Kim Komando

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Kim Komando is the host of an American talk radio program based on the popularity of personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics. The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on over 450 radio stations in the US and two stations in Ontario, Canada. Komando has appeared on CNN, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, BBC and FOX News, and her syndicated columns appear in USA Today and other newspapers. Komando is also one of the principal shareholders, founders and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Phoenix, Arizona-based WestStar TalkRadio Network, which, in addition to hosting other broadcast programs, distributes the Komando radio programs. Also, through the publishing arm of WestStar, Komando publishes daily and weekly email newsletters addressing issues topical to her radio program. She calls herself "America's Digital Goddess." [1] [2]

1 Biography
2 Sirius Satellite Radio criticism
3 User group criticism
4 External links

[edit] Biography

Kim Komando is a native of New Jersey and began her career after graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Computer Information Systems. She had worked for AT&T, IBM, and Unisys before starting her radio program. When her program began in 1995, Komando unsuccessfully pitched the program idea to the hosts of a few large broadcasting companies, including ABC and CBS, but was refused and was told (by a CBS vice-president) that computers were a fad. Her program began live national broadcast syndication via satellite with only three affiliates. She began her national newspaper columns at the same time as well, and it was initially published only in the Arizona Republic. Komando, together with KFYI talk show host and Phoenix businessman Barry Young, founded a parent broadasting company, WestStar TalkRadio Network.

In 1999, Komando and Young were married and are still the principal operating officers of WestStar TalkRadio Network.

[edit] Sirius Satellite Radio criticism

In the first week of March 2007, Komando's syndicated show was dropped from the Sirius satellite radio lineup. In the following week, her show included a segment on why the proposed merger between satellite competitors Sirius and XM would be bad for consumers, and how Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin was attempting to "pull the wool over his subscribers' eyes." Her website also debuted an article on March 10th detailing the advantages of HD radio (a new offering from terrestrial radio stations) over satellite radio. The timing and tone of these opinion pieces drew criticism from the Howard Stern Show (on Sirius satellite radio), accusing her of using her show and column to paint satellite radio in a bad light simply because Sirius had dropped her from its lineup. Komando has countered that WestStar TalkRadio Network made the decision to cancel its contract with Sirius two months prior to her on-air comments about the proposed merger.[3]

[edit] User group criticism

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Komando has drawn criticism for her reviews of computer products and open source media projects. On her radio program and in her syndicated columns, Komando has claimed that her reviews are not biased toward any particular vendor or group[4][5]. This assertion has been contested by various individuals and user groups, and is the subject of numerous flame wars [6][7][8][9][10]. Although she admits her program centers around users' experiences with Microsoft Windows, she is a notable proponent of using the open source browser, Firefox, as an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer [11]. She has been critical of various online community projects, including Wikipedia [12], YouTube [13], and lately, Google [14], sparking heated debate in discussion groups[15].