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

Supporters And Opponents Head To D.C., Docs On Pot And Vomiting, Famed Choreographer On MLK Day

Two Colorado women are headed to Washington, D.C. this week but for very different reasons. One is a Latina Republican who will attend President-Elect Trump’s inauguration. The other, a Democrat, will march in a protest the next day. We’ll hear their thoughts on the next four years. Then, doctors say chronic marijuana users are being afflicted with a disorder that involves uncontrollable dry retching. And, on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a hymn that Dr. King first heard in Denver became one of his favorites. Plus, choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson on growing up in a segregated city.

History Of Sexual Harassment Within National Park Service, Life & Death Of Marvin Booker

The agency charged with safeguarding the country’s most cherished public lands has neglected to protect its workers. That’s what High Country News found when it investigated the National Park Service. They uncovered stories of sexual harassment, assault and gender discrimination. Congress has taken note of the story. Then, a new film about a homeless man who died at the hands of deputies in the Denver County jail. The life and death of Marvin Booker. And, author Sean Prentiss went on a quest to find the grave of the creator of the Monkey Wrench Gang, but what he really found were answers to other mysteries.

Coffman On Trump, New CU Regent, Comic Book on Police Brutality

We get reaction to President-elect Donald Trump’s press conference from a Colorado Republican who vowed to stand up to him. Congressman Mike Coffman talks about the future of healthcare, the new VA hospital in Aurora, and Russian meddling in the election. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee which has cybersecurity in its purview. Then, a new CU regent says the University of Colorado system needs more diversity (but she’s not talking about gender or race.) Heidi Ganahl joins us. And, a Denver man has a new comic book that deals with heavy subjects: police shootings and race relations.

Hickenlooper On Colorado Infrastructure, Buying Cars On Sundays, Writing Horror

On the eve of a new legislative session, Gov. John Hickenlooper has high hopes of finding a way to pay for billions of dollars in transportation improvements, and of passing a law that might make housing more affordable. Then, one state agency says people should be able to buy cars on Sundays. That’s one of 25 “Sunrise, Sunset” laws being taken to the state legislature this session. And, Stephen King based “The Shining” on The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. That’s why a CU Boulder professor, who’s teaching a new course — “Advanced Horror Fiction” — is there with his students.

Transportation, Affordable Housing Top Legislative Agenda; A Refugee Story On Stage; The Stock Show Anthem Singer

Colorado lawmakers start their 2017 session on Wednesday, with plans to tackle transportation funding, affordable housing, the state budget and more. Two legislative leaders talked with Colorado Matters: incoming Senate President Republican Kevin Grantham, who’s the first rural Coloradan in the post in many years, and Democrat Crisanta Duran, who will soon become the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the House. Then, a new play called “Boat Person” about a couple who came to the U.S. with just the clothes on their backs. And hear the National Anthem sung by a 15-year-old who won the chance to perform tonight at the National Western Stock Show.

Lawmakers Prepare For Trump Energy Changes, Penalties For Rogue Skiers, NASA Snow Study, Winter Driving

With Donald Trump’s energy agenda taking shape, state lawmakers have formed a new committee to consider local impacts. Steamboat plans to charge skiers $500 if they need rescuing out-of-bounds. NASA is set to launch a five-year study of Colorado’s snowpack beginning in February. It’ll provide information about weather and snow, and also help with space exploration. Also, tips on driving in the winter.

Colorado Hate Crimes, Bug Attacks Wine Grapes, Ski Train Reborn, Unusual Place Names

There have been multiple hate crimes in Colorado over the past six months, including swastikas carved into a playground in Longmont found earlier this week. We check in with the Anti-Defamation League to understand what happens after an act like this and how an incident is designated a hate crime. Then, a bug that once ravaged European vineyards has come to the Grand Valley. We’ll talk about what the arrival of Phylloxera means for Colorado’s biggest wine-producing region. And, the Winter Park Ski Train rides again, beginning this Saturday with service between the ski resort and Denver’s Union Station. But is the price tag too steep for skiers? Plus, the story behind Colorado place names — from Alamosa to Zirkel.

Finding Peace Politically, The Truth Behind Immigration Identity Theft

It’s time to become transpartisan, says Boulder mediator Mark Gerzon. He’s spent his career working with Congress, the UN and developing countries to resolve disputes. His latest book is called “The Reunited States of America.” Then, there’s a widely held belief that undocumented immigrants in the United States steal identities so they can work. The trouble is: that ignores the role employers play in helping workers get IDs that don’t belong to them. It’s a practice a CU-Denver anthropologist investigated when she was doing research in the farm fields. She also got acquainted with a phenomenon known as “trabajando fantasma” — the working ghost. And, after recording a record with the Colorado Symphony Boulder folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov prepares to perform live with them.

Metro Denver’s Gifts, Curses And Rapid Growth, A Spiritual Audio Book Publishing House

It’s no accident Denver is growing as fast as it is. It’s the result of city leaders going back decades. They laid plans for things like a rail system and public spaces that would lure and serve more people. But something else added fuel to the fire: the Internet. Today, listen to “Denver Rising,” a discussion organized by The New York Times about the metro area’s gifts and its curses. Speakers include former mayor, now governor, John Hickenlooper and preservationist Dana Crawford, who shaped downtown. Then, Tami Simon’s Louisville-based audio book company Sounds True and the audio clips that have changed the way she looks at life.

Why People Are Drawn To Fictional Sheriff Walt Longmire, Good-Bye To Cascade Cottages At RMNP

As 2016 comes to a close, we’re listening back to some favorite conversations from the year. This includes a fictional character who’s loved on the page and on the screen: Western sheriff Walt Longmire. He’s the creation of Wyoming author Craig Johnson. Then, after decades of hosting guests from around the world, the Cascade Cottages at Rocky Mountain National Park are no more.

Being Hunter S. Thompson’s Son, AIDS Stories, The Journalist And The Cop, Remembering Glenn Frey

As Denver takes steps to eradicate AIDS by the year 2030, women who have been affected by AIDS and HIV tell their stories as part of a new project from StoryCenter. According to the state’s Department of Public Safety, Blacks in Colorado are arrested at much higher rates than whites; earlier this year, we brought you the anatomy of a police stop involving an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy, who’s white, and an African-American civilian. Then, another conversation from earlier this year — Juan Thompson talks about what it was like being the son of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. And, remembering former Eagles founder Glenn Frey.

Dianne Reeves, Clare Dunn, The Lost Tribe And More On Inaugural Colorado Matters Holiday Music Special

The first-ever “Colorado Matters Holiday Music Special” broadcast live Wednesday morning from the CPR Performance Studio. Hosted by Ryan Warner, the show featured Colorado musicians and their holiday stories, including Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, rising country star Clare Dunn, Christmas carols recorded in an old water tank on the Western Slope and a Denver trio who got their start as singing caterers.