Oh, OK, Well from Wiki- Of course, I live in AZ so I guess I would have more knowledge of his early days. Not that he was national. I suppose.
[edit] Early radio career
Kimmel began working in the radio industry while in high school, hosting a Sunday night interview show on UNLV’s college station KUNV. While attending Arizona State University, he became a popular caller to the KZZP-FM afternoon show hosted by radio personalities Mike Elliott and Kent Voss in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Kimmel landed his first paying job alongside Voss as morning drive co-host of The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington. Ten months later, Kimmel and Voss were fired by KZOK (reason unk.) and were fired again (another mystery) a year later at WRBQ-FM in Tampa, Florida. Kimmel went from Tampa to host his own show at KCMJ-FM in Palm Springs, California (where Kimmel convinced a young Carson Daly to drop out of college and become his intern because college interns were unknown then.) From Palm Springs, Kimmel landed a job with Mike Elliott at 93.7 KRQ in Tucson. Kimmel and Elliott were fired after one year (mysterious again). From KRQ, Kimmel was hired as sports guy/comedy writer for the Kevin and Bean morning show at KROQ-FM (former employer of Carson Daly) , Los Angeles, where he was known as “Jimmy the Sports Guy.” Kimmel spent five years at KROQ, leaving in 1999 to focus on television.
Ben made him national. That was my point.