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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: The Seahawks are doing what politics can’t, uniting Seattle together

The Seattle Seahawks are playing in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, and this town is buzzing in a way I haven't felt in a long time.
7 months ago

Video: Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders nearly T-boned by DUI driver in Tumwater

Dashcam video footage showed the moment a suspected drunk driver nearly T-boned Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders in Tumwater Thursday night.
7 months ago

Harger: Déjà vu in Olympia — another short session, another last-minute tax push

Rewind to this time last year. Ferguson spent months saying he was opposed to raising taxes. Fast forward to today and we're right back in the same spot.
7 months ago

WA income tax proposal includes ‘jock tax’ on visiting athletes: What Seahawks, Rams players would owe

The new tax plan could impact athletes during major games, including the Seahawks vs. Rams Championship clash at Lumen Field.
7 months ago

Harger: A boy lived for months in a tent on Aurora Ave. The system decided it was acceptable

You are seeing inside the tent. The tent where a nine-year-old boy lived for months along Aurora Avenue. The tent his mother filled with fentanyl smoke.
7 months ago

Harger: Profanity at basketball game leads Tahoma High to remove student section

One kid in the crowd yelled at a referee, dropping an F-bomb. An administrator responded by clearing the student section, sending all of them home.
7 months ago

Harger: One WA rep. defied party line over the SHOWER Act, and why that’s a good thing

It's the "Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act" — also known as the SHOWER Act. And yes, Congress spent actual time on this.
7 months ago

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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 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.
8 months ago