Brian Murphy Signs Four-Year Extension with KNBR

Brian Murphy, co-host of the morning show on KNBR, has signed a four-year contract extension to remain with the station. As announced on the Murph & Markus show by KNBR program director Mike Hohler, Murphy will remain a part of the station through the spring of 2029, which will extend his tenure with the sports talk radio outlet to more than 25 years. Upon the news being revealed, the show played applause sound effects and celebrated Murphy inking a deal to stay with the brand.

As he expressed his gratitude on the air, Murphy thanked Cumulus Operations president Dave Milner and regional vice president/market manager Larry Blumhagen, along with his agent Paul Anderson. Murphy has been hosting morning drive with Boucher over parts of the last two years as the station has undergone several changes to its programming lineup and managerial structure.

“It’s true – you can’t get rid of me,” Murphy said on the air. “Staying four years, and my take is when you see a young growth industry like radio, why not sign on for more. Alright guys, you know what I mean? Sky’s the limit. As long as the lights stay on and the key card works, I’ll keep showing up to work.”

The news takes place less than two years after KNBR laid off morning show co-host Paul McCaffrey that ended his 18-year run with the station. The Cumulus Media-owned station also let go of Tom Tolbert and John Lund as part of layoffs last November and subsequently reshuffled its daytime programming lineup. All three former KNBR hosts recently collaborated to launch the Bay Area Sports Collective, a podcast network that includes new shows and is co-owned by former KNBR program director Jeremiah Crowe.

Murphy, who has been a member of KNBR since 2004, will be remaining on the airwaves for several years to come as teams in the San Francisco Bay Area look to bring more championships to the locale. The station serves as the flagship home of the San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers and has introduced several new hosts on the airwaves in recent months, including Greg Silver and Derek Papa.

“I’ve just really enjoyed my time talking to the Bay Area every morning and talking to my partners — whether it was Paulie Mac or my original partner Tim Liotta or my current partner Markus Boucher,” Murphy told SFGate. “Always enjoyed it, enjoyed the banter with our producers and board ops. I never wanted to leave ever, so it was just going to come down to could we come to an agreement and fortunately we did.”

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