We here at Davis Media Access/KDRT/Yolo Local are gearing up for a big day on May 1. We extend good wishes to everyone in our Yolo County nonprofit community as we embark upon another Big Day of Giving. You can support our work here -- thank you!
Local community media nonprofit Davis Media Access (DMA) has announced the inaugural members of its Yolo Local Working Group.
Known for its longtime civic engagement work, DMA has spent the past 18 months moving from “curiosity about how DMA could help the decline in locally available information, to concrete action towards that end,” said Autumn Labbé-Renault, DMA’s executive director and principal developer of the project.
“We believe the shrinking of local newsrooms and corresponding loss of vital news and information affects every aspect of community life. When information is scarce or inequitable, civic engagement is diminished and our communities suffer,” she said. “Davis Media Access is working to build a civic information project for Davis and beyond, and we’ve named this project Yolo Local.”
Though based in Davis, the organization has strategic partnerships across the county. The first phase of Yolo Local is a countywide community information needs assessment. Labbé-Renault said the goal is to better understand our local news and information ecosystem, both in terms of the “supply side” or information providers, as well as from the “demand side” of local residents’ information needs and preferences.
The assessment will take place over the next four months and include a bilingual survey, engagement at community events, focus groups, and listening sessions. To assist with this project, DMA has convened a Yolo Local Working Group. Members will bring their personal, professional, and community experiences to the space to inform and help build the work.
Members and their affiliations include:
Working Group members were vetted and selected by an ad hoc committee comprising DMA’s board, staff and volunteers. Labbé-Renault said the focus wasn’t on journalism experience for this phase, but on “individuals who are connectors, do-ers and committed to working collaboratively.” Labbé-Renault noted the need still for representation from Winters, rural Yolo County, and youth.
DMA's partners in this process are community-engaged journalist and Davis resident jesikah maria ross [she does not capitalize her name], and Boulder, CO-based Impact Architects, who are providing the framework and methodology for this undertaking. The project has received financial support from the City of Davis, Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs, and former Supervisor Jim Provenza, as well as private donors, and is actively pursuing other funding.
Labbé-Renault encouraged interested community members to email yololocal@davismedia.org to sign up for a forthcoming newsletter about the project.
Davis Media Access is pleased to be one of the co-sponsors of Songs in Solidarity, a benefit concert to support the people of Los Angeles devastated by the January fires.
Organized by Winters Open Mic in partnership with local organizations and businesses, the benefit concert will feature three beloved local bands: Island Crew, Putah Creek Crawdads, and the Big Poppies. Beer, wine, and other beverages will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the ticket sales and concessions will go to the California Community Foundation, to aid in their rebuilding and revitalization efforts in the affected areas. The evening provides an opportunity to gather in community while listening to uplifting tunes. Produced by Winters Open Mic at the Winters Opera House. More info and tickets available here
Winters Opera House, is located at 13 Main St., Winters, CA. Doors open 6:30, show at 7 pm. Children under 12 get in free.Jan, 31, 2025 - DAVIS, CA--Davis Media Access (DMA) has announced a new partnership with Impact Architects, a nationally recognized firm that partners with nonprofits, philanthropy, and businesses to address complex challenges on a global scale. Impact Architects will provide the framework, methodology and data analysis for Yolo Local, the community information needs assessment DMA is driving.
Davis Media Access (DMA) has announced a new partnership with Impact Architects, a nationally recognized firm that partners with nonprofits, philanthropy, and businesses to address complex challenges on a global scale. Impact Architects will provide the framework, methodology and data analysis for Yolo Local, the community information needs assessment DMA is driving.
The firm has worked with public media outlets and universities to evaluate the impact of their programs, and with large foundations including Ford, Knight and the Walton Family foundation to assess the impacts of their giving around engaged journalism. One of their most recent projects was an information needs assessment for the state of Wyoming.
DMA’s Executive Director, Autumn Labbé-Renault, said DMA is not a typical client for Impact Architects, but their approach at the right moment—brokered by Davis resident and Yolo Local advisor jesikah maria ross—yielded an opportunity to be the pilot for a program that Lindsay Green-Barber, founder and principal of Impact Architects, calls a hybrid model.
“Over the past five years of doing local information ecosystem assessments we've learned that the work is best when we have strong, engaged, local partners,” Green-Barber said. ”In this hybrid model, we'll bring our research expertise and strong assessment model, and our local partners will bring their relationships, deep knowledge of people and place. Together, we hope to deeply understand the opportunities, needs, and gaps in information across Yolo County."
DMA manages multiple media projects out of its facility on Fifth Street in Davis, including Davis Community Television, DJUSD.tv and community radio station KDRT 95.7FM, and works with public and private partners throughout Yolo County. With its historic funding in decline, the organization has been exploring its future strategic directions. Labbé-Renault notes one of the project’s goals is to pilot a process that community media centers elsewhere could use.
In late 2023, she led DMA in the launch of an exploratory process that started with her curiosity about how DMA’s technical infrastructure and expertise, as well as its deep community connections, might help turn around the decline of locally available civic information? With the support of DMA’s board of directors and staff, she talked with nearly 50 community leaders, raised $25,000, including support from the City of Davis and Yolo County Supervisors Lucas Frerichs and Jim Provenza (former), and branded the project Yolo Local.
Working under a framework that Impact Architects provides, DMA will form a working group for Yolo Local, which will in turn drive the on-the-ground community engagement work comprising a survey, focus groups and listening sessions throughout the county. The timeframe for this is February-September of this year.
“Ultimately, Impact Architects will deliver a comprehensive, data-driven report that details how our Yolo community views its information needs, which in turn will drive the next phase of Yolo Local,” Labbé-Renault said. “We know it's critical to take the time to listen to people in an inclusive way, and to get good data. The opportunity to work with IA levels up our project in multiple ways, and we’re most grateful for the opportunity to explore this collaboration.”
Labbé-Renault said DMA needs to raise another $25,000 to fully build out the assessment phase, and that she is actively identifying and pursuing funding opportunities.
The City of Davis and the Human Relations Commission invite the public to attend the 31st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Veterans Memorial Theatre, located at 203 East 14th Street in Davis.
The theme this year is “Economic Justice & the Dream; Building a Fair and Inclusive Economy,” highlighting the ongoing pursuit and significance of economic equity, especially when faced with challenges.
The community is invited to attend this free event and arrive at 10:00 a.m. to explore an art exhibit crafted by local high school students from the Ethnic Studies program. The program will commence at 10:30 a.m., featuring uplifting music and inspiring speakers to honor Dr. King's unwavering commitment to civil rights, economic justice and peace.
Watch this live stream starting on January 20 at 10:15am.
Starting at 10:30am on Monday, January 20, DMA will be livestreaming the 30th Annual City of Davis Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. Please use this link to view. Click on "Notify Me" to setup an alert regarding the upcoming stream.
By Autumn Labbé-Renault
This was originally published as a column in The Davis Enterprise
It’s been about 18 months since I began developing a vision for a project that would reframe the work of the nonprofit I lead — Davis Media Access — while working towards addressing a growing news and information gap in our community.
Davis voters have elected Linda Deos (pictured) to the City Council, re-elected Lea Darrah to the Davis school board, and handily approved two tax measures to pay for city services and the Davis public library.
According to unofficial results available Wednesday morning on the Yolo County elections website:
• Deos won the council’s District 2 seat, the only contested council position this election, with about 52 percent of the vote. Victor Lagunes placed second with 27.3 percent, followed by Dillan Horton with 20.6 percent.
Davis Media Access (DMA) will present a live election-night program from 8-9:30 pm PST on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. The show airs on KDRT 95.7 FM and streams live at kdrt.org. Hosts Don Shor and Autumn Labbe-Renault will conduct short interviews with some of the candidates for local offices, as well some current elected officials. Due to the short length of the show and its individual interviews, hosts will not field call-ins from the public.
