Peter Murphy, a familiar face on Tasmanian television for more than four decades, announced his retirement from Channel Seven on Wednesday after 41 years with the network.
Murphy, who holds the distinction of being the longest-serving weatherman in Australian television history, said in a statement that his career had been "an incredible privilege". His final broadcast is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 22, when he will hand over weekday weather duties to weekend presenter Kiah Wicks.
"It’s been an incredible privilege to be part of Tasmanians’ lives every night," Murphy said. "Weather is such a big part of this community, and I’ve always tried to respect that while sneaking in a little fun along the way." He thanked his wife of 33 years, Donna, and paid tribute to colleagues, saying presenters Kim Millar and Jo Palmer "deserve an award" for their work.
Gavin McDougall, news director at 7News Tasmania, described Murphy as "more than a weather presenter — he’s part of the fabric of Tasmanian life." McDougall said Murphy's "commitment, professionalism and connection with viewers have set an extremely high standard," and called his departure "the end of an incredible chapter in our television history."
Wicks, who currently presents weekend weather for 7News Tasmania, will take over the weekday role. She said the appointment had been a long-held ambition and acknowledged the challenge of succeeding Murphy. "This has been a dream of mine since I was a girl. It’s hard to replace the legend that is Murph, but I’ll be bringing my own brand of weather smarts to the job," Wicks said.
Murphy began his media career on radio in his hometown of Moree, in northern New South Wales. He moved to Tasmania in 1982 to join radio station 7EX and began presenting the weather on TNT9 two years later. Over his career he became a nightly presence in Tasmanian households and an active figure in the community, emceeing New Year’s celebrations, cup days and awards ceremonies.
Off air, Murphy married Donna in 1992 and the couple have two sons, Jack and Lewis. In his retirement announcement he joked that his wife would likely be "looking forward to spending every waking moment of every day with me from now on."
Channel Seven has not announced a long-term successor for weekend weather beyond Wicks’ move to weekdays. Murphy’s last broadcast will mark the end of a 41-year tenure during which he established a reputation for steady, community-focused reporting of Tasmania’s often unpredictable weather.