MORNINGS AND WENT ON TO WORK IN THE BIGGEST RADIO MARKETS IN THE COUNTRY. NOT ONLY IS TOM MURPHY A SUPER TALENT, HE IS LOVED BY THE BROADCAST COMMUNITY.
#1. HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU DID YOUR FIRST AIR SHIFT AT KISN? I was 19. My first shift was 7PM to Midnight on a Saturday Evening in mid June 1959. #2. WHO HIRED YOU AT KISN AND HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DID YOU HAVE? Chris Lane hired me for weekends and Don Burden and Bill Stewart hired me full time. My experience was rather limited. I had done a weekly show on Phil Boyer’s carrier current station, KFOJ, for a year or so and then I did weekends on KPDQ for 6 months. I played pop music until they changed the format to full time religion. I played some Gospel Music for a few weeks and then they eliminated the weekend shifts and I was let go. Next stop, KISN, about a month later. #3. YOUR FONDEST MEMORY OF YOUR YEARS AT THE MIGHTY 91derful? I was at KISN for so many years it is hard to limit this answer to just one. I have found myself often thinking back to one event or memory, so I think I will answer with that one. Thanksgiving Weekend 1964, on Wednesday evening The Dave Clark Five were in Portland for a concert. There was a press conference for high school newspapers at the Benson hotel and I “sort of” conducted that. That evening after The Good Guys, Roger Hart, Pat Pattee, Dick Sainte, Sam Holman and Frank Benny, said “Hello” I emceed the rest of show at the Civic Auditorium. It was a real thrill. We all had dinner together at The Fish Grotto before the show. The following evening, Thanksgiving, I had the job of officially lighting The KISN Carol Tree. Actually Byron Swanson did it. I just pushed a button, Byron “threw the switch” under the tree. #4. YOU JUMPED SHIP AT KISN TO MOVE UP TO THE SEATTLE MARKET…THEN CHICAGO…WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CITY TO WORK IN OTHER THAN PORTLAND? I think Seattle. KJR was a great station and Seattle was a great city. #5. BEST LIVE CONCERT YOU EVER SAW? While I was at KJR, due to the fact that Concerts West was owned by KJR, I saw and emceed concerts from Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to The Monkees and The Lovin’ Spoonful. I used to get a few bucks for the emceeing, but more importantly, I got front row seats. The best concert I ever I “saw” was in The Cow Palace in San Francisco. My last show on KISN was Friday evening, Jan. 30th, and the next morning I flew to San Francisco to spend a few days with Don Steele before going to LA. That Saturday evening a friend took me to the Bobby Mitchell / Tom Donahue Concert. How about this line-up? The Beau Brummels, Bobby Lewis, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Sonny & Cher, The Righteous Brothers and The Supremes. I think were a couple of other groups that I have forgotten. Phil Spector conducted the band. It was quite a concert. #6. FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST The Kingston Trio and a strong second would be The Beatles. #7. THE NICEST CELEB YOU EVER MET? Like most in our “biz” I have met many “celebs” which consisted of a hand shake and a hello. They were usually able to be nice for that. I had a very enjoyable dinner with Bobby Vinton and at one time I was friendly with Bobby Bare and he was great. I had an occasion to spend quite a bit of time with Michael Landon and he was extremely nice. He told some wonderful stories. #8. THE WORST CELEB YOU EVER MET? Danny Kaye. #9. FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME? “The Great Escape” #10. LAST BOOK READ? “The War” This is the companion book to the Ken Burns PBS series. #11. FAVORITE TV SHOW? I’ve seen an lot TV shows over the years but I guess over the last 20 years it would be “Law & Order.” Going back to when I was a kid it would be “Your Show Of Shows.” #12. I MET MY WIFE WORKING IN THE KISN WINDOW IN ‘72. ( She was a drive by !!!) HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR WIFE AT KISN? When Don Steele moved me to the Morning Show it was on the 5th Anniversary of KISN. As part of the “celebration” KISN began a huge Contest. The $50,000 Thank You For Making Us Number One In the Northwest or something like that. Connie was hired to answer the contest phones and she answered them on my show. I dubbed her “Contest Connie” which I don’t think she thought was all that “cute.” Anyway we began dating that fall and married a year later on September 11th 1965. The “Original 9/11.”
#13. BIGGEST MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
Probably not going to WMCA in New York. In 1967, Ruth Meyer was
considering me to replace Gary Stevens on the evening show. However,
before she could offer me the job, which later she indicated she was
leaning towards doing, she was let go. That one has always bothered
me because I had a great deal of respect for her and her
programming of WMCA and I would have loved to have had that
opportunity.
#14. WHAT ARE THE FEELINGS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF RADIO BROADCASTING?
I realize that some of the stuff “we” did might not have been all that
wonderful and a bit “hokey” but there was entertainment, listener
involvement, and maybe most important, companionship and a great
deal of that has been eliminated from radio. I can’t imagine people
discussing how much they liked that 12 in row yesterday. Radio
stations can never out “in a row” satellite, iPods or the Internet so
maybe it could provide an alternate listening experience. I also
question focusing only on the Morning Show, which IS important, and
then turning the station over the computer the rest of the day.
#15. WHAT WAS THAT DAY LIKE WHEN THE REAL DON STEELE STOPPED TRAFFIC ON THE STEEL BRIDGE?
It was really fun and funny. Don and I had a couple of “Adult Beverages”
prior to our going to the bridge. I hadn’t planned on going with Don but
I was at the station and he convinced me to go along. I didn’t have a coat
so I borrowed his. It was way too big. Don was just unbelievable. When
some kids flipped him off he yelled “Red, White and Blue to you,
baby,” When the cops finally came he wanted to throw the audio
equipment off the bridge into the water to “hide” the evidence. I think he
was kidding. He then said, “Let ‘em arrest us, baby, we’ll get our pictures
in the paper”. I pointed out that if we were mentioned at all it would
only be “Two local disk jockeys arrested.” No names, call letters and
certainly no pictures. This probably ranks second to the fondest memory
Don’s widow, Shaune, told me Don kept the picture of us on the bridge on
the mantel and said that my wearing his too big raincoat made me look like
a “flasher.”
#16. MENTOR ?
I think the closest thing I had to a “mentor” would be Wally Thornton.
When I first went to KISN Wally took me under his wing and was
really supportive. I appreciated that since things were pretty “wild”
those first few months.
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