Is Denver’s News Leader in Crisis?

The Denver NBC affiliate 9News in located on the corner of Speer and Logan in Denver, Colorado. (Google maps) via The Colorado Sun

Channel 9 Denver, Colorado’s TV news leader for decades, has been purchased by a larger, conservative news group, Nexstar. In the Denver market, Nexstar owns Fox News 31 and Channel 2.

Many observers believe 9 News will change but carefully. It is a potent, valuable brand in the Denver market. Some of the changes won’t happen for a year or more given regulatory and litigation delays. The attrition of staff and talent looking for other jobs or stepping-up retirement is the biggest concern of 9 News management. They are trying to reduce this by urging calm.

(L to R) Floyd Ciruli, Amb. Chris Hill, former 9News political reporter Brandon Rittiman and 9News anchor Kyle Clark

I worked with 9 News for 3 decades starting in 1987 with Ed Sardella, Mike Landess, Paula Woodward and Ward Lucas. Then Adele Arakawa, Gary Shapiro, Mark Koebrich, Kyle Dryer, Kim Christiansen, and many others. I provided political commentary, especially for elections, and with Ciruli Associates, polling in partnership with KOA radio and the Rocky Mountain News. The political commentary continued into the new century working with political reporters Adam Schrager, Brandon Rittiman and anchor Kyle Clark.

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Denver Food Court - C Concourse

From left to right: Bar Dough, ChoLon, and La Casita

Marczyk, ChoLon, Bar Dough, Smashburger, and the anchor, La Casita. The C Concourse is a hometown food court and great fun for Denverites returning.

Polar Bear SCFD

The Denver Zoo’s earliest and most renowned exhibit held for a Rocky Mountain Brown Bear. In 1918, the Zoo built Bear Mountain, one of the nation’s first naturalist animal exhibits, no bars. Just as the 1988 campaign for the newly conceived SCFD (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District) began, the Zoo opened Northern Shores, a popular polar bear exhibit. A regional poll showed that polar bears are an especially popular animal, so the campaign retained the Zoo’s design artist to create the SCFD bear logo, a version of which has been with the campaigns and the district’s marketing ever since

The LA County Fire Will Super Charge Wildfire Awareness

Lahaina and Pacific Palisades fires

Wildfires in California, because of their scale, duration, and frequency, are high in the public’s awareness. But now, due to the Pacific Palisades, Eaton and other LA County fires, public attention is riveted on the fires and concern about wildfire will be at an all-time high.

In Orange County, an August 2023 poll on wildfires showed that wildfire was judged the number one county environmental problem by half the public. But after the news reporting of the Lahaina fire on Maui on August 8, the wildfire response jumped 11 percentage points and moved wildfires ahead of drought/water supply, as the top environmental problem.

Statewide, the latest PPIC poll shows wildfire now the top environmental concern of residents, ahead of drought and water supply, which lead the list in 2023.

If extreme weather events such as wildfire continue, public concern and desire to do more to prevent and contain wildfire will increase.

The survey concerning fire prevention and mitigation was conducted for an association of Orange County fire agencies and conservation groups by Ciruli Associates with YouGov America. The survey of 1000 residents was conducted from July 20 to August 27, 2023. A total of 573 interviews were conducted before the fire was reported on August 8, 2023, and 427 after. It had a margin of error of ±4.8 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

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Reasons for SCFD Staying Out of Politics

The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) has a long history of strict nonpartisanship and of staying out of politics and political controversies. From its inception the SCFD has been nonpartisan to avoid involvement in ideologies and other polarized activities. The program is essentially a pass-through to local cultural organizations and agencies and was designed to avoid engaging in controversial and divisive political and social issues.

Colorado statutes, local ordinances, and quasi-government agencies’ rules strictly limit political activities of tax-supported government entities regarding elections. The law reflects public disapproval in general of government self-promotion, especially related to elections that serve an organization’s self-interest.

But beyond statutes and laws, one of the principles of the SCFD – and embedded in its design – is frugality regarding bureaucratic and non-essential expenditures. The board control and administration assures the statute is followed and there are fiscal and programmatic accountability rules for grantees. Funding is designed to go to the organizations providing cultural benefits and public access, not SCFD election-related marketing or political activity.

In a difficult economic period, spending funds on non-essential activities is especially admonished. Government marketing is frequently seen as political or self-serving. It also provides an easy target for critics of the program and cultural funding in general.

One public information strategy of the SCFD since its establishment has been to encourage the grantees, now nearing 300, to consistently promote the SCFD in literature, emails, social media and signage for exhibits and productions. Most organizations actively use the material and examples the SCFD provides including the polar bear logo.

However, the SCFD does not and shall not engage in politics. It refrains from spending tax dollars on campaigning. During a campaign year and election, the SCFD reduces its public information activity. At the point the ballot measure is approved by counties, the SCFD stops all spending of public funds for promotion.

The SCFD will have a renewal election in 2028. It should be vigilant that neither its expenditures nor its policies violate the founding principle of staying out of politics.

The SCFD is Designed to be Frugal and Accountable

The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) was first approved by the Colorado legislature and signed by Governor Romer in 1987. It has been a highly successful dedicated tax fund for cultural facilities and programs throughout the seven-county Denver metro area and it has become a national model.

The SCFD one-tenth of one cent tax was proposed in the 1980’s to replace part of lost appropriations from the City and County of Denver and the Colorado State Legislature to benefit the city’s four main cultural facilities: the Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Zoo.

As the legislature was approached to create a taxing district, it was clear that voters already have many demands on their discretionary dollars from government – such as police protection, parks, roads, social services, etc. A tax for culture was a new concept and needed to be modest. Its administration should have limited bureaucracy and strict financial accountability.

When first established, the SCFD administrative support was limited to 0.75 percent of the total budget, or about $100,000 annually. Avoiding cultural bureaucracy ensured annual funding goes to organizations that provide cultural benefit to the public. When created in the 1980’s, a major controversy erupted in Washington, D.C. over arts funding. The SCFD was designed to avoid such disruption to its cultural organizations. Today, culture is again politically controversial.

The grants from the SCFD promote the self-sufficiency of organizations but not dependence on tax dollars. Also, larger organizations are required to have audited financial statements while smaller organizations provide financial reports reviewed by the SCFD to ensure accountability of funds.

As the SCFD approaches a 2028 renewal election, it needs to ensure the founding principles of frugality and accountability are being followed.

PAPOR - Political and Demographic Change in Orange/San Diego Counties

The annual conference of the Pacific Chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (PAPOR) will be held in San Diego August 14 and 15. The two days of panels will present new research on public opinion, methods, and trends.

On August 14, a “Changing Demographics and Attitudes in Southern California” panel will review the political attitudes and demographics of Orange and San Diego Counties.

I will present a comparison of Orange and San Diego counties. Each has about 3 million residents, but they have unique histories and many distinguishing characteristics. Importantly, they have different influential neighbors. Orange is south of LA, much like a sprawling suburb, and San Diego is north of Mexico, with one dominant municipality. Although they are separated by about 20 miles of chaparral, both counties have been in political transition in this quarter century but at different paces, reflecting their histories, cultures and demographics.

Also presenting will be Jon Gould, UCI Dean of the School of Social Ecology, Gabriela (Gaby) Gonzalez, Economic Analyst, San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, and John Nienstedt, President and CEO of Competitive Edge Research & Communication, Inc.

PAPOR will hold its annual convention in San Diego County on August 14 to 15 at the Bahia Resort Hotel.

To get more information, view the PAPOR website: https://www.papor.org

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Wildfire – California and Orange Counties Top Environmental Concern

Laguna Hills Brush Fire | Photo: CNN

The tragic Palisades and Altadena fires highlight that wildfire is California residents’ top environmental concern, reported in a July PPIC survey. A 2023 Orange County poll by Ciruli Associates also showed wildfire and the damage it does as county residents’ top environmental concern. Further, the survey shows public opinion about wildfire is highly affected by news reports, even from remote fires. Smoke is a harmful effect cited by most residents, including those in areas distant from the direct wildfire danger. Wildfire is affecting the public’s concern about climate change but partisanship remains a major variable.

I will present the wildfire county-wide poll on July 15 at the annual conference of the Pacific Chapter of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (PAPOR), which will be held in San Diego August 14 and 15. Two days of panels will present new research on public opinion, methods, and trends. PAPOR will hold its annual convention in San Diego County at the Bahia Resort Hotel.

To get more information, view the PAPOR website: https://www.papor.org

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PAPOR - Political Change in California Sur July 21, 2025

Opinion Today Published: We Are On Our Own

Colorado: We Are Truly On Our Own

Floyd Ciruli, Denver Gazette

The Donald Trump fiscal revolution is here to stay. With the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and a series of Supreme Court rulings on workforce reductions, limits on federal district court injunctions, and allowing withholding of funds for various grants, the federal role in state and local finances is substantially reduced and unlikely to be reversed. The impact of the reductions is just starting to be felt at the state level.

As Colorado state government faces a $1 billion deficit due to changes in federal tax law and Medicaid funding from H.R.I (One Big Beautiful Bill), the message We Are On Our Own is even more applicable.

Opinion column by Floyd Ciruli was published in Denver Gazette July 22, 2025. It was circulated by Opinion Today, a national newsletter featuring a daily roundup of poll releases, commentary and podcasts on July 31, 2025. The column reflects a presentation to Colorado county commissioners in June 2025.

Gazette article
Opinion Today article

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