| Davis Media Access

Davis Media Access (DMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. DMA is a community media center serving Davis, CA and surrounding areas. Our mission is to enrich and strengthen the community by providing alternatives to commercial media for local voices, opinions and creative endeavors. Our major projects are KDRT 95.7 FM, Davis Community Television and DJUSD Channel 17.

KDRT Highlights

The Folk Brothers for Jul 28th, 2021: The new faces of Irish folk

A quiet revolution of Irish folk music is stirring amongst young acoustic bands (like Lankum and Skipper's Alley) as well as from singer-songwriters (like Declan O'Rourke, Joshua Burnside and John Spillane) and singers of traditional ballads. On today's show, we highlight three such singers: Dublin's John Francis Flynn, County Armagh's Dani Larkin, and Santa Cruz transplant Amelia Baker. The latter (pictured here), trading under the name Cinder Well, has just released a stark and beautiful, pandemic-inspired album titled "No Summer".

Jazz After Dark July 27 2021

Our featured performer tonight is Tommy Flanagan, mellow jazz pianist whose recording career spanned more than four decades with his own band, as sideman on countless albums, and as the primary accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald for over a decade.

We’ll hear the Tommy Flanagan Trio; Tommy Flanagan with Paul Chambers, Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell & Kenny Clarke. Then playing with the Benny Golson Quartet, Illinois Jacquet, Benny Carter, and backing Ella Fitzgerald.

Davisville, July 26, 2021: The story behind Davis' thousands of natural air conditioners

We all know trees are vital, especially in Davis. Imagine this city without them, especially when it's 112 degrees* outside. Today we talk with Erin Donley Marineau, whose job as executive director of Tree Davis means she's one of the people responsible for keeping the city well-tree'd.

We talk about the Davis canopy, its power as a natural air-conditioner, the 18,000 trees the city manages, the goal for a thousand more, upping the count in economically poorer areas, conflicts with solar panels, planning for climate change, spotting unhealthy trees, getting a free tree, ideas for revising the city tree ordinance, and the tough, fast-growing tree on Regis that's the progenitor of 200,000 Espresso Kentucky coffee trees worldwide ... and the European hornbeam on Antioch that looks like something out of JRR Tolkien. Those two are on the city's landmark trees list. You'll be able to tour them all by bike this fall, and she talks about that, too. Trees look static, but there's a lot going on.

*The high for Davis so far this summer, says AccuWeather, reached on June 18 and July 10.

Davis Garden Show, July 22, 2021: Tree roots, watering, and redwoods

Watering in a drought. Reducing lawn water while keeping your trees alive. Root distribution of trees, "circle watering" strategy.

Coast redwoods in interior California. Many redwoods were planted in Davis years ago; should we add new ones now? What might we substitute for them?

What's wrong with these struggling tomato plants?

Compacting soils can cause problems.

"Mulch is for on top, not underground."

The Folk Brothers for July 21, 2021: Remembering Bill Morrissey

For the 10th anniversary of his death, we remember one of New England's finest singer-songwriters (and novelists). Bill Morrissey left behind a dozen albums in a recording career that stretched from 1984 to 2007. On today's show, we remember Bill through his music and the lens of fellow songwriters Marc Erelli and (the late) Eric Taylor. Bill Morrissey died on July 23, 2011, in a motel room in Dalton, Georgia, while on a short tour of the South.

Also on today's Folk Brothers: new music from Rachel Baiman, Watchhouse, I See Hawks In LA, and WB Yeats poems set to music!

COVID-19 Community Report

Davis Media Access Executive Director Autumn Labbe-Renault will be hosting live shows Tuesdays 12-12:30pm and Fridays 12-12:30pm to help update the community about COVID-19. The shows will rebroadcast Tuesdays and Fridays at 5pm. This show will be a compendium of local resources with check-ins from local officials and other community leaders. As a companion piece for the show, link to the weekly updated blog posting of local services and information called the COVID-19 Community Resource List.

DMA celebrates international Make Music Day June 21 with Make Music Davis - DIMI Showcase video premiere

In honor of the international “Make Music Day” celebrated across the globe each June 21st on Summer Solstice, we present the “Make Music Davis-DIMI Showcase 2021” which will air on DCTV (Comcast Ch15 or AT&T U-Verse Menu 99) at the following times: Mon 6/21 10am, Noon, 6pm, 7:30pm, and Tues 6/22 at noon.

KDRT wins national award

KDRT Wins 2021 Hometown Media Award

DAVIS, California ─ KDRT 95.7 FM has received a 2021 Hometown Media Award from the Washington, DC-based Alliance for Community Media (ACM) Foundation. Station representatives will accept the award for “Overall Excellence in Community Radio” at a virtual ceremony June 30, 2021. This is an inaugural year for this award, and was awarded to three stations of different sizes.

Mental Health Month Spotlight: DMA revisits three interviews with local mental health professionals

May is Mental Health Month, and we at DMA see that as a prime time to get resources and information in front of the community. DMA's Executive Director Autumn Labbe-Renault said, "our staff lost a good friend when our own Brian Holsten died by suicide some years ago. We believe in promoting resources and having discussions towards normalizing mental illness, and to that end, it will always crop up in our programming from time to time."

Thank you to our 2020-2021 Supporters

During this time of COVID-19, DMA is proud to say we grew community in a time of crisis. This is work we share with you, and we want you to know your support matters. Donations—whether by individuals, events, local businesses, or donor-advised foundations—keep KDRT on the air, and help support DMA's work on local elections and youth media services. This list includes donors from July 1, 2020 to now. We thank you!

$1,000 & Above

Craig & Darien Blomberg

Jessica Kelly Includes a volunteer match by Cisco

Alison Kent & Allan Hollander Via Car Donation

Richard Krogsrud and Rebecca Ryland Via Car Donation

Anthony Roy Via a Car Donation

Sunny Shine

$500-$999

Clyde Bowman

Shelley Bronzan In Honor of Matthew Bronzan (includes car donation)

Nancy Flagg

Marie Graham In Honor of "Praise Time with Preacher"

Don and Julie Saylor

Sharmila Shinde Via a Car Donation

DMA Annual Report video for 2020 highlighted by Alliance for Community Media

How do you document the significant changes that our community and our organization have gone through over this past pandemic year? DMA's Annual Report 2020: When Everything Changed is a 5-minute video that takes the viewer through the key changes, challenges, and creative and resilient adaptations that DMA/DCTV/DJUSD.tv/KDRT experienced last year while finding new ways to connect to our community.

Thanks for supporting DMA/KDRT on May 6, BDOG2021

During the 24 hours of Big Day of Giving (BDOG) on May 6, Davis Media Acccess and KDRT received close to 100 donations, and we exceeded our 24-hour goal for the second year in a row. Thank you for the generous support of our community media! In Yolo County, 98 nonprofits received $1.5 million -- up 75% from the pre-pandemic 2019 figures, according to the Yolo Community Foundation.

Bob Dunning Parade - Celebrating 51 years at the Davis Enterprise, part 2

DAVIS, Calif. (April 19, 2021) — The popular Picnic Day Parade and the Davis Children’s Christmas Parade were canceled by the pandemic. But the community is invited to enjoy a do-it-yourself parade Saturday, April 24, to honor Davis Enterprise columnist and sportswriter Bob Dunning on his 51-plus years with the newspaper.

Arts Alliance Davis - Connections increase impact of Davis arts sector

By Wendy Weitzel for the Davis Enterprise (April 15, 2021) Local artists continue connecting and sharing their craft, knowing their voice is amplified when they work together. That was the message April 8, 2021 at a virtual meeting of Arts Alliance Davis. The 18 attendees heard first about the newly formed Sacramento Alliance for Regional Arts. The nonprofit promotes and advocates for arts, art education and cultural equity in the greater Sacramento region.

Davis Media Access: Getting back into the routine (Column for Apr 1, 2021 Davis Enterprise)

Excitement is building for vaccine availability and the prospect of life beginning to return to normal. I’m starting to field many questions about when Davis Media Access will “reopen,” and would like to take this opportunity to address a number of them in one place. Some things to know:

Tune in for "Celebrating Bob Dunning" on Friday April 9 at 4pm!

A celebration of Bob Dunning's unprecedented career at The Davis Enterprise on Friday April 9 at 4pm. The presentation includes his early years in Davis, covering community and UC Davis sports, writing a widely-read newspaper column, supporting community activities and raising a family. Special appearances by friends, elected officials and community members. Hosted by Bob Bowen, set a reminder and watch the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8JQBnfTOAc

Concern for the Creative Economy (column in Feb. 26, 2021 Davis Enterprise)

As the name implies, Davis Media Access (DMA) is a community media center, but it’s generally classified under the larger umbrella of arts and culture organizations. This is one of those things that has bearing as we apply for grants, but it also plays out in our day-to-day work, as we teach both media technology and media arts.

Reflections On A Changing Landscape (column in Feb. 5, 2021 Davis Enterprise )

This month marks 23 years that I’ve written this column in The Davis Enterprise, which has allowed me and many others to write about nonprofits, businesses, lifestyle, arts, climate, culture, and more, for decades.

27th Annual City of Davis MLK Celebration is Virtual on Monday, Jan. 18th at 9 a.m.

The City of Davis will honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a virtual celebration including highlights of speakers and entertainment from past years recorded and archived by Davis Media Access. It also contains current messages from local youth, as well as an introduction from Mayor Gloria Partida. It first airs at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, via the City of Davis website at www.cityofdavis.org where it will be available through the end of the month.

DMA During COVID-19

Since closing the facility on March 13, we’ve navigated a broad range of operational/technical/programmatic and administrative challenges during quarantine. We’ve helped some of our radio and TV volunteers as they’ve navigated producing from home--and commiserated with those who couldn’t. And we’ve adapted on other levels, working to fill budget gaps that are a byproduct of this time, while striving to respond to community requests for help with events that are now virtual. In short, though the building has been closed, the organization has not!

Through it all, we’ve kept abreast of the ever-changing laws and public health orders. In particular, we are following the guidelines for reopening developed by the John Hopkins Center for Public Health and Yolo County Public Health. Our policy and timeline has been developed by staff, and was vetted and approved by the DMA board at its June meeting.

Connecting to What Matters

If this is your first visit to our website, welcome, and thanks for visiting.

Davis Media Access (DMA) is a non-profit community media & technology center currently celebrating its 31st year of serving Davis and environs. Elsewhere on this website you can read about what we do; the purpose of my message here is underscore why we do it. DMA’s community-centered work connects us to what matters: newsmakers, schools, families, youth, teachers, local elections, policy makers, community activists, neighborhoods, social justice activists, other non-profits, businesses, libraries, veterans, senior citizens, musicians, artists, and more.