Gannett Research Services Director to Present Lecture

Dr. Reggie Murphy, director of Research Services for Gannett, Co., Inc., will present the Department of Communication's Michael Davis Lecture Feb. 13 at Southeast Missouri State University.

The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public and is part of the University's Black History Month festivities.

The Michael Davis Lecture recognizes the contributions of African-Americans in the media. The event also honors the late Michael Davis, a mass communications student at Southeast who died as a result of a hazing incident.

Murphy is responsible for managing consumer research projects for Gannett's 101 daily newspapers and Web sites. These consumer-focused research studies are designed to assist newspaper management in developing strategies geared towards increasing readership, circulation, advertising revenue and brand loyalty.

Prior to his position with Gannett, Murphy worked as marketing research manager for USA TODAY, where he was responsible for managing a team of research analysts and projects designed to better understand the attitudes, motivations, lifestyle and behavior of USA TODAY readers. He also analyzed, interpreted and disseminated these results and recommendations to the editorial, circulation, advertising and marketing departments to help in making key decisions on building the overall strategic vision and growing the USA TODAY brand. Murphy also managed customized research projects for USA TODAY's advertising clients, including GM, FedEX, Intel, IBM and ESPN.

Before joining USA TODAY, Murphy worked as a market research analyst for Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc., where he managed customized market research projects for local television stations, cable networks, fortune 500 companies and media industry associations.

Murphy lectures and presents seminars on media and marketing research topics at universities across the country, and is an adjunct faculty member at The George Washington University, where he teaches media management and research courses.

Early in his career, he worked as an operations manager, account manager and part-time radio personality for radio stations in North Carolina and Tennessee. He has a bachelor of science degree in history from Appalachian State University and master's and doctoral degrees in communications from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Originally from Charlotte, N.C., Murphy now lives in Washington, D.C.