Kim Komando

Kim Komando (born July 1, 1967) 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 U.S. and two stations in Ontario, Canada. Her Digital Minute airs on more than 390 stations five days a week. According to a Talkers magazine report for the fall of 2006, Komando's weekend program reached a weekly cume of 2.25 million.^[3] Komando refers to herself on her show as "America's Digital Goddess."^[4]

Komando has appeared on CNN, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, BBC and Fox News, and her syndicated columns appear in USA Today and other newspapers. Komando also owns with her husband Phoenix, Arizona-based WestStar TalkRadio Network, which distributes the Komando radio programs. Also, through the publishing arm of WestStar, Komando publishes daily and weekly email newsletters/advertisements addressing issues topical to her radio program.

Early life

Komando was born and raised in Watchung, New Jersey.

"Komando" is her actual last name, and is Russian-Ukrainian.^[5] 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. ^[6] 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.^[7]

Today, The Kim Komando Show runs on more than 475 radio stations.

At the peak of the network's success in the mid-2000s, WestStar's radio offerings diversified into a number of other radio formats. Among 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. As of 2015, WestStar currently only carries The Kim Komando Show and An American Christmas; the other programs have either ceased production or moved to other networks.

Personal life

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]

She has two sisters named Christine and Kathleen, and a brother named Richard.

Awards

• 2001 Arizona State University College of Business and SRP Spirit of the Enterprise Award ^[2]
• 2006 recipient of the Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions by a Woman to Talk Radio.^[9]
• 2007 Gracie award.^[10] She was also voted “Woman of the Year” by Talker’s Magazine.
• 2009 featured speaker at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit.

References

External links

• The Kim Komando Radio Show Official site
• Komando's Digital Pro podcast at WCBS-AM website
• Komando's column for USA Today
• WestStar TalkRadio Network