Thomas Murphy (broadcasting)
Encyclopedia
Thomas S. Murphy is an American broadcast executive, and was chair and chief executive officer of Capital Cities
/ ABC, Inc.
until 1996. Together with fellow Capital Cities executive Daniel Burke
, Murphy engineered the 1986 acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company
in 1986 for $3.5 billion. Murphy and Burke, who served as President and Chief Executive of ABC until 1994, are credited with increasing the profitability and efficiency of ABC.
He graduated from Cornell University
with B.S. in 1945, and Harvard University
with an M.B.A. in 1949.
He served in the U.S. Navy, and worked at Kenyon & Eckhardt and Lever Brothers
.
Legendary broadcaster and author Lowell Thomas
, and his business manager/partner, Frank Smith led a New York City based investor group to buy control of Hudson Valley Broadcasting, in 1954 and hired
Murphy to run WROW-TV (which became WTEN
), and WROW
Radio as the stations' first general manager.
In December 1957, Hudson Valley merged with Durham Television Enterprises, owners of WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, to form Capital Cities Television Corporation, which later became Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp. in 1960 and Capital Cities Communications
in 1973.
Murphy moved quickly up the ranks in the company. In 1960, he became Capital Cities' first Vice President. In 1964, he became President while Smith moved up to become the company's first Chairman.
In 1966, CapCities' co-founder Frank Smith died unexpectedly, and Murphy became Chairman and CEO. He held this position for the next 30 years.
Under his leadership, Murphy helped build Capital Cities from a small broadcasting company into a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate. He then got into the publishing and newspaper business by buying Fairchild Publications in 1968, and then bought several newspapers including The Kansas City Star
and Fort Worth Star-Telegram
.
Murphy's biggest acquisition came in 1985, when he shocked the media world, by buying the American Broadcasting Company
for $3.5 Billion dollars to form Capital Cities/ABC. The merger was engineered by Murphy and the man who replaced him as WTEN's station manager, Daniel B. Burke
, who became ABC's president.
In 1995, Capital Cities / ABC was bought by Disney.
He is a member of board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway
, General Housewares Corp., Texaco, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and IBM Corporation.
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities redirects here. For the article about the seat of a government, see Capital .Capital Cities Communications was an American media company best known for its surprise purchase of the much larger American Broadcasting Company in 1985...
/ ABC, Inc.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
until 1996. Together with fellow Capital Cities executive Daniel Burke
Daniel Burke (executive)
Daniel Burke was an American television executive. With Capital Cities Chairman Tom Murphy, Burke spearheaded the $3.5 billion acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company in 1986 by Capital Cities, a much smaller company...
, Murphy engineered the 1986 acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 1986 for $3.5 billion. Murphy and Burke, who served as President and Chief Executive of ABC until 1994, are credited with increasing the profitability and efficiency of ABC.
He graduated from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
with B.S. in 1945, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with an M.B.A. in 1949.
He served in the U.S. Navy, and worked at Kenyon & Eckhardt and Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
.
Legendary broadcaster and author Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
, and his business manager/partner, Frank Smith led a New York City based investor group to buy control of Hudson Valley Broadcasting, in 1954 and hired
Murphy to run WROW-TV (which became WTEN
WTEN
WTEN is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Capital District of New York State and Western New England that is licensed to Albany. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter southwest of the Voorheesville section of New Scotland...
), and WROW
WROW
WROW is a radio station broadcasting to Albany, New York, with its towers in Glenmont, New York. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and runs a Adult Standards/Oldies format under the branding Magic 590...
Radio as the stations' first general manager.
In December 1957, Hudson Valley merged with Durham Television Enterprises, owners of WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, to form Capital Cities Television Corporation, which later became Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp. in 1960 and Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities redirects here. For the article about the seat of a government, see Capital .Capital Cities Communications was an American media company best known for its surprise purchase of the much larger American Broadcasting Company in 1985...
in 1973.
Murphy moved quickly up the ranks in the company. In 1960, he became Capital Cities' first Vice President. In 1964, he became President while Smith moved up to become the company's first Chairman.
In 1966, CapCities' co-founder Frank Smith died unexpectedly, and Murphy became Chairman and CEO. He held this position for the next 30 years.
Under his leadership, Murphy helped build Capital Cities from a small broadcasting company into a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate. He then got into the publishing and newspaper business by buying Fairchild Publications in 1968, and then bought several newspapers including The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
and Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...
.
Murphy's biggest acquisition came in 1985, when he shocked the media world, by buying the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for $3.5 Billion dollars to form Capital Cities/ABC. The merger was engineered by Murphy and the man who replaced him as WTEN's station manager, Daniel B. Burke
Daniel Burke (executive)
Daniel Burke was an American television executive. With Capital Cities Chairman Tom Murphy, Burke spearheaded the $3.5 billion acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company in 1986 by Capital Cities, a much smaller company...
, who became ABC's president.
In 1995, Capital Cities / ABC was bought by Disney.
He is a member of board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years,...
, General Housewares Corp., Texaco, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and IBM Corporation.
Sources
- "Thomas S. Murphy", Encyclopedia of television, Editor Horace Newcomb, CRC Press, 2004, ISBN 9781579584115
- Forbes, Malcolm S. "Mighty CEOs Who are Also All-round Nice Guys are Rare." Forbes (New York), 11 December 1989.
- Gibbs, Nancy. "Easy as ABC." Time (New York), 14 August 1995.
- Hawver, W. Capital Cities/ABC The Early Years: 1954-1986 How the Minnow Came to Swallow The Whale. Radnor, Pennsylvania: Chilton, 1994.
- Ländler, Mark. "Creators of the Big Deal, Capital Cities' Tandem Team." The New York Times, 1 August 1995.
- Roberts, Johnnie L. "The Men Behind the Big Megadeals." Newsweek (New York), 14 August 1995.
External links
- "TOM MURPHY", Harvard Business School, December 2000, Amy Blitz