President & Co-Founder of High Fidelity HDTV Inc. Ken Murphy Delivers Convocation Address
Belleville, Ontario, June 8, 2012 – At the final 2012 Annual Convocation Ceremony on Friday, June 8th, Loyalist College proudly presented 625 diplomas, advanced diplomas, and certificates in recognition of the academic accomplishments of students in the School of Continuing Education and the School of Media Studies. In total, 1,956 Loyalist students graduated during the two days of Convocation.
The Convocation address was delivered by Kenneth B. Murphy, President & Co-Founder of High Fidelity HDTV Inc., who graduated from the Television Broadcasting program at Loyalist College in 1979. A media executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in television programming, Mr. Murphy founded High Fidelity HDTV Inc. in response to emerging high definition television and a growing audience of baby boomers. Since 2006, High Fidelity HDTV Inc. has owned and operated four original high definition channels including Oasis HD™, eqhd™, HIFI™ and radX™. Previously, Mr. Murphy held a number of senior positions in the television industry, including Director of Operations for TSN (The Sports Network) and President of Discovery Channel (Canada).
“I’m a proud alumnus of Loyalist College,” said Mr. Murphy. “Loyalist College believed in me and saved my life twice, twenty years apart, when I had lost confidence in myself. At the time, I felt completely directionless and depressed. I showed up at Loyalist unannounced and to my surprise I was welcomed with open arms. I met many wonderful professors, staff and students. They were positive and supportive, helping to renew my confidence and my ambition. Being open to change and listening to people who believe in you is critical to success.
After I graduated from Loyalist, I was attracted to a new Pay-TV business that everyone said was sure to fail. It was called TSN. I was offered a big job there, way out of my depth and comfort zone. Once again, someone believed in me more than I believed in myself. I took the risk both with the start-up company and my new management role. I stayed at TSN for 11 years, growing along with the channel.
I remember thinking that I might finish my career with TSN, when a woman I barely knew urged me to apply for a senior job posting for a new channel nobody had ever heard of then, called Discovery Channel. I thought I was completely unqualified for this very challenging executive role as head of documentary production and business development. She thought otherwise. I got the job and within a few years, I was President of Discovery Channel Canada.
After 19 years of loyal service to the corporation, I had a high profile job and a big salary, benefits, pension and a young family to support. Then everything changed suddenly. The company was sold to CTV and Bell. Without warning, I was fired. In an instant it was all gone and I was out on the street.
This is when Loyalist College saved me for the second time in 2002. Shortly after this development, I was asked to join the Board of Governors at Loyalist and once again, Loyalist was there for me. Having the College believe in me helped enormously as I charted my next move. I started to dream about creating a series of innovative high definition channels to serve smart, curious households with the best in nature, culture and adventure programming. This is when I started High Fidelity HDTV Inc. Today it is nationally distributed on Bell, Rogers and Cogeco and is very successful. In fact, we recently sold the business to an investor.”
Mr. Murphy concluded with the following advice for graduates: “Try to be open to the possibilities that flow in and around change and embrace it. Be confident, but when confidence wanes, be open to the confidence that others have in you. Be strong, be open, and listen to those who believe in you.”
In appreciation of his memorable address to the graduating class of 2012, Mr. Murphy was presented with an Honorary Diploma in Media Studies. This academic tribute recognizes his extensive experience in the media industry and for his innovation and leadership in providing high quality programming to Canadians.
Loyalist College prepares students for a rewarding career by combining rigorous academic standards with hands-on training from industry experts. Programs range from apprenticeships and certificates to diplomas and post-graduate studies. Loyalist offers more than 60 full-time programs and 77 university transfer agreements around the world. The best testament to the College’s value is from students, 97 percent of whom say they would recommend Loyalist to a friend. Loyalist is committed to helping students find great jobs, as well as supporting and enhancing the economic and social development of all individuals in its communities.
(L-R) President & Co-Founder of High Fidelity HDTV Inc. Kenneth B. Murphy with Loyalist Board Chair Stuart Wright, who presented Mr. Murphy with an Honorary Diploma in Media Studies
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For more information contact:
Kerry Lorimer
Media Relations Specialist
Loyalist College
613-969-1913 ext. 2536