Thom Kokenge
NWPB’s “All Things Considered” host Thom Kokenge is a Washington native, born and raised in Yakima, and the youngest of seven siblings. A graduate of Central Washington University, 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 has turned his work into being a consistent voice over the airwaves and internet.
With nearly 30 years of experience, Thom has worked in almost every aspect of radio, from managing a station to overnight rock DJ. He has been with NWPB since 2007 when he began as the host of “Weekend Edition” before moving over to his “big red chair” on “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 in 2007. They have two dogs, Dazey, an “extremely intelligent” Boston Terrier/miniature Schnauser mix, and Rhoadie, a lovable mutt, who is merely “regular dog smart.” An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Thom rides his sport tourer to work every day until it begins to snow, and recently Elise got a bike of her own. In his off time, Thom enjoys playing games and telling epic stories with friends as the Dungeon Master of his weekly Dungeons and Dragons session.
ATC Host/ ProDucer
My Posts
![Ketron Island in the south Puget Sound, site of where a stolen Horizon Air turbo prop plan crashed on Friday evening, Aug. 10, 2018. CREDIT: The News Tribune](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ketron-Island-News-Tribune-300x169.jpg)
UPDATES: Man Steals Horizon Air Plane From SeaTac Airport, Crashes On South Puget Sound Island
The latest on a plane stolen from Sea-Tac International Airport Friday, Aug. 10. Officials say the plane was empty except for the man who stole it, and it had crash landed on the small Ketron Island in south Puget Sound.
![U.S. Deputy Marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, in this November 1960, file photo. Lucille Bridges, Ruby's mother, died Tuesday at the age of 86. Uncredited/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ap_483119845190-0a0a886028d2340193b912fa2953309b7ba4a7af-300x225.jpg)
Lucille Bridges, Mother Of Anti-Segregation Icon Ruby Bridges, Dies At 86
In 1960, she braved death threats and racial epithets to accompany her daughter to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, desegregating the school.
![The Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata, pictured in November 2019, where federal immigration authorities have been spotted arresting undocumented people going to court since 2017. In front of the courthouse steps, Brenda Rodriguez with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network takes a phone call while a volunteer hands out “Know Your Rights” pamphlets. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Accomp1-300x199.jpg)
Former Central Washington Judge, Business Owner Fined For Violating Campaign Finance Laws
Investigators found out former Grant County Superior Court Judge Jerry Moberg and Moses Lake business owner Ken Greene had financed the mailers but concealed it from state officials overseeing campaign finance.