Candor and comedy set the tone for Boulder County Tonight

Longmont has a late night show, courtesy of Andy Eppler and Longmont Public Media. 

The show, called Boulder County Tonight, airs at 10 p.m. Saturday nights through Longmont Public Media, or LPM. Three episodes have been filmed, with guests including Native Station’s Greg Benton, Boulder Weekly’s Arts and Culture Editor Caitlin Rockett and Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley. Once an episode airs, it runs nightly on LPM at 10 p.m. until the next episode debuts. Boulder County Tonight is also hosted on Eppler’s YouTube channel. 

According to LPM Executive Director Sergio Angeles, Eppler approached them with the concept for the show. LPM was happy to provide a venue for a late night talk show for the community. Other than some ground rules and disclaimers, Boulder County Tonight is Eppler’s show. Angeles and the staff at LPM taught him how to use the cameras and provided the stage and timeslot. The rest is in his hands.

“Eppler had a variety of topics he wanted to talk about on the show, including inviting candidates for the election this year,” Angeles said. “We don’t inject ourselves into show productions or tell producers what to do with their show. We’re just here to provide the space, gear and distribution for content that people want to create.”

Eppler, something of a renaissance man, is no stranger to the screen or stage. Eppler is an artist, filmmaker and musician that’s become something of a fixture in Longmont over the past decade. During the pandemic, Eppler made a cannabis-heavy video series dubbed The Hippie Report, sharing anecdotes and musings from his bathtub.

“I was trying to provide some sense of normalcy when we were all locked in our homes,” Eppler said. “People responded so well to (The Hippie Report) and seem to value the idea, so this new show is almost a sequel.”

In past election years, Eppler wrote a voter’s guide on ballot issues and political candidates based on his own research and opinions as an independent voter. The guide was often submitted to publications like the Longmont Leader as opinion piece. Boulder County Tonight is Eppler’s answer to that this election season, he said, to invite current politicians and candidates for an opportunity to connect with the community.

“The goal of the show is to introduce the community to these politicians in a way that isn’t combative or poisonous, because these are just people trying to help,” Eppler said. “And maybe I don’t agree with them, there aren’t all that many politicians I do agree with, but they are trying to help on a local level.”

While there are serious topics discussed on the show, Eppler still leans into the comedy side of things. The opening monologue for the third episode is a lengthy, crass and candid contrasting of Star Wars versus Star Trek. When Eppler gets into the nearly hour-long conversation with Mayor Bagley, it’s equally full of candor for both men, and the language is certainly not for polite company.

Eppler has a plan for the show’s sixteen episodes, and establishing the tone to put his guests at ease is the way he wants to get them comfortable talking about the deeper issues. Eppler ran a podcast with Benton in the past, so choosing him for the first guest was his soft opening. For Rockett, Eppler said he wanted someone who wasn’t a politician but was still deeply connected to the issues that face the county who would help him guide the show in the right direction.

“Andy has a large personality, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Rockett said. “But inside that is a vulnerable person, someone who is really looking to dig into a community like Longmont and be a gadfly and really make change.”

Rockett wanted to approach the show as a member of the Boulder County media to broach issues that matter to the community, particularly homelessness and the city of Boulder resigning a franchise agreement with Xcel Energy. Rockett doesn’t consider herself an authority, but was grateful to hash out issues with a friend on camera, particularly as Longmont and Boulder County move closer to an election season. 

“Andy doesn’t take himself too seriously and I think that’s part of what makes his show accessible to people. He’s not trying to pretend he’s an authority on any of these issues,” Rockett said. “I think what makes the whole thing sort of wonderful is that he just wants to have a conversation with people.”

Mayor Bagley was another easy choice for Eppler. Eppler has been friendly with him since Bagley’s days on city council. The Mayor was quick to say yes, according to Eppler, and Bagley was more than candid on his opinions regarding Longmont’s political scene and the issues it faces during the nearly hour long interview.

“(Bagley) is a Libertarian, and I’m pretty liberal and socialist in my thinking, so we’re definitely on opposite ends of certain spectrums,” Eppler said. “But I wanted to show the community that two guys that definitely disagree on things can also like each other.”

Eppler’s next guest will be Mayor Pro Tem and candidate for one of the city council at-large seats Aren Rodriguez. The goal is to get each of the candidates on the show in the weeks leading up to the November election. The final petitions for city council and mayoral candidates in Longmont are due August 23. Eppler is hopeful that whomever Longmont’s next mayor winds up being will be the final guest on the show after the election.

“We’re going to have honest conversations with people that are trying to help our community grow and not leave people behind as they do,” Eppler said.

Boulder County Tonight airs nightly at 10 p.m. on Channel 8 and new episodes debut on Saturdays.