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

Colorado Militia Rises, Election Opposites, Student Election Essay, Teenage Robot Inventor, Roller Derby Going Mainstream

At the US-Mexico border, it’s not just law enforcement on patrol. Colorado militias are there, too. Mother Jones writer Shane Bauer went undercover to see these paramilitary groups up close. Then, one Denver teenager gives her thoughts on this election season, while another builds an SUV-sized walking robot. Also, people who manage to disagree politically and still love each other. And roller derby teams — including in Denver — are moving away from the kitschy names and dolled-up reputation in an effort to take the sport mainstream.

Stories From The Grave On This Halloween Episode Of Colorado Matters

For Halloween, lessons in properly burying the dead and how to raise them back up — through necromancy. University of Colorado Boulder historian Scott Bruce, and a ghoulish crowd, joined Colorado Matters at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver to dig into a millennium’s worth of ghost stories. Bruce’s new book is “The Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters.”

CM Helps End Ballot Confusion, Using Artistic Expression To Refuse Serving Gays, “Growing Up Coy”

You have questions about this year’s ballot initiatives and we have answers. CPR’s Megan Verlee, John Daley, and Jenny Brundin join us to clear things up. Then, the legal argument a website designer is making so she doesn’t have to make websites for gay couples getting married. And, a new film about a transgender six-year-old in Colorado, who wasn’t allowed to use the girls room at school. Plus, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival reacts to news Christopher Marlow co-authored the Bard’s “Henry The Sixth.”

Where’s The Aurora Theater Shooter, The 20 Other Presidential Candidates And Who’s Voting For Them

Families of victims in the Aurora theater shootings say under state law, Colorado officials must reveal where the killer is being held. He was moved to an undisclosed location after being attacked at a Colorado prison. State prison officials say they’re under no obligation to tell. Also, for voters who don’t like Clinton and Trump, there are 20 other people to choose from on the presidential ballot; we hear from Coloradans who plan to vote for those alternative candidates.

Ballot Selfies, Human Services Chief Answers Critics, A Road To The South Pole, And Local Ballot Measures

Some of Colorado’s most vulnerable people rely on the Colorado Department of Human Services, including kids who are abused and people with severe disabilities. The department’s head, Reggie Bicha, answers questions on issues that have plagued his administration, and on strides it’s made. Then, from a sugary soda tax to municipal broadband, we look at some of the local measures on ballots across the state. And ballot selfies may strike you as silly, but they’re illegal for a reason. Plus, a Colorado man who helped build a road to the South Pole.

Whistleblower: Vets Wait Too Long For Care, Choosing To Live In A Car, Van Gogh Tribute Animated By 64,000 Paintings

Every night, Diane Kois has a decision to make — where to park the car she lives in. She’s chosen this life, but the high cost of Denver metro housing is a factor. Then, a whistleblower says veterans are still waiting too long for healthcare in Colorado. Plus, a new film pays tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. It’s animated entirely by more than 64,000 oil paintings. We’ll meet the Colorado painter who took part. And, how a Reddit conversation impacted a little tree named Plato.

A 911 Call And A Meeting That Was More Than Black And White, Students’ “4th Reich” Facebook Group

When a sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of an African-American man with a gun, things weren’t as they first appeared. The deputy, and the female CPR news host he stopped, both realize the encounter could have turned out much differently. Then, a decentralized Colorado voting system means it would be difficult to rig elections. Plus, a group of Boulder high school students formed a Nazi Facebook group called “The 4th Reich,” an incident that highlights growing concern over hate crimes. Also, a Colorado Springs woman wants to make history in November as the nation’s first transgender member of Congress.

What Pueblo Voters Want The Next President To Know About Their Lives

Both of the major presidential candidates have visited Pueblo in recent weeks to pick up swing voters and rally supporters. The presidential candidates believe Colorado’s nine electoral college votes could hinge on this working class city. Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner spoke with about a dozen Pueblo voters of different ages, political affiliations and backgrounds about what they want from their next president, and what that person should know about them.

Debate: How To Change Colorado’s Constitution, ‘Extreme’ Mammals

Colorado voters will decide whether to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. Supporters say it would ensure voters across the state are represented. Opponents say it would increase the influence of special interests. A Denver ballot measure would allow pot smoking in public. Colorado Matters’ resident poet weighs in on presidential debates. Did you know horned beavers used to live in Colorado? A Denver museum exhibits “extreme” mammals.

Schools Ask Voters For Tax Increases, Co-Founder of AOL Seeks Western Talent, Asian Migration To Colorado

School districts have a record-setting number of measures on the ballot worth $4.4 billion all together. Education reporter Jenny Brundin explains what the schools want it for. And, AOL co-founder Steve Case recently came to Colorado as part of an investment tour of start-up companies that are outside of Silicon Valley. Also, how Asians persevered in Colorado despite an unwelcoming environment. Plus, assessing the state’s tobacco sales tax ballot measure and Denver’s use of its cultural tax.