Special thanks to Jim Heddle for sharing this WXYZ Pat Murphy article with us at MCRFB! (From the Jim Heddle Collection).
UPDATE: Lee Alan added comments here regarding this post today, submitted 2013/07/04 at 11:21 AM
Thank you, Lee Alan. We appreciate always of you sharing your thoughts with us here on Motor City Radio Flashbacks!
I noticed your article on Pat Murphy. Pat was hired at WXYZ in 1964 to replace John Benson, a temporary British personality. Pat was all set to start on the air doing a 7:15 – 10pm Monday thru Saturday show. At 7pm that night Pat was told he would be doing 10-Midnight instead.
It was a surprise to him. And to me.
At the same time, at 7pm after a dispute with the station and spending 7 months in the Announce Booth at Channel 7, I was re-hired and agreed to return to WXYZ radio – – 7:15 to 10 pm. The decision was made between me, Charles Fritz, VP and General Manager of WXYZ radio, and Hal Neal, President of ABC Radio headquartered in New York. However the real and driving force behind it was John F. Pival – President WXYZ, Inc. The full story of all of this is in my book, ‘Turn Your Radio On- Live From Motown.’
Producing that night in the studio was a young Jim Hampton who was handed an audio cartridge with no label on it by the program director Dave Klemm and told to play it at precisely 7:15. He did. It was my theme music “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart,” by Les Elgart. It was a total shock to all of us.
Pat and I became very close friends. There is a recording of that first night back with both of us on it.
We lost Pat Murphy a number of years ago. Dave Klemm, Charles Fritz, and Hal Neal have also passed. Thanks for posting the article.
So here’s a question for you. What ever happened to —-DANNY TAYLOR. I’ve been searching for years….
Regards,
–Lee Alan