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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

Harger: Seattle’s Clean City report is out. 661,000 needles. Purple bags for encampments. Gas money for RVs. Progress.

Seattle released its Clean City report this week. 661,000 sharps. Needles, syringes, lancets. Collected from Seattle streets in a single year.
4 months ago

Harger: King County hired 30 fare enforcement officers. They worked 40K hours, issued 8 citations, and voided all of them

Discover King County's fare enforcement program: 30 officers logged 40K hours but voided all citations issued.
4 months ago

Harger: ‘Seattle, we have a problem.’ Head of the Downtown Seattle Association warns about the city’s JumpStart Tax

Jon Scholes runs the Downtown Seattle Association. Earlier this week, he posted on LinkedIn with five words in all caps: "SEATTLE WE HAVE A PROBLEM."
4 months ago

Harger: The Tokyo subway costs 80 cents a ride. Sound Transit costs up to $47. And they still can’t get to Ballard

In Tokyo, it costs eighty cents to move a rider across one of the most efficient transit networks on the planet. In Seattle, it's a lot more.
4 months ago

Harger: WA doubled its budget, signed a new income tax. It couldn’t find $8M to keep the campgrounds open

WA's new budget and income tax fail to secure $8M for campgrounds. Explore the implications for outdoor recreation in the state.
5 months ago

Harger: North Beacon Hill park is worse after city sweep as fentanyl is smoked openly

Last week, in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon, I walked past groups of men smoking fentanyl in an open city park in Seattle's Beacon Hill.
5 months ago

Beacon Hill drug camps: Seattle neighborhood overrun by open-air fentanyl market as city looks away

Four parks on Beacon Hill have been swallowed by an open-air drug market. Hundreds of people are living and using within them right now.
5 months ago

Harger: You know the income tax is on the ballot this year, right? Five times

Five of nine. More than half the court. That's how many seats on the Washington State Supreme Court will be decided by voters this November.
5 months ago

Iran tells Microsoft, Boeing employees to evacuate Middle East offices immediately after attacks threatened

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is warning employees at 18 major American companies to evacuate their Middle East workplaces immediately.
5 months ago

Harger: Ferguson signed WA’s millionaire income tax. Before you celebrate or protest, ask what happened to the last decade of budget increases

Governor Bob Ferguson signed Washington's new millionaire income tax into law Monday morning. Lawsuits were announced almost immediately.
5 months ago

Harger: George Carlin warned us about soft language. Seattle and King County gave him 40 years of new material.

Explore how Seattle and King County reflect Carlin's insights on soft language and its impact on communication.
5 months ago

‘A lot of votes may not count’: Supreme Court appears ready to upend WA mail-in ballot rules for federal races by November 2026

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could require all ballots containing federal races to be physically received by Election Day.
5 months ago

Seattle gas prices near all-time record in 2026 as Iran war drives diesel to historic highs; analyst warns of 1970s-style oil crisis

Washington just set an all-time record for diesel prices this week. Now the all-time record for unleaded gasoline in Seattle is in the crosshairs too.
5 months ago

Harger: Hundreds responded to my Seattle homelessness commentary. Here’s what you said, and what I missed

Last week, I wrote about Seattle "homeless" and what it's hiding. I was not prepared for what came back: hundreds of responses from listeners and readers.
5 months ago

Harger: King County kept paying contractors despite warnings of fraud. A whistleblower got fired for asking questions

Billions of your dollars, distributed by King County with little oversight and even less accountability. And when someone inside the system tried to raise the alarm, he got fired.
5 months ago

Washington sets all-time diesel price record in 2026 as Iran war and Climate Commitment Act push prices higher

Washington just set an all-time record for diesel prices. The statewide average for diesel hit $6.53 a gallon, surpassing every record in Washington history.
5 months ago

Harger: Sound Transit 3 needs another $34.5 billion. That’s $10,000 per person in the taxing district. And Ballard still isn’t getting light rail

Sound Transit held an all-day retreat last week to figure out how to close a $34.5 billion gap. Here's where this is almost certainly heading...
5 months ago

Harger: A Thurston County man with 97 prior arrests built a custom bong into his dashboard. WA is surprised by none of this

The driver is a four-time convicted felon with 27 misdemeanor convictions. And as of this week, 97 prior arrests. Now this guy has 98.
5 months ago

Harger: You made it through the dark half of the year, I don’t want you to miss that

Discover the significance of today's balance as we transition into brighter days. Don't miss this pivotal moment in the year.
5 months ago

Harger: SPD arrested a violent Aurora Ave. pimp, fentanyl dealer 3x in 9 months. WA law tied its hands. Feds didn’t have that problem.

Leon Henderson, a violent pimp, was arrested thrice on Aurora Ave with fentanyl, highlighting ongoing issues in Seattle.
5 months ago

Harger: Seattle’s RapidRide J Line is spending $156M on Eastlake Avenue. Buses won’t get priority lanes. Bike lanes will.

Explore the $156M investment in Eastlake Avenue for Seattle's RapidRide J Line and its impact on the community.
5 months ago

WA gas prices surge past $5 a gallon, 2nd highest in nation; Iran war and Climate Commitment Act blamed

Washington drivers are getting hit from two directions at the gas pump, with no relief in sight. Experts say the Climate Commitment Act is a big reason why.
5 months ago

Harger: A Spokane jury said 46 years. Washington’s clemency board just decided 30 was close enough. Now it’s on Ferguson’s desk.

Spokane jury gave 46 years; board ruled 30 is enough. Now it awaits Ferguson's decision.
5 months ago

Harger: Seattle’s homeless crisis isn’t one problem. It’s three. And we’ve been spending billions pretending otherwise.

Explore the multifaceted aspects of Seattle's homeless crisis through listener insights and community discussions.
5 months ago