Remembering Elizabeth Murphy Burns
• Morgan Murphy Media announces with profound sadness the passing of Elizabeth “Liz” Murphy Burns, the company’s longtime President & CEO, who led the family-owned media company for 43 years. She was 79.
Murphy Burns, who just last month stepped down as CEO to become Chair of the company’s board of directors, was a pioneering figure in American broadcasting who transformed her family’s business into a multi-platform media company while breaking barriers for women in the industry.
“Elizabeth Murphy Burns was a visionary leader whose influence extended far beyond our company,” said Burns’ stepson Brian Burns, the company’s COO, who last month was appointed by Murphy Burns to succeed her as President & CEO — the fifth CEO in the company’s 135-year history. “Her commitment to journalistic integrity, technological innovation, and community service shaped not only Morgan Murphy Media but the entire broadcasting industry. Her legacy will continue to guide us as we move forward.”
Born into a family of media pioneers, Murphy Burns began her career at 14 years old, selling classified ads for her family’s newspaper. After attending the University of Arizona, she entered broadcasting and owned and operated a radio station by age 25 before rejoining her family’s management team. In 1982, she became vice president of what would later become Morgan Murphy Media, leading the company with her brother, John Murphy.
NAB President & CEO Curtis LeGeyt issued a statement that reads: “Liz Burns was a trailblazer, a fierce advocate for local broadcasting and a dear friend to me and so many in our industry. Through her visionary leadership at Morgan Murphy Media and her tireless work with NAB, Liz left an indelible mark on broadcasting that will endure for generations. From pioneering roles on the NAB Board and CBS Affiliate Board to championing the concerns of small market broadcasters on Capitol Hill, Liz’s passion for our mission was unmatched. She was instrumental in developing industry-changing initiatives like the NAB Leadership Foundation’s Broadcast Leadership Training Program and the Small Market Group Roundtable, and she inspired countless broadcasters to lead with purpose and serve with integrity. Liz’s impact on broadcasters’ ability to inform, educate and serve their communities is simply immeasurable.”
In closing, LeGeyt said, “Beyond her professional achievements, Liz will be remembered for her generosity, her mentorship and her deep commitment to the future of local media. We mourn her passing, but we celebrate a life that has made broadcasting, and all of us, better. Our thoughts are with Brian, her family and everyone at Morgan Murphy Media during this difficult time.”
Morgan Murphy Media, based in Madison, WI, operates radio and TV stations, websites, a print magazine, apps, and a digital marketing agency across nine locations. Its 15 radio stations include four in Madison, seven in Spokane, WA, and five in Marquette, MI.
