Ryan Warner

Colorado Matters Senior Host

[email protected]

Ryan Warner is senior host of Colorado Matters, the flagship daily interview program from CPR News. His voice is heard on frequencies around the state as he talks with Coloradans from all walks of life — politicians, scientists, artists, activists and others. Ryan's interviews with Colorado's governor now span four administrations. During his tenure, Colorado Matters has consistently been recognized as the best major market public radio talk show in the country. He speaks French, geeks out on commercial aviation, adores and tolerates his tuxedo cat Bob, and owns too many shoes.

Professional background:
Ryan came to CPR from WGCU in Fort Myers, Fla. He was the founding host of that station's daily call-in talk show, Gulf Coast Live. Ryan served as assistant news director and local host of NPR's "All Things Considered" and filed stories for NPR during Hurricane Charley in 2004. Ryan previously hosted "Morning Edition" on WYSO Public Radio in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and co-created a weekend news magazine there. Prior to that, he served as news director of KOPN Community Radio in Columbia, Missouri. For two years, Ryan left public radio to report and anchor weekend news at KTIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa.

Education:
Bachelor's degrees in political science and French, University of Missouri-Columbia; Master's degree in broadcast journalism, Boston University.

Awards:
Ryan has won numerous awards from Public Media Journalists Association for his interviews. He's also been honored by The Associated Press. Westword named Ryan the Best Talk-Radio Host for 2021, and the editors of 5280 Magazine voted him Top Radio Talk Show Host of 2009.


Contact:

Bluesky: @ryanhasaquestion

Instagram: @oddryhepburn

The Good And Bad Of Colorado’s Aid-In-Dying Law; Surviving A Mountain Plane Crash

Last year Coloradans voted to let people take prescription medications to end their lives. Kathy Myers was one of the first to die under the new law, but her husband says it was hard to find doctors who would help them. In other cases, patients struggled when the medication took a long time to kill them. Then, how 20 people survived a mountain plane crash near Steamboat Springs almost 40 years ago. And, the new album from Big Head Todd And The Monsters.

Texts Help Homeless DPS Students; Naming Colorado Peaks For Lost Mountaineers

Schools in Denver don’t usually provide pillows and warm clothes for their homeless students — basic items that make it way easier for them to learn. So, the district has found a way to send text messages to people in Colorado, asking them to go straight to Amazon and buy those things for the kids. Then, Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff went missing in China 11 years ago. Now, two peaks in Colorado may be named for them.

Tax Changes GOP, Democratic Voters Want To See; New Jazz Album Echoes Civil Rights Era

The federal deficit would disappear if Americans who are supposed to pay taxes paid in full. That’s according to a political economist at CU Boulder, who also talked with us about his research that shows how differently voters would manage taxes and spending than politicians do. Later, acclaimed Denver cornetist Ron Miles, whose new album was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.

Tax Plans’ Impact On Coloradans; Native American Group Sues Over Bears Ears

Tax proposals in the U.S. House and Senate would touch everything from benefits for homeowners to how many people have health insurance. A look at how Coloradans could be impacted. Then, the Colorado-based Native American Rights Fund represents tribes suing to block President Trump’s order to shrink Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. And, at 98, Aspen’s Klaus Obermeyer still runs the skiwear company he started in 1947.

Denver Considers A Safe Place For Drug Users To Inject; Memories Of A Royal Wedding

There’s a place — in the heart of Denver — where injection drug users pick up clean needles and drop off dirty ones. It’s blocks away from the state Capitol, where lawmakers will continue to wrestle with Colorado’s drug epidemic. At this center, people also learn how to avoid overdosing — and keep their veins healthy. And, Ian Thompson lives in Colorado, but when Prince William married Kate Middleton in England seven years ago, he was right on the altar as a verger. Thompson explains his role and discusses the next royal wedding, occurring next spring.

Boulder Charity Head Charged With Theft; Gay Wedding Cake Case At SCOTUS

The founder of a Colorado non-profit established to help Syrian refugees is now charged with theft and fraud. A Denver Post investigation revealed what happened to Boulder’s “Humanwire.” Then, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the Colorado case of a baker who refused to customize a wedding cake for a gay couple. We’ll hear mock arguments. Plus, hunting for hallucinogenic honey.

Denver Coffee Shop In Hot Water; Is The US In Or Out On Fighting Climate Change?

No one found the joke funny when a Denver coffee shop bragged about gentrifying the neighborhood. Protests erupted and local politicians faced criticism. What happens now? Then, the U.S. is leaving the global climate agreement, so why was there such a big American presence at a UN conference in Germany this month? And, since Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy came out of the closet, he says athletes have changed how they talk about gay people.

Trump Voter Confronts Her Fears About Islam; Sexual Harassment At State Capitol

Annette Gonzales, of Pueblo​, equated Muslims with terrorists. But she agreed to visit a mosque, over the objections of her family. It’s the latest in our series that looks for common ground among Coloradans with very different political views. Then, revelations of sexual harassment at the state Capitol. Later in the show: how growing up in the mortuary business shaped a Colorado writer.

The Taxman, Part Three; Photographing Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado spends less on public schools than many other states and its roads are among the worst in the country. Some people blame a law that passed 25 years ago. In the final episode of our series on TABOR, how politicians have learned to live with the law, and how its author, Douglas Bruce, ended up under indictment by the government he tried to constrain. Also, how to get the perfect landscape photograph in Colorado.