Thom Kokenge

Thom  Kokenge is a Washington native, born and raised in Yakima, and the youngest of seven siblings.  A graduate of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Thom got his start in radio there, with KCAT and KXLE, fulfilling a lifelong dream of being on the air.  Since he was a kid, he had always wanted to be “one of those voices on the radio.”  And even when employed in other areas, he has always managed to work part time or volunteer at a radio station, just for the fun of it.
 
With close to a quarter-century’s worth of experience, Thom has worked in almost every aspect of radio.  He has been with NWPR since June of 2007, when he began as the host of Weekend Edition before moving over to All Things Considered.  These days his favorite part about working in radio is connecting with the people.  Thom says he loves it when he feels like he is having a personal conversation with all of his listeners at once.

Thom and his wife, Elise, moved to Moscow, Idaho a little over four years ago.   They have two dogs-- Dazey, an “extremely intelligent” Boston Terrier/miniature Schnauser mix, and Rhoadie, a lovable mutt, who is merely "regular dog intelligent."  An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Thom rides his Kawasaki sport tourer to work every day until it begins to snow, and recently Elise got a bike of her own.  He enjoys playing on his co-ed softball team.  Despite being “absolutely terrible,” they apparently still manage to have an awfully good time, which, according to Thom, is all that really matters.