It comes as no surprise whatsoever that, when I touch base with Sean Craig Murphy, he’s about to head out the door to teach a podcasting workshop – barely a day after hosting his final Workday shift on Adelaide’s SAFM.
That’s just the way he rolls – driven by a passion to help the next generation of content creators be the very best they can be.
Late last week, along with a number of other SCA colleagues, Sean learned that his radio job was no more, bringing down the curtain on a broadcasting career spanning a remarkable 42 years.
But instead of dwelling on the negatives, Sean – owner of the Australian Radio School – made a point of embracing the positives: Getting to do a job he loves almost every day of his adult life and forging lifelong friendships along the way.
Far from feeling hard done by, the experience has only solidified Sean’s passion for the industry.
Reading the hundreds upon hundreds of messages to his Facebook and Instagram pages, Sean feels truly overwhelmed by the reaction to his unexpected departure.
As well as lauding Sean for his iconic voice, iconic glasses and heck, even his iconic ability to stay cool whilst ageing, many people say if it weren’t for him, they simply wouldn’t be where they are in the industry today.
“People have been so kind,” Sean tells Radio Today. “I think that’s what I’m most proud of. The unexpected outpouring of love and support from ex-radio students who’ve said I changed their lives. That’s incredibly humbling.”
Also humbling was the reaction of his radio audience.
“The SAFM listeners who’ve been listening to me for years – some of them decades – have made me feel visible in the last few days in what can be an invisible job sometimes,” Sean says.
After getting his start as a teenager at 5MU Murray Bridge, Sean went on to grace the airwaves at SAFM, Mix 102.3 and Triple M in Adelaide, as well as Melbourne’s Fox FM and Sydney’s 2DayFM.
But it’s in the teaching space that Sean has done some of his most rewarding work.
Since taking over the Australian Radio School in 2010, Sean has helped to mentor radio presenters including Nova’s Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton and Andrew Hayes and Triple M’s Laura O’Callaghan, to name just a few.
He continues to be a pillar of strength and a sounding board for those navigating the ever-changing media landscape, and has some timely words of wisdom for his radio industry colleagues who might be navigating redundancy for the very first time:
“Save your great bits of audio every day. You never know when that day will come. Philosophically as hard as it is when that day happens, always know that if you’re a great storyteller on radio you can be a great storyteller anywhere.”
“The most valuable currency in the world at the moment is content.”
Sean says he now looks forward to the evolution of the Australian Radio School to a broader content offering and the rollercoaster ride that is Everyday Conspiracy Theories – the podcast he co-hosts with Mena Soliman.
What excites him most, though, is the unknown path that lies ahead. It might be radio. Or it might not.
“Radio is still my passion, so I’ll always be coaching the next generation of content creators with the Australian Radio School,” Sean says.
He’s also interested in exploring coaching in the corporate world.
“I think the transferable skills I have with creativity, interviews and podcasting can be applied successfully to many businesses.”
“Oh, and secretly I’d like to do Breakfast on the ABC with my Everyday Conspiracy Theories podcast co-host Mena Soliman,” he says.
Your secret’s safe with us, Sean.