Broadcasting Pioneer Liz Burns Dies at 79

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, April 25, 2025 | 10:41am CT

Elizabeth Murphy Burns (Liz Burns)

Elizabeth Murphy Burns, a trailblazing broadcaster and longtime leader of Morgan Murphy Media, has died at the age of 79. Her death was announced Friday by the Madison, Wisconsin-based media company, which she led as President and CEO for more than four decades.

Burns stepped down last month to become chair of the company's board. Over her 43-year tenure, she transformed her family's legacy newspaper business into a diversified multimedia operation spanning radio, television, print, and digital.

"Elizabeth Murphy Burns was a visionary leader whose influence extended far beyond our company," said Morgan Murphy Media president and CEO Brian Burns, her stepson. "Her commitment to journalistic integrity, technological innovation, and community service shaped not only Morgan Murphy Media but the entire broadcasting industry."

Burns was born on December 4, 1945, in Superior, Wisconsin. She began her media career early, selling classified ads at age 14 for her family's newspaper. By 25, she owned and operated a radio station and later joined the family business in an executive capacity. In 1982, she became vice president of what would become Morgan Murphy Media, leading the company alongside her brother, John Murphy.

Under her leadership, the company grew to include TV stations in eight markets affiliated with all major networks, 17 radio stations, a monthly magazine, and the digital marketing firm Phase 3 Digital Agency.

A fierce advocate for local media and small-market broadcasters, Burns held several influential positions in industry organizations. She was the first woman elected to the CBS affiliates advisory board and among the first women to serve on the board of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). She helped launch the NAB Leadership Foundation's Broadcast Leadership Training Program and the Small Market Group Roundtable.

"Liz Burns was a trailblazer, a fierce advocate for local broadcasting and a dear friend to me and so many in our industry," said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt in a statement. "She left an indelible mark on broadcasting that will endure for generations."

In recognition of her career, Burns was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005 and named a "Giant of Broadcasting" by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation in 2018.

She also served in leadership roles outside of broadcasting, including as a trustee of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Endowment and on the boards of the Association for Maximum Service Television, Republic Bank in Duluth, and National Guardian Life Insurance Co.

She is survived by her family, including Brian Burns, and the extended Morgan Murphy Media team.