Kim Komando

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

The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on 435 radio stations in the United States and two stations in Ontario, Canada to an estimated 1.5+ million listeners. (See Popular US Radio Shows) 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. In 2016, she ranked 29th in Talkers Magazine's "Heavy Hundred", their ranking of the 100 most important radio hosts.^[3]

Kim Komando refers to herself as "America's Digital Goddess."^[4] 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.

Kim Komando and her husband, Barry Young, 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.

Kim 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^[5] and in April 2016 was the keynote speaker at the NAB Show Radio Luncheon to an audience of industry leaders.^[6][7]

Early life

Kimberly Ann Komando was born and raised in New Jersey.

Her father, Richard "Dick" Paul Komando served in the Army during the Korean War and was a management employee for United Airlines. Her mother, Virginia Dorthy (Williams) Komando was a Senior Systems Analyst with Bell Laboratories.^[8] Kimberly "Kim" is the youngest of four, a brother Richard "Dick" and two sisters, Christine "Chris" and Kathleen "Kathy".

Kim said in her profile, "She was 9 years old when she first sat at a computer".^[9] She graduated eighth grade from Watchung's Valley View School in 1978.^[10] She then attended the nearby private high school for girls, Mount St. Mary Academy, where she was elected to the McAuley Chapter of the National Honor Society in 1981.^[11][12][13] After graduating from high school in 1982, she went on to attend Arizona State University. While in school, she trained people to use their computers. Kim graduated from Arizona State University School of Business in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems.^[2]

She is frequently asked if "Kim Komando" is her real name, which it is. The name "Komando" is Russian-Ukrainian.^[14]

Career

Kim 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 $11 million. Kim 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 formed "The Komando Corporation" with her as President/CEO and her mother as Secretary.^[15] 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. Kim Komando developed computer training tapes like Komputer Tutor, which she sold via an infomercial.^[16][17][18] 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. Kim Komando negotiated a role running the info section on AOL’s site. The domain KOMANDO.COM was registered in November 1994.^[19] It hosted "Kim Komando's Komputer Klinic" for several years.^[20]

Kim Komando has written 12 books on computers and technology.^[21]

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.^[22]

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.^[23]

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 Konando is a certified scuba diver, runs marathons and loves to cook. She is married to Barry Young, former host of The Nearly Famous Barry Young Show, a local radio show on KFYI in Phoenix until November, 2014.^[24] Their son Ian was born on December 28, 2000.^[25]

Awards

• 2001 Arizona State University College of Business and SRP Spirit of the Enterprise Award ^[2]
• 2006 Judy Jarvis Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions by a Woman to Talk Radio, also known as “Woman of the Year” by Talker’s Magazine.^[26]
• 2007 Gracie Individual Achievement Award for Outstanding Program Host.^[5]
• 2009 speaker at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit.^[27]

References

External links

• Official website