Youth media opportunities abound at DMA

Originally published in The Davis Enterprise on May 5, 2017 In its 2015 study “Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015,” the Pew Research Center found that 24 percent of teens go online “almost constantly,” facilitated by the widespread availability of smartphones. I’ve been around kids and technology since before smartphones were a thing, and I’m a mom of three teens. I’d be mighty surprised if those numbers haven’t climbed dramatically in the past two years.

KDRT Highlights

KDRT is a small station that makes so much possible. At the end of 2016, we raised money to boost the signal of KDRT by purchasing a new antenna. We're waiting...and waiting...for the rains to stop, and getting ready to do the engineering for the project. Target installation date is early summer, and we'll keep you posted!

Once again KDRT will be in the Picnic Day Parade. Last year we were a walking group, but this year we'll be hauling a trailer with a live band.  It's a lot of fun, so come out and join the fun and give us a wave.  This year's theme is "Growing Together" and KDRT is where the grassroots grow, so we'll fit right in.  The parade is this coming Saturday, April 22 at 10 a.m.

Jesse Deere, longtime programmer of Dead Wax, will be retiring from the show soon.  Dead Wax is a vinyl-centric exploration of Americana, from classic country to roots rock and blues.  Fellow KDRT volunteers and programmers hope to take over in rotating shifts to keep the show going.

Shawn Witt, AKA Rainbow has moved his radio show, Music Eclectica, from Tuesdays at 10 a.m. to Fridays  at 10 a.m.  The program explores every genre of music in a unlimited fashion.

Sam Hawk's Independent and Local, which focuses on local music, has also moved to Fridays at 11 a.m. following Shawn's show.

Bill Wagman hosted Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Amilia K. Spicer on Live DiRT at the KDRT studio, Friday March 31. Spicer has been described as “a formidable singer, songwriter and pianist with a voice that ranges from soaring to smoky…possessing a keen observational lyricism and an innate talent for accessible melodies.”

Youth Media

Summer Youth Media Workshops

Building community through media is what we do at Davis Media Access (DMA), and we make sure that starts with some of the younger members of our community. DMA has decades of experience teaching youth the basics of media production. These exciting classes teach production skills in areas such as camera and lighting, storyboarding and script development, sound, and stop-motion animation. DMA builds into all its curriculum critically needed media literacy training, and our workshops take place in the only HD studio in town. Participants get hands-on experience with quality equipment, work collaboratively, and share their work at the completion of the camp. Classes are taught by DMA staff and frequently assisted by students from past workshops.

Please note enrollment deadline of June 12, 2017. Classes do fill, and early registration is encouraged. Camps are limited to kids aged 9-13. Each camp is $175 per child.

Media Production Workshops

In the Media Production Workshop, participants learn how to produce a program in DMA's television studio, including storyboarding, operating cameras and sound equipment, and media literacy training. Students also work with HD field cameras, and get an introduction to the radio booth at KDRT (link is external) 95.7 FM, DMA's low-power community radio station. Week ends with a screening of student work & a pizza party.

Stop-Motion Animation Workshops

During Animation Workshops, participants will learn how to plan and storyboard an animation, record dialogue and effects, and light and create stop-motion animations, as well as experiment with 2D-animation and watch examples of various styles for inspiration.  Past participants have animated everything from modeling clay to snack foods!

Save the Date

“Closing the Palms Playhouse - The End of an Era in Davis,” a documentary by Davis filmmaker Alvin Remmers, makes its world premier on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at the Veterans Memorial Theatre in Davis.

The film chronicles the venue’s 28-year history in Davis, features firsthand and archival footage, interviews with Palms founder Linda McDonagh, original Bad Actors members, long-time manager Dave Fleming, musicians who appeared on its legendary stage, and recollection and stories from many Valley patrons. The film also chronicles the last two months of the Palms' existence - filmed in July and August of 2002 - in musical performances from a star-studded lineup, and interviews capturing the raw emotions of the performers and patrons as the clock ticks down on the old barn. Performances filmed on the Palms stage during the last two months are included in the documentary. Interviews with Utah Phillips, Dave Alvin, Mumbo Gumbo, Golden Bough, Steve Seskin, and more are featured.

Please Support DMA’s Community Building Work

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How do you get community members dialoguing with each other?

In Davis, you typically organize a forum or event, and—as it’s said—they will come. But how do you continue that dialog, involving others who weren’t able to attend?

That’s one of the truly powerful things about community media such as Davis Media Access (DMA). DMA frequently records community town halls, events and other forums, capturing that content and making it widely available via cable TV, radio, online archives, and social media. I describe this aspect of DMA’s work as documenting our collective history.

There are numerous other ways we do that, too, whether it’s putting cameras into the hands of middle school kids, bringing elected officials into the studio, or hosting a wide range of experts, pundits, activists, and performers. Together, all this local content informs, calls to action, and helps tell the story of a community that is engaged and cares.

Please support DMA during our annual fundraiser.

I believe that DMA’s work is central to an informed, connected community. Each spring, we ask our community to confirm that by pledging their support of our mission and services. We’ve raised about $14,000 of our $25,000 goal, with less than a month to go. These funds keep KDRT on the air, and help support our work on youth media and local elections. Thank you for your support not only of DMA, but of community engagement and cohesiveness in a time of unprecedented division. Please visit davismedia.org/donate to support our work, and join our list of supporters.

Autumn Labbe-Renault, Executive Director

Save the Date

March Orientation: DMA offers a free orientation to its programs and services each month. This next general orientation will take place March 15th from 6:30-8 p.m. at our media center, 1623 Fifth Street in Davis. Topics covered will include an overview of DMA’s services; information about internships, and training and volunteer opportunities available through DMA.  If you've been thinking of getting involved with DMA, this is your first step.  A reservation is appreciated and helps us contact you should we have to reschedule, but drop-ins are welcome.

Picnic Day: KDRT volunteers will once again march in the annual Picnic Day Parade held at UC Davis. This year’s event, themed “Growing Together,” takes place April 22, 2017.  We had a great time last year and will go even bigger this year with our own float.

Film Premiere: We are so pleased to announce the premiere of the long-awaited film, “Closing the Palms Playhouse: The End of Era in Davis” will take place on Sunday, June 4, 2017. The event will be part of Davis’ Centennial Celebration, and also be a benefit for DMA! Filmmaker Alvin Remmers has utilized equipment and services through DMA for many years as he’s worked on his opus, which chronicles the closing of the original Palms Playhouse in South Davis. The film features interviews with and archival footage of many musicians, as well as those involved in the Davis art and music scene “back in the day.” We can’t wait!

KDRT at Armadillo

The wonderful KDRT crew has paired up with the equally wonderful Armadillo Music and Downtown Davis to bring live music and a live broadcast on 95.7 FM to the downtown during Second Friday Art About. Check kdrt.org, or like the KDRT page on Facebook or its Twitter feed to stay in the loop about upcoming Second Fridays.

Need more KDRT? Whether it’s jazz or jug band music, indie rock or Americana,  Bollywood music, or public affairs programming, KDRT has you covered. Grateful Dead, classical, reggae, or folk?  Explore hours of programming brought to you by nearly 40 local programmers.  KDRT helps highlight local musicians—often with frequent live performances in the KDRT studio--and so much more.  Tune into KDRT in Davis at 95.7 FM, or listen worldwide at kdrt.org.

Programming Highlights

DMA recorded the “Town Hall Forum with Congressman John Garamendi, D-CA” on Feb. 12, 2017, at the Veterans Memorial Theater in Davis. The standing-room only event featured a wide range of concerns from local citizens. The program is airing on DCTV, Channel 15 on Comcast Davis and Menu 99 on AT&T U-verse.

Also in mid-February, DMA Studio Manager Diane Dedoshka and Executive Director Autumn Labbé-Renault helped 11 non-profits create short, impactful public service announcements about their work. These short pieces are designed to be shared on wesbsites and social media, creating an easy way to help them communicate about their mission and impact. They also air frequently on DCTV.

With the passage of Proposition 64, the "California Marijuana Legalization Initiative," last November, there’s a real need to plan for the changes this will bring to businesses, local government, law enforcement, and venues. DMA offers up two pieces to help in understanding these changes. The first "Davis Hunts Sweet Spot for its Budding Marijuana Law," an episode of  “Davisville,” on KDRT, features host and producer Bill Buchanan interviewing Davis City Manager Dirk Brazil, and Chief Innovation Officer Diane Parro, discussing how the City begins to implement a cannabis policy.

Secondly, on March 7, DMA will record the Davis Chamber of Commerce luncheon panel "Canabis and its Place in the Davis Business Comunity". Moderated by Mayor Robb Davis, the panel features Ash Feeney, City of Davis; David Delaini, Davis Police Department; John Young, Yolo County Agriculture, Weights & Measures; Heidi D ’Agostino, Yolo County Marijuana Task Force; April Meneghetti, Yolo County Environmental Health; Keith Pitts, Marrone Bio Innovations, and Lorne Silverstein, Integrate Cal. We’ll make the video available on DCTV and online once edited.

A Note From the Director

It’s been a month filled with collaborative meetings, from strategic planning sessions with the Arts Alliance Davis, to meetings of the City’s Broadband Advisory Task Force. This work has me thinking about larger community processes, stakeholders, and long-term impact, and the roles that Davis Media Access (DMA) might play.

The arts meetings brought together regular Alliance participants—artists, galleries, museums, and arts organizations—with stakeholders representing schools, the city, and the university, as well as a cross-section of musicians, neighborhood organizers, parents, and fundraisers. The process came together under the leadership of City Arts & Culture Manager Rachel Hartsough, and it will inform her work in months to come as she writes grants that could fund larger-scale community art efforts.

The strategic planning has been a process of identifying community arts assets and gaps, and visioning forward to 2027. What might the arts landscape in Davis look like in 10 years? The ideas that resonated, for me, focused on neighborhood art projects and engagement, a la the work of the Davis Manor Neighborhood Council, and developing public art projects that center on conflict resolution.