In The NOCO

KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.

In The NOCO is a news podcast hosted by KUNC, with 971 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

KUNC hosts In The NOCO, a news show with 971 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #973

  Are doctors who offer gender-affirming care at Children’s Hospital stuck in a no-win legal battle?

  Sep 15, 20269 min

  Doctors who practice at Children's Hospital Colorado find themselves in court as part of a case focused on one of the most divisive issues in the U.S. Attorneys for hundreds of younger patients seeking gender-affirming care say doctors at the hospital are refusing to provide treatment like puberty blockers or hormone therapy. That’s in spite of a Colorado Supreme Court order instructing the hospital to do so – even after threats from the federal government. The doctors who offer gender-affirming care at Children's Hospital, however, say they fear retribution. They say federal regulators have threatened to cut off Medicare funding and investigate their billing practices. So, they’ve stopped writing prescriptions. John Ingold, a health reporter for the Colorado Sun, has been following the trial , which began last week and continues this week. He joined me to talk about what's happening in the courtroom and what it says about transgender care as a political issue. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #972

  In Boulder, pollen collected by thousands of bees will help measure the health of the city’s ecosystems

  Sep 11, 20269 min

  Using bees to gauge the health of an ecosystem. Scientists in Boulder are testing out an unusual plan to use bees to gauge how plants and other species in the city are thriving. It works like this: A neighborhood group hosts a few hives on their property. Thousands of bees fly around the neighborhood collecting pollen and returning it to the hive. Then, researchers can test the different types of pollen that bees bring back to paint a picture of the different plants in the area. Or tests may reveal traces of pollutants that show what could be harming the ecosystem. Brett KenCairn manages nature-based solutions for the City of Boulder. He's overseeing the bee project, which launched recently. And he says the data being collected by the bees would take a huge amount of human effort to gather. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about it. If you’re interested in hosting your own “biomonitor” beehive, read more about the program . * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #971

  How towns can be an ‘ecological trap’ for bears during a severe drought

  Sep 10, 20269 min

  In recent weeks, Colorado has seen record-high numbers of bears roaming in places where they clash with humans: neighborhood streets, trash bins, cars – even people’s homes. Severe drought conditions across the state, along with a late-spring freeze, have decimated the supply of berries and fruit that bears rely on. So, the animals head into town looking for other food . And it turns out these encounters aren’t just jarring in the moment. For bears, they can have ripple effects that determine how many offspring they can produce, and their chances of survival. It’s part of a concept biologists call an ecological trap – and it’s especially relevant this fall, as many bears struggle to survive. Kara Van Hoose , a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, joined Erin O’Toole to explain the science of why bears foraging in urban areas puts both the animals and humans at risk. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #970

  This summer was tough on Front Range lawns. Here’s why autumn is an ideal time to help your landscaping recover

  Sep 9, 20269 min

  This summer left yards across the Front Range devastated. Brown, dry patches of grass are everywhere – and so are yards that have been taken over by bindweed, thistles, and spurge. Experts at Colorado State University Extension say they've been getting lots of calls from anxious homeowners with similar problems. And they say fall can be a great time for some lawn rescue projects to help get the yard ready for next year – which, hopefully, will be a little kinder to our landscapes. Alison O'Connor is a horticulture specialist with CSU Extension. She joined Erin O’Toole with answers to some of our most pressing lawn questions, and advice for how and when to start a fall yard project. If you enjoyed this interview, check out a few of our other conversations with CSU Extension experts, including how to care for trees during a dry year , how Colorado law is on your side if you want to xeriscape your yard, how to protect your plants from pesky bugs , or why an aspen tree might not be the best choice for your yard. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #969

  A lawsuit claims ski companies collaborated to inflate the price of ski passes

  Sep 8, 20269 min

  A new lawsuit takes aim at the business model of some major Colorado ski resorts. For years, skiers and snowboarders have watched the price of a one-day lift ticket climb by hundreds of dollars, while more expensive season passes have become the industry’s central product. Now, a group of skiers has filed a lawsuit in Colorado’s federal court , arguing that the country’s largest ski resort companies have been operating like a cartel – working together to artificially inflate prices. Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company, which both run several Colorado resorts, are named as defendants. The lawsuit, filed in August, claims the country’s largest ski resort operators shared confidential business information and coordinated their prices to drive up the cost of lift tickets and season passes – and in doing so, violated antitrust laws. It’s the second antitrust lawsuit that skiers have filed this year in U.S. District Court in Denver. Reporter Jason Blevins covers the ski industry for The Colorado Sun, and spoke with Erin O’Toole about the cases. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on In The NOCO. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.