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Host, Seattle's Morning News

Charlie Harger

About

I’m a journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering the stories that shape life in western Washington. I host Seattle’s Morning News on KIRO Newsradio, where I help listeners start their day informed, prepared, and sometimes even entertained.

My reporting has earned multiple national and regional awards, including several Edward R. Murrow Awards. I’ve also been named APTRA’s Radio Reporter of the Year and recognized for investigative reporting on major stories like the Boeing 737 MAX crisis and interviews with serial killer Gary Ridgway.

I specialize in making complex issues understandable, focusing on how news affects real people. I’m a fourth-generation western Washington resident and have called Auburn home for over a decade.

Before hosting, I served as News Director at KIRO, worked at KOMO for nearly two decades, and taught journalism at Green River College. I take news seriously — but believe the best reporting connects on a human level.

Expertise

  • Broadcast Journalism and Storytelling
  • Investigative and Accountability Reporting
  • Community Impact and Public Service Journalism

Experience

  • Host, Seattle’s Morning News – KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • News Director – KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • Reporter and Anchor – KOMO Newsradio
  • Broadcast Instructor – Green River College
  • Communications and Digital Media – Microsoft and tech startups

Education

B.A., Communications – Thomas Edison State University
M.S., Strategic Communication – Arkansas State University

Achievements & Awards

  • Edward R. Murrow Award – Hard News (2020)
  • Edward R. Murrow Award – Continuing Coverage (2019)
  • APTRA Award – Best Investigative Reporting (2019, 2014)
  • Edward R. Murrow Award – Best Newswriting (2015)
  • APTRA Award – Radio Reporter of the Year (2015)
  • APTRA Award – Best Spot News Coverage (2015)
  • Edward R. Murrow Award – Best Documentary (2014)
  • APTRA Award – Enterprise Coverage (2014)
  • Emmy Nomination – Investigative Journalism (2014)

Social Media Profiles

Trump threatens to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities, putting billions of WA dollars at risk

Trump said he will halt all federal payments to sanctuary locations starting Feb. 1, a threat that could impact billions of dollars flowing to Washington and Seattle.
8 months ago

Harger: The tents stay as Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson pauses encampment sweep in Ballard

Crews were supposed to be in Ballard this morning to clear a homeless encampment near the Burke-Gilman Trail, but the removal is off. Indefinitely postponed.
8 months ago

15 arrests and no consequences: WA’s revolving door on property crime

According to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, the suspect has been booked into the Thurston County jail 15 times — including this one.
8 months ago

Bodycam video shows man accused of attacking WSP lieutenant, stealing cruiser on I-5 in Seattle

Newly released bodycam video shows WSP troopers trying to coax a man off I-5 on Christmas Day before he stole a lieutenant's patrol SUV and sped away.
8 months ago

‘No regime lasts forever’: What the Berlin Wall taught Harger about Iran

I keep two chunks of concrete in a box on a shelf in my home. Gray, rough., and about the size of a golf ball. They look unremarkable, but they're anything but.
8 months ago

‘Trump’s goal is he wants the oil’: Adam Smith slams Trump’s foreign policy shift

Smith said Trump's moves to seize Venezuelan oil and threaten military force against Greenland represent a dangerous return to a time when powerful nations simply took what they want.
9 months ago

Rep. Adam Smith calls on Congress to rein in ‘chaos’ of college football after UW QB transfer

Smith said Congress needs to step in and bring "some semblance of order" to college football after Demond Williams Jr. announced he's entering the NCAA transfer portal.
9 months ago

Harger: A 15-year-old led troopers on a 100 mph chase — then went home

WSP troopers said a group of teenagers, including a 15-year-old driver, led them on a high-speed chase around 3:30 a.m. near Marysville.
9 months ago

Harger: WA has third-highest gas prices in nation. Now the state admits its climate program data was off by 96x

Washington's climate program data was inaccurate by 96x, contributing to soaring gas prices.
9 months ago

Harger: WA leads the nation in retail theft. Issaquah shows how to fix it

Washington loses $3 billion a year to retail theft, 40-48% higher than the national average. Washington consistently ranks No. 1 nationally for retail theft impact.
9 months ago

Harger: WA has third-highest gas prices in nation. Now state admits climate program data was off by 96x.

Washington's climate program data was inaccurate by 96x, contributing to soaring gas prices.
9 months ago

Harger: Seattle is ending arrests for public drug use as Katie Wilson takes over

An internal SPD email is instructing officers to stop making arrests for public drug use and possession. Instead, officers will refer people to the LEAD pre-arrest diversion program.
9 months ago

‘My mom thought she would die without seeing this day’: Venezuelan exile in Seattle reacts to Maduro capture

U.S. forces had entered Venezuela. Explosions lit up Caracas. And Nicolás Maduro, the man who had ruled Venezuela for more than a decade, was being extracted.
9 months ago

Trump captures Maduro in Venezuela raid: WA lawmakers comments range from ‘unconstitutional’ to ‘bold leadership’

Washington's congressional delegation is sharply divided over President Donald Trump's military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
9 months ago

Harger: Budget shortfall, rising costs await WA lawmakers in 2026 session

In 10 days, state lawmakers head back to Olympia. What's waiting for them? A budget gap somewhere between $2.3 billion and $4 billion.
9 months ago

CIA behind drone strike on Venezuelan drug cartel facility as Trump escalates pressure on Maduro, retired general says

Retired Gen. Newton analyzes escalating U.S. actions against Maduro's regime and its implications for national security.
9 months ago

Seattle New Year’s Eve weather forecast: What to expect at the Space Needle at midnight

Good news for the thousands expected to gather at Seattle Center and across western Washington for New Year's Eve celebrations: the forecast looks dry and calm.
9 months ago

New Year’s Eve commentary: What 2025 took from us — and what we’re carrying into 2026

New Year's strikes at midnight. I've been thinking a lot about the year we're leaving behind. 2025 was hard. For a lot of us. Maybe for you.
9 months ago

Edmonds high school graduate becomes first American to win Young Cheesemonger of the Year

An Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate just made history winning the Young Cheesemonger of the Year award.
9 months ago

This Mexican chain has 500 locations, but zero in Washington. That just changed.

El Pollo Loco has launched its inaugural Washington restaurant in Kent, delighting fans of the popular Mexican chain.
9 months ago

Seattle’s office vacancy rate hits 26.6%, second-worst in nation. In days, it becomes Katie Wilson’s problem

Seattle's office market just landed another unwanted distinction. The city has the second-highest office vacancy rate among major U.S. markets, trailing only San Francisco.
9 months ago

Puyallup Walmart location to gain celebrated hot dog chain

Wienerschnitzel announced in a press release this week that it is opening a new location inside the Walmart Supercenter in Puyallup.
9 months ago

Inside ‘the boy in the tent’: Conditions were worse than anyone knew

Nearly two weeks after KIRO Newsradio first reported on a nine-year-old living in a fentanyl-filled encampment off Aurora Avenue, the tent has been abandoned.
9 months ago

Christmas Eve windstorm possible in western WA as forecast models clash

A potential Christmas Eve windstorm has Western Washington meteorologists facing one of the most uncertain forecasts in recent memory.
9 months ago