Melinda Murphy

Melinda Murphy has been a correspondent for The Early Show since October 2002. Her assignments have taken her everywhere from a showgirl stage in Las Vegas to a snake pit in Texas.

Originally concentrating on the wackier side of life, Murphy now covers a wide range of stories, including more serious ones, such as a series about childhood anorexia and reports on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Prior to joining The Early Show, Murphy was a feature and traffic reporter for WPIX-TV in New York City (2000-02), where she was affectionately known as "The Chopper Chick" and was an established personality in the New York market. As the last airborne reporter on 9/11, Murphy reported on the collapse of both towers and was one of two New York City reporters nominated for an Emmy Award for 9/11 breaking news coverage. In 2002, she received an Emmy Award for her 9/11 anniversary piece.

While at the WB, Murphy also won an Emmy for Outstanding On-Camera Achievement for Feature Reporting, and a New York State Broadcasters Association award for Best Feature. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her series of reports on a row house fire.

Murphy began her on-camera journalism career as the morning live feature reporter at News 12 New Jersey (1996-2000). Her assignments ranged from riding an ostrich to driving a racecar -- all before sunrise.

Murphy also worked at WCBS-TV, the CBS-owned and operated station in New York City, as a news writer and field producer (1996-98). While there, she won her first Emmy.

She has an extensive background in production and has worked in a variety of television genres, including nationally televised live events and syndicated talk shows, such as "Sally Jesse Raphael."

Before beginning her on-camera career, Murphy worked as a senior producer on many pilots, and was even executive producer and co-host of a pilot she created for USA Network.

In 2002, Murphy co-edited "Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11," a collection of accounts from journalists who covered the events of the day. All royalties from the book are matched by the publisher and donated to 9/11-related charities.

Murphy grew up in Midland, Texas, graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. She had a brief stint in Los Angeles, but has worked primarily in New York, where she now lives with her husband. Murphy has a passion for traveling, but when she's home, she divides her time among a wide variety of interests, including entertaining, renovating a home, and various sports.