Reduced Air Time and Cutbacks Has Sports Anchor Retiring
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WPEC (West Palm Beach) Sports Anchor Pat Murphy, who signed a new contract in December 2011, admitted that “some of the fun had left the job” as cutbacks reduced staff and travel.
And the days of the “eight- or nine-minute blocks” of time for sports that Murphy remembers once being part of local telecasts are long gone.
“I’ve gotten a little disenchanted,” Murphy admitted. “I’ve seen good people forced out the door or not have their contacts renewed.”
So Murphy has decided to Retire.
Thirty-three years in the business.
Twenty-nine years in the market.
Eighteen years at the station.
“It has gone by fast,” the 57-year-old Murphy said during a recent lunch. “It has gone by faster than I ever thought it could. I’ve spent half my life here. I never would have imagined I’d be in one city as long as I’ve been here.
“But it’s a great place to live. I fell in love with it pretty quickly. Oh, sure, I had visions of grandeur about going nationally, and there were opportunities to go other places. But this became home. I carved out a nice niche. The viewers have been supportive, and viewers are everything.”
