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

A Reflection On Voting For Iraq War, Co-Housing In Colo., Mid-Mod All The Rage, Baby Doe Opera

A scathing assessment of the Iraq War came out of the U.K. this week. It said the invasion “left families bereaved and individuals wounded.” Former U.S. Senator from Colorado Ben Nighthorse Campbell reflects on his vote to wage war. There’s a co-housing boom along the Front Range, where people share meals and socialize, but live in their own homes. And mid-century modern design is all the rage in southeast Denver’s Krisana Park. Many residents wants to preserve this mid-mod character. And Central City Opera presents a 60th anniversary production of an opera about Baby Doe Tabor.

Conservative Summit May Reconcile Colorado Evangelicals And Trump, Palisade Produces Bumper Fruit Crop

Presidential candidate Donald Trump appears at this weekend’s Western Conservative Summit, where an organizer says Trump has an opportunity to build relationships with evangelicals who favored Ted Cruz. The weather and the bugs cooperated so there’s an abundant crop of Western Slope peaches this summer, according to a fifth-generation farmer. And, Denver’s youth poet laureate balances two cultures.

Interview With Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Darryl Glenn, National Analyst Sees Democrat Michael Bennet With Early Edge, Following Senate Campaign Money

Republican Senate candidate Darryl Glenn offers his views on key issues in the upcoming campaign. Then, the race between Glenn and Democratic incumbent Michael Bennet will be one of the most closely watched in the country, according to an analyst for the Cook Political Report. And, a look at campaign fundraising and advertising buys from digital journalist Sandra Fish. Also, a teenager chronicles her experience with an abusive boyfriend in the film “Rock Bottom.”

Former Spy Turns To Satire

Former CIA officer Alex Finley describes herself as a “Denver girl turned spy turned satirist.” Her new book, “Victor In The Rubble,” lampoons the so-called war on terrorism.

Denver Sheriff On Use-Of-Force Policy, Buddhism In Colorado, ‘Geezer’ Dad’s Book, Denver Museum Holds Russian Sculptor’s Works

The sheriff department’s new policy requires deputies to try talking defiant inmates down before using force. The Dalai Lama visits Boulder this week. “Geezer Dad” Tom Lamarr’s book navigates infertility, adoption and becoming a father late in life. A Russian sculptor’s priceless collection is on exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Gunshot Wounds Get Deadlier; Water Crisis In Towns; Puerto Ricans Find Homes In Colorado; Artists With Disabilities Challenge Assumptions

A study of Denver Health Medical Center patients shows gun wounds are getting larger and penetrate more deeply. Three towns south of Colorado Springs are dealing with water contamination. Faced with economic declines in Puerto Rico, some of the territory’s residents have moved to Colorado. The director of a Denver gallery that teaches art to the disabled will speak at an upcoming TEDxMileHigh event.

Denver Murders Trend Down, Open Primaries Proposed, Cool Colorado Waterfalls, Book ‘Vanishing Messiah’ Chronicles Faith Healer, Pianist Vies For Cliburn

While mass shootings are up, murders are down nationally and locally compared to a peak in the 1990s. Author Susan Joy Paul’s “Hiking Waterfalls In Colorado” is a guide to state waterfalls. Healer Francis Schlatter drew crowds in 19th Century Denver. His story is told in “The Vanishing Messiah.” And, returning to his first love after decades, pianist Bob Biber competes in the Van Cliburn competition.

Gay Blood Donations, Denver Museum’s Million Dead Animals, New Worm Species, Play Crawl Is Theater Sampler

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, says a policy limiting gay blood donations is “morally bankrupt,” but others argue for caution. Colorado’s Bonfils Blood Center responds to the Orlando shootings. Denver Museum of Nature & Science uses dead animals to analyze the ecological past. A Steamboat Springs cave is home to a new species of worm. The Denver Play Crawl stages play snippets in shops and galleries.