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 Resorts Not Liable For Avalanches, Denver’s Experiment With Cash For Poor, Novel Explores Schizophrenia, Denver’s Own Omelet

Resort skiers need to step up avalanche awareness after a court ruling. A Boulder novelist looks at schizophrenia through a child’s eyes. Denver’s signature omelet may have started as a sandwich. A Denver experiment that aided the poor could have international impact . Revisiting a conversation with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Hemp May Yield Record Crop, Wyoming Author’s Ghost Story, Cotopaxi’s Jewish Colony, Nabokov In The West

Four years after hemp became legal in Colorado, farmers may produce the state’s first industrial crop. A Wyoming writer’s latest Walt Longmire mystery is a ghost story. A man wants help proving his relative didn’t swindle residents of a Jewish immigrant colony near Pueblo. And, Russian novelist Vladmir Nabokov’s love of the West helped inspire “Lolita.”

A Colorado Medal Of Honor Winner, Churches Welcome Soldiers Home, A Denver Writer’s Korean War Tale, Idaho Springs Statue

A former Fort Carson soldier who tackled a suicide bomber in Afghanistan says he doesn’t deserve his Medal of Honor because he just did what any soldier would. A military chaplain offers advice for ministering to veterans and their families. Then, Denver author Adam Makos tells the story of a Korean War plane crash that brought military men of different races together. And, a sculpture in Idaho Springs depicts an adventurer who never lived.

Colorado’s Unaffiliated Voters, Student Machines Nab River Trash, Denver Museum’s Exhibit Raises Privacy Issues, Jewish Writer Inspired By Denver Experience

Unaffiliated voters are Colorado’s largest and least-understood voting bloc. Students at Metropolitan State University of Denver invented machines to clear trash from urban rivers. An exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver raises privacy concerns. Growing up Jewish in Denver inspired an award-winning story by author Talya Zax.

Teaching Preschoolers About Gender Identity And Same-Sex Marriage, Denver Folk Legend Judy Collins With A Love Letter To Sondheim

A children’s book used in some Colorado preschools has raised eyebrows. It’s a love story between worms that’s supposed to spark conversations about different kinds of families. But what’s the right age to raise these questions? And, folk singer Judy Collins, whose roots are in Denver, is in town this weekend for a tribute to Stephen Sondheim.

Fear And Loathing In Woody Creek: Growing Up With Hunter S. Thompson, Nederland-Based Elephant Revival’s New Album, Kirkland Museum On The Move

Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s son, Juan Thompson of Denver, chronicles a difficult life with his father in the new memoir “Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up With Hunter S. Thompson.” Then, the Nederland band Elephant Revival has a new album, “Petals,” and an upcoming headline gig at Red Rocks. And, the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art prepares to close until 2017 when it moves to a new and bigger building.