Straight From The Mouth
The Morning Mouth's November Interview with Jack Murphy
(Reprinted by permission; Copyright © 2004 Talentmasters Inc.)
Give us a quick background check.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Grew up in Cedartown, Georgia. Where I
started working very early for several family businesses including
restaurants and a cemetery as a kid. I'm 46 married to 15 years to my
beautiful wife Michelle and we have two kids, Ryan 14 and Ashley 12.
What do you remember most about your first job? How much did you
make?
WGAA Cedartown 6pm to sign off. It was a 1000 AM Variety daytimer with
extended broadcast authority until 11pm. The most important thing's the boss.
Wanted done, empty the garbage and take the meter reading! 90 bucks a week!
Who was the first person to make a difference in your
career?
Jerry Rogers, WSGA Savannah, and he's still a good friend today. Jerry was
a tough PD who really listened to everything you did. He made you be
responsible for your show, and to plan what you were going to do the next
day. We didn't do anything very good but at least we knew what was going to
suck the next day! He must have gotten better at it after I left because Mark
Thompson of Mark & Brian took the job after me.
Any advice that's always stuck with you?
Focus on your show and the money will come. Always work with someone
better than you and soak up everything you can. Spend less money than you
make.
Is there a personality you consider a mentor?
Several but Scott Shannon was and still is my biggest. I thought he was a
genius and back then, as Rush would say, he was working with half his brain
tied behind his back. The truth was he was smart but worked harder than
anyone I'd ever known and had incredible gut instinct. He was very liberal
dispensing advice whether you wanted to hear it or not. I still check in with
him on lots of things.
If you could go back in time, is there any one thing about your
career you'd like to change?
Several... Leaving Q-106 San Diego for WQXI Atlanta. There was a last
minute format change and what kind of morning show they wanted. It wasn't
fair for me or Clarke Brown (then GM of WQXI, now President Jefferson-Pilot)
the man who hired me. I acted immaturely for 8 months and we were all
miserable. Thinking they would see the error of their ways and things would
get better, I declined the morning job at Z-100 during that 8 months and soon
found myself unemployed. It was a low point to say the least.
There was another situation, where Randy Kabrich, a great consultant and
programmer with whom I'd worked in Charlotte, asked me to come to Dallas to
Y-95 after Sonny Fox had left. There was a fierce battle going on with Y-95
and KEGL. The most unpleasant owner I ever worked for made this place
unbearable. Both stations spent most of their time attacking each other and I
regret getting caught up in a lot of the personal attacks that happened on
air. In the end, neither station did very well and almost everybody on both
staffs were eventually let go. This business has always been fun for me. That
wasn't fun. I lost some friends in that deal and had to say I was sorry to
some people I respect.
Favorite thing you've ever done on the air?
We've made Christmas happen for a bunch of families that have just had
some bad stuff happens. Last year a little boy named Tyler had his father
commit suicide and his mother die of cancer in a 6-month period. His aunt,
who took him in, had lost her job. She wanted nothing for herself just him.
Involving our listeners we decorated the house, put up a tree, loaded it with
every cool present a kid could want and then sent him and her to Disney World
for a week. Those are the coolest things about this business.
Your biggest coup?
Got Stevie Wonder to come to Z-100 when I was co-host with a little Casio
Keyboard. He hung around a couple of hours and played requests live on the
air.
Bit you wished you never did?
Calling 911 to report a blow-up doll in a window of a building in San
Diego then hanging up. The police were not amused when they got there a few
minutes later.
Event that got you the most press?
April Fools beer truck stunt that totally stopped rush hour traffic. We
announced an overturned beer truck that had to be drained before being moved
and Rolling Rock was giving it away.
You came up from the same place many jocks of your time did. Where's
today's farm league?
We've had a lot of luck with our intern program. We bring them in and put
them on the air. We find out real quick if they have drive and talent. If we
spot one or the other or if lighting strikes and they have both we try and
find a place for them. Chris Kelly who has the show next door "Two Guys Named
Chris" was full time on the show his last two years of college. It was pretty
obvious from day one he got and I put him to work. He's had a successful show
of his own for 5 years now on our sister station Rock 92. In fact we've had
better luck in the last few years with interns than with people we've hired
who were already in the business.
Stern confronted Chairman Powell on the air. If you could speak with
him, what would you ask?
Howard or Powell? I would ask Howard why are you still working? How much
freaking money does one person need? Powell? How about a set of written rules
we all understand... and can follow.
Speaking of Stern, he's headed to Satellite. Do you feel terrestrial
radio is going through denial when it comes to this technology, or are you
concerned with it's impact?
Competing against it is no different that fighting syndication. I always
start planning my show by thinking what's something Bob & Sheri or John Boy &
Billy can't talk about today. We even cut intros that say that, "Here's
something else Bob & Sheri can't talk about because they don't live here."
Listeners picked up on that and started using it when they called into the
show.
What concerns you most with today's radio as it relates to
personalities?
Spot loads that I think make it hard for people to stay with you even if
they love you.
Which morning shows impress you?
I like a lot of them. Jeff & Jer, Ace & T.J., Gary Craig, Chris & Chris,
Scott & Todd, Dave Shelly & Chainsaw, Elvis Duran, Rick Dees was still making
me laugh when he left KIIS.
How much longer do you feel you can do CHR?
We don't play a lot of music in the morning so it's really not a big deal.
I'm under contract until 2008, so unless the station changes format at least
till then.
At 45, how do you stay plugged in younger listeners?
I have two great co-hosts who are young and hip. We get along really well
and I let them talk about their personal lives a lot.
Who are they?
Josie Paza a former intern and a real radio star in the making. She is
bright has a great laugh works hard and is mature beyond her years. I might
add she's under contract! Josh Anderson, a singer/songwriter who got his job
by making up songs about stuff we were doing on the show and e-mailing them
to me. He is doing a great job and sounds like he's been on the air forever.
We also try and use every member of the staff whenever we can. That's a lot
of eyes and ears out in the market everyday you just have to make it fun for
them to come into your studio.
Who does what?
I run the board and anchor the show. Josie? What doesn't she do; producer,
secretary, liaison, P.R. etc. she does so many things well I don't know what
we did before her. Josh answers phones, gives great laughter, whipping boy
for us both and writes and produces great parody songs.
What's your main source for material?
The biggest,our personal lives. I have two teenagers and two weiner dogs,
need I say more? Josie lives with her half Mexican boyfriend and about 5 dogs
and some chick dumps Josh at least once a week. Plus, he's divorced and has a
2-year-old little boy. We also make a lot of fun of our PD Jeff McHugh. We
also brainstorm at least once a week. Randy Lane and Stan Main have really
helped us learn to flex the creative muscles.
What would most people be surprised to know about you?
I just learned how to ride an Air-Chair. I can bench press over 300lbs.
Read previous Morning Mouth interviews.
Return to Menu
Copyright © 2003 RADIO ONLINE ™
| 
