Pat Murphy
Pat Murphy was the inspiration and ramrod behind the North American Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. Prior to that he was the President and
Publisher of The monthly A*C*E (1997-2000), Admin of the FRN website (1997-2007), DJ and morning show host of AM stations from Honolulu to Washington, DC, talk show host on radio and TV, President of the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts (1991), and a political analyst for TV stations WTTG, WAVY (NBC), and WHRO (PBS). He has written numerous articles about pirate radio for Popular Communications, including “Murphy’s Law of Pirate Radio Listening” and another in which he interviewed several users of Radio Animal’s “Grenade” transmitter, including the inventor. Thanks to his father, who had a console SW radio, Pat has been shortwave listener most of his life. He discovered The A*C*E in the mid-80s and found that there were other people who enjoyed the unusual and off-the-wall entertainment as much as he did. Murphy served four years in the US Marine Corps (1966-1970) mostly in Viet Nam with 1st Recon, 1st Battalion 4th Marines, 1st Battalion 27th Marines, MAC-II, and 1st Marine Division. When asked what he did for a living since leaving the Corps he said, “I’ve worked in government, politics, and broadcasting; I just haven’t been able to find honest work.” Truly radio-active, he readily admits, “There is nothing better than spending a quiet evening with a quality shortwave radio and listening to those elusive pirate radio signals. I love the strange personalities, the hard to hear signals, the QSLs, and meeting people at the Winter SWL Fest when I can make the trip.” Pat retired from broadcasting in 2007 and spends his time traveling to see his seven grandchildren – and listening to the pirates, of course! Click to View
Audio
2010 Pat Murphy talking pirate radio with Brian Holland on WHKT
1988 Bob Grove of Monitoring Times magazine.
