Year Born: 1917
Year Died: 2014
Year of Induction: 1992
Pioneer – Member of CAB Hall of Fame
Brown, Murray T. (1917-2014)
Murray Brown entered broadcasting in London, Ontario in 1945 when he was hired by CFPL as an announcer/writer. After one year he was appointed Commercial Manager – and four years later (1949) was named General Manager. When CFPL-TV received its license from the CBC in 1953, Murray became General Manager and retained his position with CFPL Radio.
From 1968 to 1984, he was President of CFPL Broadcasting Limited (later named The Blackburn Group In.) which properties at his retirement included London’s CFPL-AM-FM-TV and nearby Wingham’s CKNX-AM-FM-TV. The Blackburn Group (of which Murray continued as a director) as of 1995 owned eight radio stations in Southwest Ontario.
Prominently active in broadcasting affairs, Murray was President of the Central Canada Broadcasters Association (CCBA) in 1952, and President of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) in 1960. In 1974 – 75, he served as Chairman of the Canadian Advertising Advisory Board.
Murray’s sense of civic duty was widely known. At one time or another he served as President of the Kiwanis Club of London, Vice-President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Campaign Chairman of the United Way of Greater London. He was a Founding Director of Hospice of London.
In 1992, Murray Brown was inducted into the CAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Murray Brown died on February 4th 2014 at the age of 96.
Updated by Pip Wedge January 2014