Meet the News Team

August 14, 2008

Mary Murphy is the weekend anchor of the Emmy Award winning CW11 News at Ten, and a correspondent for the station's weekday broadcasts.

The daughter of Irish immigrants who settled in Queens, Mary Murphy has spent her entire, 20-year career in her native New York City. By the age of 13, Mary knew she wanted to be a television reporter and anchor. While a student at Queens College in Flushing, Mary interned in the WCBS-TV newsroom and after graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1981, she was hired by WPIX-TV Channel 11 as a production assistant, working her way up the ladder to staff reporter. In 1986, WCBS-TV hired Mary as a general assignment reporter and later, as a breaking news correspondent, her coverage of the Joel Steinberg and John Gotti trials garnered two Emmy Award wins by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).

In 1993, Mary returned to WPIX-TV as a special correspondent, where she was assigned to major stories, with hosting duties on 11 News Close-up, plus anchor work. At WPIX, Mary has continued to win numerous awards, including 13 Emmys (for a total of 15, with two won in 2006). In 1995, Mary was honored by the American Women in Radio and Television for a documentary called "Schindler: The Real Story," a report on Holocaust survivors living in New York and New Jersey who were the inspiration for the Steven Spielberg film. Mary is also the recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for writing. In the last few years, she has won more than a dozen "First Place" awards from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association, where she has been honored several times for "General Excellence in Reporting," winning for Best Interview three years in a row.

Since being named weekend co-anchor of the CW11 News at Ten in 1995, Mary has reported on some of the biggest stories of the last decade, including the death of Princess Diana, the fatal plane crash involving John F. Kennedy, Jr., the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, the 2003 explosion of the space shuttle, Columbia, and several foiled terrorism plots against New York City.

In addition, Mary and correspondent Peter Thorne are the CW11 Fact Finders investigative team. As Fact Finders, Mary and Peter examine everything from national security issues to what's happening in the local community. In 2006, Mary won an Emmy award for a Fact Finders report "Eminent Domain: Long Branch," an oceanfront community where long-time homeowners were forced out of their houses due to a city deal with private developers to build expensive condos. In the investigative unit, Mary has also reported on links between cigarette smuggling and terrorism, staged accidents for insurance fraud, binge drinking, sweetheart swindlers, breast cancer misdiagnosis, and lottery scams.

Despite the seriousness of her work, Mary is a movie and music buff who enjoys dancing. She has even "boogied" in one of her stories, cutting a rug with the 87-year-old grandfather of a firefighter she was profiling.

Each year, Mary takes part in the Inner Circle charity show, which spoofs the politicians and celebrities covered by reporters from New York's TV, Radio, and Print media. In recent years, Mary has parodied Martha Stewart and City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn.

LIST OF AWARDS:

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES (NATAS) EMMY AWARDS
(WCBS)
1989: Outstanding Coverage of an Instant Breaking News Story "Joel Steinberg Verdict"
1992: Outstanding Coverage of a Continuing News Story "John Gotti Trial"(WPIX)
1994: Outstanding Crime Programming "The Hunted"
1995: Outstanding News Special "Mob Tax...or Mob Myth?"
1996: Team Coverage "Arraignment of the Zodiac Killer"
1996: Team Coverage "Yankees Victory Celebration"
2001: Outstanding Single Hard News Story "In the Name of Liberty"
2001: Multi-Part Hard news Story: 9/11 "The Men of Ladder 131"
2001: Single News Feature: 9/11 "Heart of a Lion: Timmy's Story"
2002: Outstanding Anticipated News "Death of a Don: John Gotti"
2002: Outstanding Event Coverage "9/11: America Remembers"
2004: Outstanding Societal Concerns Programming "21st Century Slaves"
2004: Outstanding Anticipated News Story "Joel Steinberg Prison Release"
2005: Outstanding Political Programming "Eminent Domain: Long Branch"
2005: Outstanding Coverage of a Continuing Story "Black Sunday Firefighters"

ASSOCIATED PRESS AWARDS: FIRST PLACE, Large Market
(WCBS)
1990: Best Investigative Reporting; General Excellence Award
1991: Continuing Coverage "Bronx Child Murders Case"
1991 Best Spot News "Firefighter Rope Rescue"
(WPIX)
1994: Continuing Coverage "The Brooklyn Bridge Survivors"
1996: General Excellence in Reporting
1997: Continuing Coverage "The Execution of Officer Dols"
1997: General Excellence in Reporting "The Disappearance of Justina Morales"
1999: General Excellence in Reporting
2000: Spot News and Continuing Coverage "Wendy's Massacre"
2000: Best Interview "NBC Rape Victim"
2001: Enterprise Reporting "Sister Act"
2001: Best Interview "The Men of Ladder 131"
2002: Continuing Coverage "The Year after 9/11"
2002: Best Interview "The Lost Sons"
2003: General Excellence in Reporting
2005: Best Interview "Firefighter Joseph DiBernardo, Rescue 3"
2005: Continuing Coverage "Black Sunday Firefighters"
2008: Best Interview, "Deutsche Bank Fire Family"

NEW YORK STATE BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
1996: Best Documentary "The Pope's Pilgrimage to NY and NJ" (plus 2 additional awards)

GABRIEL AWARDS
1994: Single, Local News Story "Schindler, the Real Story"
1995: Single, Local News Story "Amy's Legacy"

NEW YORK PRESS CLUB AWARDS
1999: Byline Award "Parents of Jailed Police Officer Francis Livoti"
2002: 9/11 Feature Award "The Year after 9/11"
2004: Rev. Mychal Judge Award "Al Qaeda's Forgotten Victim"
2006: Rev. Mychal Judge "Heart of New York" Award "Firefighter Stolowski Walks Again"
2008: Anticipated News 9/11 Ceremonies & Firehouse Hit Hard Mary Murphy, Reporter
2008: Rev. Mychal Judge Heart of New York Award Fact Finders: Epilepsy and Driving Mary Murphy, Reporter

EDWARD R. MURROW AWARDS
1999: Writing Composite
2003: "Al Qaeda's Forgotten Victim"

AMERICAN WOMEN IN RADIO AND TELEVISION AWARD
1995: American Women in Radio and Television Award "Schindler: The Real Story"