The longtime President/CEO of family-owned Morgan Murphy Media, a woman who led the company for some 43 years, has passed away at the age of 79 — just weeks after stepping down from the chief executive role to become board chair.
Elizabeth Murphy Burns is described by the company with broadcast assets across the U.S. as “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.”
Recently appointed President/CEO Brian Burns called Liz Burns “a visionary leader whose influence extended far beyond our company. 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, Liz 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. Under her stewardship and partnership with her brother, the newspaper business her grandfather founded in 1890 and her father expanded grew to include broadcast television stations in eight markets with affiliations with all major networks, 17 radio stations, a monthly magazine, and a digital agency.
Professional accomplishments and milestones include being the first woman elected to the CBS affiliates advisory board; one of the first women elected to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) board of directors; and being honored in 2006 with the NAB’s Chuck Sherman Television Leadership Award. “Liz Burns was a trailblazer, a fierce advocate for local broadcasting and a dear friend to me and so many in our industry,” NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt commented. “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.
“Beyond her professional achievements, Liz will be remembered for her generosity, her mentorship and her deep commitment to the future of local media,” LeGeyt continued. “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.”
Designated as a “Giant of Broadcasting” by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation in 2018, Murphy Burns also served on Board of Trustees for Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Endowment.
Information regarding memorial services will be announced at a later date.
