Previously, she was a news anchor at WLS-TV in Chicago (1976–1980), and at KNXT/KCBS-TV (1980–1984) and KABC-TV (1984–1987), both in Los Angeles; she later returned to KCBS (1987–1989) before moving on to Hard Copy.
She appeared in a natural acting role as herself, on Married... with Children in the episode "Shoeway to Heaven" (1994).
Murphy, a native of Columbus, Ohio and a Delta Gamma alumnus, lives in Los Angeles and is the divorced mother of two sons.
She recently got remarried to Murray Levy, a former security officer for Nicolas Cage.
Murphy was an active fundraiser in Big Bear Lake, CA, where she served as host for the March of Dimes Celebrity Ski Classic from 1993–1996.