About Charlie

Charlie Brennan, in his 33rd year at KMOX, is host of “The Charlie Brennan Show with Amy Marxkors” Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m.  Brennan discusses issues, interviews newsmakers and takes listener calls. 

Brennan is also “Provocateur” of KETC-TV’s “Donnybrook,” the highest rated locally-produced talk show on PBS. 

 Brennan, inducted into the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame in 2009,  was named “One of the Most Influential St. Louisans” five years in a row by The St. Louis Business Journal.

In 2020, Brennan tied for second place behind Andy Cohen for “Favorite St. Louisan On A Reality/Talk Show” by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s “The Go! List 2020”. 

In 2016, Brennan won the St. Louis Magazine “A-List Readers’ Choice Award for Talk Show Hosts (non-sports)” with his colleague Debbie Monterrey.

Charlie Brennan was named to the St. Louis Magazine “2016 Power List:  100 People Who Are Shaping St. Louis”

“The Charlie Brennan Show” was named “St. Louis’ Best AM Talk Show” in the 2016 Readers Poll of The Riverfront Times.

Charlie ranks #65 in the the Top 100 U.S. Talk Show Hosts by Talkers Magazine.

Brennan is hardly tied to a microphone:

In 2017, he led two drives to raise funds for flood victims in St. Louis and Houston.

In 2016, he challenged his listeners to donate cleaning supplies and cash to flood victims in Louisiana.

In 2015, he led a community-wide clean-up of Ferguson, Missouri which won the Best Public Service Award from the Missouri Broadcasters Association. 

In 2015, Brennan appealed a speeding ticket all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court and won!  As a result, speeding cameras no longer exist in Missouri.

In 2014, Brennan narrated The Night Before Christmas with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.  It was his seventh appearance with the SLSO. 

In 2013, Brennan wrote Amazing St. Louis: 250 Years of Great Tales and Curiosities in honor of St. Louis’ 250th birthday.  For eight weeks in a row, it was the best-selling book in St. Louis according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In 2012, Charlie helped lead a successful campaign before the Missouri legislature to restore medical benefits to the blind.

Also, in 2012, Brennan organized a group of volunteers to plant daffodils on area highways.

In 2011, Brennan and his listeners raised $105,000 to erect a statue honoring Chuck Berry, the Father of Rock and Roll.  Brennan presided over the statue’s dedication in a ceremony including the Isley Brothers, Little Richard, Joe Perry, Jimmy Webb, Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, Elvis Costello, and others. 

Also, in 2011, Brennan asked listeners to call and urge Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to stay the execution of death row inmate Richard Clay, an action later taken by Nixon to the surprise of critics and supporters.  Clay later appeared on KMOX to thank Brennan and his listeners. 

Brennan has organized five campaigns sending care packages to troops serving overseas. On KMOX, he exposed litter and trash problems on downtown streets which led to the establishment of St. Louis’ Problem Properties Court. 

In 1997, Brennan spearheaded ordinances allowing street musicians and food vendors in downtown St. Louis. 

Along with the American Institute of Architects, he led a successful effort to clean up downtown storefronts. 

Charlie and his listeners also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars on his radio show to plant flowers in downtown St. Louis. 

Charlie also raised funds to install 27 historic plaques in the downtown St. Louis area. 

The St. Louis Business Journal named Brennan “A Most Valuable Volunteer in St. Louis” and St. Louis Magazine called him one of “St. Louis’ 50 Most Powerful People.” 

Brennan is a former recipient of the Press Club of St. Louis’ Media Person of the Year Award, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership’s Civic Betterment Award, the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Norman Stack Award,  The American Society of Landscape Architects’ Civic Stewardship Award, the St. Louis Society of the Blind Jim Butler Award, and the St. Louis Restaurant Association’s Media Person of the Year.

Charlie Brennan was hired by KMOX General Manager Robert Hyland to work evenings and weekends in 1988.  Within two years, he began working the mid-morning shift where he has been ever since. 

He lives in St. Louis with his wife and children.