Media in Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is a thriving city with a vibrant media landscape. As the home of the University of Colorado Boulder, the city has an educated, engaged population that supports a range of print, broadcast, and online media. This guide will provide an overview of the major media outlets and institutions in Boulder.

Print Media

Boulder Daily Camera

The Boulder Daily Camera is the city’s daily newspaper. Published since 1891, the Daily Camera has a circulation of about 25,000 and covers local news, sports, business, and entertainment. The paper is owned by Prairie Mountain Publishing, which also owns several other local papers in Colorado.

The Daily Camera building is a local landmark in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street. The paper has won numerous awards for its reporting and photography throughout its history. It also publishes a variety of specialty publications focused on real estate, health, arts and entertainment, and other topics.

Some notable journalists who have worked at the Daily Camera include Pulitzer Prize winners Joyce Wadler and Thomas E. Johnson. The paper counts Hunter S. Thompson among its famous alumni as well.

Boulder Weekly

Boulder Weekly is the city’s alternative weekly newspaper, published every Thursday. Founded in 1993, the paper has a circulation around 23,000.

Boulder Weekly covers many of the same topics as the Daily Camera but with an edgier, more counterculture perspective. Its reporting and commentary focus on politics, environmental issues, marijuana legalization, music, and local culture.

In addition to its print edition, Boulder Weekly maintains a popular website that is updated daily with local news stories, a calendar of events, restaurant reviews, and blogs. The paper is distributed for free throughout Boulder County.

Magazines

Boulder has a handful of local magazines that cover topics like outdoor recreation, business, and real estate. Some of the top magazines include:

• Boulder Magazine: A glossy lifestyle magazine focused on arts, dining, fashion, home design, wellness, and Boulder cultural life.
• Business Boulder: Covers the local business community and tech sector. Owned and published by the Boulder Business Alliance.
• Boulder County Business Report: Focuses on business news, from startups to established companies in Boulder and the surrounding region.
• Elephant Journal: An online magazine based in Boulder covering yoga, sustainability, natural health, and mindful living.
• 303 Magazine: An online publication highlighting restaurants, nightlife, arts and music across Denver and Boulder.

CU Independent

The CU Independent is the student-run news publication serving the University of Colorado Boulder. Founded in 1970 as the Campus Press, the outlet provides news, sports, arts, opinions and satire related to CU students and the community.

The CU Independent has an online-focused publishing workflow, allowing student contributors to gain valuable digital journalism experience. Alumni of the CU Independent have gone on to write for The Denver Post, The New York Times, 9News, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, and more.

Broadcast Media

Television Stations

Boulder is part of the Denver television market, the 18th largest in the United States. There are no major broadcast television stations based in the city, but Boulder residents can access all the major Denver network affiliates.

The major stations serving Boulder include:

• KUSA (NBC)
• KCNC (CBS)
• KMGH (ABC)
• KDVR (Fox)
• KWGN (CW)

In addition, Boulder is home to community access television stations on Comcast channels 8 and 22. Local residents produce programming that includes talk shows, music programs, faith-based content, and more.

Radio Stations

Boulder supports a vibrant radio market with both commercial and public stations. Popular stations include:

KBCO: 97.3 FM. Owned by iHeartMedia, KBCO is Boulder’s rock station. They play classic and alternative rock with a focus on Colorado artists. KBCO also hosts the annual KBCO Studio C charity concert.

KGLR: 97.9 FM. A listener supported community radio station with the tag line “Boulder’s heritage radio station.” KGLR has specialized music programming and also airs community affairs and talk radio.

KTCL: 93.3 FM. Based in Denver, KTCL broadcasts top 40 and pop music into the Boulder market.

KEXP: 88.5 FM. A public radio station operated by the University of Colorado Boulder and focused on indie, rock, alternative, and electronic music.

KCFC: 102.3 FM. A Boulder-based Christian music station owned by the Educational Media Foundation.

KCFR: 90.1 FM. National Public Radio affiliate providing news and talk radio. Operated by Colorado Public Radio and based in Denver.

KUNC: 91.5 FM. Another NPR station focused on news and arts coverage. Based in Greeley but serving the Boulder area.

Online Media

Boulder has a thriving ecosystem of digital media outlets, blogs, and podcasts focused on local news, politics, business, arts, and culture. Some of the top online media brands in Boulder include:

Boulder Beat

Founded in 2018, the Boulder Beat is a digital nonprofit newsroom solely dedicated to local news in Boulder. The Beat covers city council, development, housing, business, arts and more. In 2020, it expanded operations to add a Longmont edition as well.

Boulder Reporting Lab

A program of the University of ColoradoJournalism & Mass Communication program, the Boulder Reporting Lab collaborates with students to produce investigative and explanatory reporting on undercovered topics in the community. Their in-depth local news stories have appeared in The Colorado Sun, CPR News, and other outlets.

Boulder Startup Week

This site grew out of the annual Boulder Startup Week events connecting entrepreneurs and investors in the city’s thriving tech sector. Along with startup guides, job boards and event listings, Boulder Startup Week also publishes news on local tech companies, founders, funding deals, and innovations.

Open Media Foundation

Located in Boulder, the Open Media Foundation operates channels like Denver Open Media and Boulder Community Media to empower local residents to create TV content and build digital storytelling skills. They are helping democratize media access across Colorado.

KGNU Independent Community Radio

Along with their FM radio broadcasts, community station KGNU also produces original local news segments, interviews, and podcasts covering issues in Boulder and Denver.

Elephant Journal

This popular blog covering mindfulness, yoga and sustainable living was founded in Boulder in 2004 and still produces locally focused content alongside national stories.

Media Institutions

Boulder is home to world-class universities, research centers, libraries, and media companies that facilitate education, innovation, and community dialogue around journalism and communication.

University of Colorado Journalism & Mass Communication Program

Housed within the University of Colorado Boulder, the JMC program offers journalism degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s level focusing on specialties like news writing, digital production, strategic communication, and media ethics.

Students receive hands-on training through student media outlets like the CU Independent as well as professional programs like the Boulder Reporting Lab. With helpful faculty and small class sizes, the JMC program launches graduates into careers at media organizations nationwide.

ATLAS Institute

The ATLAS Institute at CU Boulder conducts groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, technology, communications, design, and media. Faculty fellows work on projects ranging from immersive journalism to crisis informatics to ethics in online communities.

The institute frequently partners with media companies and hosts conferences, symposiums, and public lectures on new frontiers in technology and communication. ATLAS expands knowledge that filters from academia into journalism, public policy, and media design.

Local Libraries

Libraries in Boulder offer more than just book lending. The public libraries provide internet access, computer labs, local history archives, and classes on media literacy and digital skills for all ages. They host workshops on detecting misinformation as well as using new technologies like 3D printing and media production software.

The Boulder Public Library system includes the main library as well as the Meadows and Reynolds branches. The Carnegie Library serves the city of Louisville near Boulder. The university campus also operates several specialized libraries open to the community like the musicians’ library and business library.

Rocky Mountain Public Media

Based just outside Boulder in Denver, Rocky Mountain Public Media operates Colorado Public Radio (CPR) and Colorado Public Television (CPT). Their award-winning news teams cover important local stories for statewide audiences.

CPR and CPT frequently partner with other media outlets for reporting projects and public forums about issues affecting Coloradans. As public media, they provide balanced, thoughtful journalism that engages citizens across the political spectrum.

Tech Companies

With its thriving startup scene, Boulder is home to digital media companies working on next generation tools for communication, publishing, advertising and entertainment. Whether building apps, SaaS platforms, streaming services or new devices, these tech innovators shape the future of media.

Prominent Boulder-based tech companies include:

• Twitter
• Google
• Dropbox
• Inspirato
• Mixhalo
• Podcastle

Through this combination of traditional outlets, new media models, academic initiatives and tech innovation, Boulder supports one of the most dynamic media ecosystems of any small city. The informed, cultured residents of Boulder will continue engaging with their community through quality journalism and open public discourse into the future.