Kim Komando

Kim Komando
Born (1967-07-01) July 1, 1967
Watchung, New Jersey
Residence Phoenix, Arizona
Nationality USA
Alma mater Arizona State University (B.S., Computer Information Systems, 1985) [1][2]
Occupation radio host, author, columnist
Known for computer radio show
Spouse(s) Barry Young
Children Ian
Website http://www.komando.com

Kim Komando (born July 1, 1967) is the host of an American talk radio program about consumer technology. On the weekly call-in show, Komando provides advice about technology gadgets, websites, smartphone apps, and Internet security to 6.5 million listeners.

The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on 435 radio stations in the United States and two stations in Ontario, Canada. Her Digital Minute airs on more than 390 stations five days a week. Her shows are also heard internationally on the Armed Forces Radio Network covering 177 different countries.

Komando refers to herself as "America's Digital Goddess."[3] Her website, Komando.com, reaches 2.5 million unique readers each month and her tech-focused newsletters are distributed to more than 42 million subscribers each month.

Komando and her husband own Phoenix, Arizona-based WestStar TalkRadio Network, which distributes the Komando radio program. Also, through the publishing arm of WestStar, Komando publishes daily and weekly email newsletters/advertisements addressing issues topical to her radio program. Over 42 million newsletters are sent each month.

Komando has appeared on CNN, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, BBC and Fox News, and her syndicated columns appear in USA Today and other newspapers. She won the Gracie Award for Outstanding Program Host in 2007 and in April 2016 was the keynote speaker at the NAB Show Radio Luncheon to an audience of industry leaders.

Early life

Komando was born and raised in Watchung, New Jersey.

The name "Komando" is Russian-Ukrainian.[4] Her father served in the Army during the Korean War and was a management employee for United Airlines. Her mother was a Senior Systems Analyst with Bell Laboratories.

After graduating from high school in 1985, she went on to attend Arizona State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. [5] While in school, she trained people to use their computers.

Career

Komando started out in sales, working for IBM, AT&T and Unisys. At Unisys, she sold mainframe systems. She sold Honeywell a Unisys system for $12 million. Komando wrote a column about computers for the Arizona Business Gazette. This led to a call-in talk show on computers. It aired late at night on KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1992, she quit sales to focus on her column and radio show, though she was only earning $60 a week from the column and show combined. Komando developed computer training tapes, which she sold via an infomercial. Over 150,000 tapes were sold for $80 to $120 each. The second generation of tapes included Prodigy. America Online was included with the third generation of tapes. Komando negotiated a role running the info section on AOL’s site.

Komando has written 12 books on computers and technology.

Radio broadcasting

In the mid-1990s, she started the WestStar TalkRadio Network with her husband Barry Young. They built their first studio in 1994. In 1994, ABC and CBS Radio passed on the show, saying a national radio show on the subject would be unsuccessful, as computers and the Internet were a fad.[6]

In 2015, the staff of WestStar moved into a $7.5 million, 24,000 square-foot multimedia facility with radio studios and production facilities for TV shows and podcasts.

The Kim Komando radio show airs on more than 435 radio stations in the United States and in 177 different countries on Armed Forces Radio. As of 2016, Compass Media Networks handles some sales for the Kim Komando podcasts in conjunction with WestStar.[7]

WestStar's radio offerings diversified into a number of other radio formats. The shows Komando and WestStar syndicated included; Your Weekend, an adult contemporary music program hosted by pianist Jim Brickman; Quiet Music, a smooth jazz program hosted by Nick Francis; Goddard's Gold and The '70s, classic hits/oldies programs hosted by Phoenix-area disc jockey Steve Goddard; The Other Side with Steve Godfrey, a call-in talk show in which the title host attempted to communicate with spirits; and An American Christmas, an annual Christmas special produced by Mannheim Steamroller.

Personal life

Kim is a certified scuba diver, runs marathons and loves to cook. She is married to Barry Young, host of The Nearly Famous Barry Young Show, a local radio show on KFYI in Phoenix. Their son Ian was born in 2000.[8]


Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Kim Komando", Society of Women Engineers, Keynote address, 1999 Annual Conference
  2. 1 2 Ku, Tony, "Radio host's enterprise recognized by ASU, SRP", ASU archive, Monday, September 24, 2001
  3. ↑ "Kim Komando." FamilyFirst.com. 2007-03-09
  4. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions. Komando.com.
  5. ↑ "About Kim-No overnight success. Komando.com
  6. ↑ "About Kim-Setting sights on national radio. Komando.com
  7. ↑ Kim Komando Show at Compass Media Networks.
  8. ↑ "About Kim" page on official website
  9. ↑ "Talkers Magazine.talkers.com. 2007-05-26
  10. ↑ The Gracies: 2007 Gracie Awards Winners. thegracies.org

External links

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