KBIG-FM Adds Talent to Morning Show

Simon Kaufman. PC: PMG

KBIG-FM continues to grow even bigger, not to mention better, with the addition of Simon Kaufman to the morning show with Jill Taylor.

Listeners can catch the “Morning Drive with Jill and Simon” weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on KBIG-FM 97.9 Hilo and 106.1 Kona, along with the Big Island’s Best Mix Of Music.

Kaufman will also ride the radio waves solo Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 10 a.m. on KBIG-FM, keeping you company seven days a week.

A professional stand-up comic for the last 13 years, Kaufman’s background is loaded with performance experience. Simon has performed his act on Comcast Cable and Up Late Northwest. He’s also been featured on Bravo TV’s Millionaire Matchmaker and was cast in the film Silver Skies with George Hamilton and Dick Van Patten.

You can catch Kaufman throwing jokes and catching laughs regularly all across the Hawaiian Islands. He’ll also be out and about at many KBIG-FM live community events.

Kaufman is new to the Big Island and says he is loving it. He moved to Hawai‘i for sun, fun and to live in the aloha spirit—and he has not been disappointed.

In his spare time, Kaufman is a practitioner of yoga and transcendental meditation. He strives to spin his performances positively and make them truly uplifting experiences through the joy of laughter.

But Kaufman isn’t the only news coming out of the KBIG-FM studios. Jill Taylor, the long-time voice of the station, has been promoted to the position of program director.

Jill Taylor. PC: PMG

A Big Island native, Taylor started her broadcasting career working overnights on KBIG-FM at the age of 17. After a brief stint with another station, she returned to KBIG-FM in 2008. She will split responsibilities between co-hosting “The Morning Drive with Jill and Simon” and steering the KBIG-FM ship expertly into the future.

Taylor has always had a passion for music and entertainment, and she keeps her listeners up to date on the latest trends in fashion, tech, pop culture and the general human condition.

During 23 years in radio, Taylor has done a lot more than cultivate a lasting, on-air personality. She has attained extensive knowledge of the radio business, holding positions in various sectors of the industry including production, news and sales. Jill currently holds the position promotion director for KBIG-FM as well as the program and promotions director for KBIG-FM’s sister station, The Beat.