Morgan Murphy Media

What Morgan Murphy Media does

Morgan Murphy Media, legally the Evening Telegram Company, is a fourth-generation family-owned multi-platform broadcast media company founded in 1890 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company operates eight television markets with affiliates spanning CBS, ABC, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision (including KXLY 4 News Now in Spokane, WISC-TV/Channel 3000 in Madison, WKBT News 8 in La Crosse, KOAM-TV/KFJX Fox 14 in Joplin, the Victoria Television Group in Texas, and stations in Marquette, Alpena, and Yakima-Kennewick), sixteen radio stations across three markets offering top 40, country, hard rock, classic rock, talk, and sports formats, and the 40-year-old Madison Magazine in print and digital. The company reaches audiences across 11 locations in six states, extending its broadcast presence through websites, mobile apps, OTT streaming channels (including a first-of-its-kind 24/7 drone channel), virtual assistants, and social media platforms.

The business generates revenue primarily through advertising across television, radio, digital, and print channels, with a subscription component via Madison Magazine and professional services revenue from Phase 3 Digital Agency, which provides digital marketing solutions from offices in Madison, Joplin, La Crosse, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Marquette, and Alpena. The go-to-market is sales-led, with multi-media sales account executives organized by market and selling bundled cross-platform campaigns to local and regional SMB advertisers, supplemented by national advertiser relationships through Phase 3 Digital. Pricing is custom and quote-based. The company is privately held with no external investors and has historically expanded through acquisitions (notably the 2017 acquisition of Victoria Television Group and KOAM/KFJX) while divesting its broader print operations in 2003 to focus on broadcast and digital.

The technology stack is conventional broadcast infrastructure augmented by digital publishing (via TownNews partnership), multi-platform streaming distribution, and digital marketing services. The company has invested in OTT/streaming delivery and digital audience extension, though no AI/ML-specific capabilities are disclosed in the available data. The company employs a sales-led go-to-market motion for advertisers and a direct-to-consumer model for audiences, leveraging its broadcast and digital properties. Operational scale, awards pedigree (multiple National Murrow Awards, Regional Emmy Awards, eight consecutive years of Station of the Year for WKBT News 8), and fourth-generation family ownership characterize the company's positioning as a durable, community-rooted regional media operator.

Name

Morgan Murphy Media

Legal name

Evening Telegram Company

Website

https://morganmurphymedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Morgan Murphy Media is a fourth-generation family-owned broadcast media company operating eight television markets, sixteen radio stations, Madison Magazine, and a digital marketing agency across eleven locations in six states, generating revenue primarily through local and regional advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Media

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

24/7 National & International News Channels (MPABAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA), Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK), National General-Entertainment Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAA), News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD)

Keywords

• Broadcast television stations
• Radio station operations
• Local news media
• Digital marketing services
• OTT streaming platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: The company generates revenue through selling advertising spots across its eight television markets, including CBS, ABC, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision affiliates, plus lifestyle digital channels.
2. Radio Advertising: Revenue from 16 radio stations across three markets offering top 40, country, hard rock, classic rock, talk radio formats.
3. Digital Advertising: Phase 3 Digital Agency provides digital marketing services to local and national clients, extending reach via web, mobile, streaming, OTT, virtual assistants, and social platforms.
4. Print Magazine: Madison Magazine generates revenue through magazine advertising and subscriptions, covering arts, culture, dining, lifestyle, events, business, shopping and travel.
5. Marketing Solutions: The digital marketing agency offers marketing solutions to clients locally and across the country from offices in Madison, Joplin, La Crosse, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Marquette and Alpena.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Morgan Murphy Media operates a portfolio of local broadcast television stations across eight markets (CBS, ABC, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision affiliations), sixteen radio stations across three markets, Madison Magazine (print and digital), digital streaming and OTT platforms, and a digital marketing agency (Phase 3 Digital) that sells multi-platform advertising to local, regional, and national advertisers. The company distributes free over-the-air news, weather, sports, and entertainment content while monetizing audiences through advertising and, for the magazine, subscriptions.

Product overview

Morgan Murphy Media is a family-owned multi-media broadcast company operating a portfolio of local television and radio stations, a print magazine, digital platforms, and a digital marketing agency across 11 locations in six states. The core offerings include eight television markets with stations affiliated to CBS, ABC, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision; sixteen radio stations across three markets; Madison Magazine; and Phase 3 Digital Agency for digital marketing services. The company's digital arm extends reach through websites, mobile apps, streaming, OTT, virtual assistants, and social platforms. Key brands include KXLY 4 News Now (Spokane), WISC-TV/News 3 Now/Channel 3000 (Madison), Apple Valley News Now (Yakima-Kennewick), WKBT News 8 (La Crosse), KOAM-TV/KFJX Fox 14 (Joplin), Victoria Television Group (Texas), and QueenB Radio Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Phase 3 Digital Agency: Digital marketing agency providing world-class, innovative digital advertising products and marketing services.

Products and services

• Television Stations
• Radio Stations
• Madison Magazine
• Phase 3 Digital Agency
• KXLY 4 News Now
• WISC-TV / News 3 Now / Channel 3000
• Apple Valley News Now
• WKBT News 8
• KOAM-TV / KFJX Fox 14
• Victoria Television Group
• QueenB Radio Wisconsin

Quantifiable outcome

• WISC-TV won National Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of BroadcasterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2025Morgan Murphy Media publicly supports the SAFE Act (Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act) alongside the National Association of Broadcasters. The legislation would help ensure broadcasters' continued access to college sports by requiring football and basketball games to be available on free local broadcast outlets.
• Good Karma BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorgan Murphy Media partnered with investor group Good Karma Brands to acquire Milwaukee radio stations, expanding their radio portfolio in Wisconsin.
• TVB (Television Bureau of Advertising)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMorgan Murphy Media became a proud sponsor of the TVB Next Women program, supporting women in television broadcasting.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cox Media Group: Family-influenced multi-platform operator of local TV and radio stations plus digital advertising solutions (including the former CoxReps). Highly comparable combination of broadcast TV, radio, and digital ad services to Morgan Murphy's portfolio.
• Quincy Media (now part of Gray Television): Long-time family-owned multi-market TV and radio broadcaster in mid-sized U.S. markets, recently acquired by Gray Television — directly comparable on multi-generation family ownership, multi-market local broadcasting, and digital expansion strategy.
• Schurz Communications: Private family-owned media company historically operating local TV and radio stations (sold broadcast properties to Gray Television in 2020); comparable to Morgan Murphy as a multi-generation family-controlled local broadcaster with mid-market presence.
• Gray Television: Publicly traded multi-market TV operator with a portfolio of CBS/ABC/NBC/Fox affiliates concentrated in small and mid-sized U.S. markets — directly comparable to Morgan Murphy's footprint of local network-affiliated stations across the Midwest, South, and Pacific Northwest.
• Tegna: Multi-market U.S. TV broadcaster with stations in small and mid-sized markets plus a digital marketing services arm (Premion) — closely comparable to Morgan Murphy's local affiliate model plus Phase 3 Digital Agency cross-sell.
• Bahakel Communications: Family-owned multi-market TV broadcaster operating network-affiliated stations across the Southeast U.S. Closely comparable to Morgan Murphy as a privately held, multi-market regional broadcaster focused on local news.

Broad incumbents

• Townsquare Media: Publicly traded operator focused on local radio stations and digital advertising (Townsquare Interactive), directly overlapping with Morgan Murphy's local radio stations and Phase 3 Digital Agency.
• Hearst Television: Privately held broadcast division of Hearst Corporation operating local TV stations across the U.S. Comparable on multi-market local news operations and award-winning journalism; significantly larger and supported by a diversified parent media company.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. television broadcaster operating numerous local network affiliates and a national content/distribution platform; overlaps with Morgan Murphy on local broadcast operations and multi-market scale economies, but at a substantially larger scale including national digital distribution.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major diversified broadcast operator with TV stations, regional sports networks, and digital properties (Bally Sports, Tennis Channel, Comet). Highly comparable on multi-market TV broadcasting but operates at a much larger scale and with different digital and sports verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MorganMurphyMedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/morganmurphymedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/morgan-murphy-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Morgan Murphy Media