Kim O'Hare
Birthplace
Kirkland Lake, Ontario
First Media Job
CJKL Kirkland Lake
Like many broadcasters, Kim O’Hare would get his first taste of the business in his hometown. His career started in the mid 1960s at CJKL AM in Kirkland Lake.
Attending the University of Windsor Kim studied Communication Arts and graduated in 1975. He remained in that city to work at CKWW AM. He then moved to the east coast taking a position at CKCW AM in Moncton, New Brunswick and then back to Ontario at CHEX Radio and Television in Peterborough. His next move was to Sudbury and CKSO AM and CIGM FM Radio as News Director. He anchored morning radio news in the Cranston-Bowen era. After leaving CKSO Kim moved to CFGM AM Country in Richmond Hill, then to CHFI AM Toronto and from 1979 to 1985 at CKEY AM Toronto. While at CKEY Kim got his first overseas experience traveling to Israel in the fall of 1983.
By 1985 Kim was in North Bay, Ontario as Coordinator of the Broadcast Journalism Program at Canadore College while handling morning news at CHUR AM in that city. In 1996, after 11 cold winters in North Bay, he decided to return to the middle-east. There he taught broadcasting at The Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai from 1996 to May of 2004. He also hosted a talk show on Dubai FM and found himself doing a fair amount of voice-over work including radio and television commercials and a few documentaries. If that were not enough, Kim got into freelance travel writing taking him all through southeast Asia, Europe and Africa.
After eight years in Dubai it was time to return to Canada with his wife and two kids, accepting a faculty position at Camosun College in Victoria in 2004 and remained there until the college cancelled its broadcast program in 2012. While at Camosun and still reluctant to leave radio completely, Kim joined CFAX 1070 News and Talk Radio in Victoria, British Columbia between 2007 and 2011 covering public news and affairs reporting and anchoring on an occasional part-time basis. In 2012 Kim took on the position of Public Affairs Officer with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) out of Victoria.
It was back to Ontario in 2014 when Kim became Chair of the School of Media at Seneca College at York. The school offered diploma and degree programs in radio, television, journalism, event and media production and media fundamentals. It was a short stay as he was recruited by 740 Zoomer Radio in Toronto to join their news department.
In addition to studies at University of Windsor, Kim’s education includes Central Michigan University having graduated with an MA in Education and Cambridge University where he earned a CELTA, Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.
