diane's blog

WHAT:  KDRT 21st birthday bash with live music by The Cantaliers (Latin, Surf, Rockabilly) and live broadcast

WHEN:  Friday, October 3, 2025 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE:  Sudwerk Brewing Co. Dock Store and Hop Yard,  2001 2nd Street, Davis, CA 95618

WHY:  Celebrating 21 years of community-powered grassroots radio in Davis, CA!

The community is invited to this free, all-ages, outdoor event hosted by Sudwerk Brewing Co., Davis Media Access staff/board, and KDRT volunteers.

Food and beverages will be available at the Sudwerk Dock Store, upbeat live Surf, Rockabilly and Latin music will be provided by Sacramento's The Cantaliers, River City Marketplace vendors will be on-hand for local wares, and our hospitality and outreach tables will be staffed by friendly DJ volunteers.  During a time when LOCAL media is especially important, we look forward to gathering with our listeners and supporters.

From the board, staff and volunteers at Davis Media Access, we thank our community for tremendous support on yesterday's Big Day of Giving. We exceeded our BDoG goal in support of services including community radio station KDRT, local election coverage, and arts and culture programming. Much gratitude to Sacramento Regional Community Foundation and Yolo Community Foundation. Proud to be part of our region's nonprofit community!

Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 873 in October, which integrates media literacy into the core subjects that all students learn throughout K-12 in California’s public schools. California joins New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware in teaching media literacy in grade school, in particular.

The bill was authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), and supported by the Los Angeles County Office of Education, Common Sense Media, the California News Publishers Association, and Media Literacy Now, among others.

If you’re not familiar with the term, media literacy is a discipline that develops critical thinking skills around media to determine its credibility and accuracy. It’s something we have woven into our workshops, internships and policies at Davis Media Access (DMA) for decades, and I’m really pleased to see the legislation pass because I believe it to be one of the most important tools we have to counter disinformation.

The Yolo Community Foundation (YCF) honored 32 recipients of its 2023 Yolo Philanthropy Awards, celebrated Nov. 6 at the Davis Veterans Memorial Center. Local nonprofits were invited to honor one volunteer each year for their exceptional contributions to a nonprofit.

On August 25, 2023 the Davis Chapter of "Fridays for Future" completed its 200th Climate Strike March, which begins each Friday at noon at the Veterans Memorial Center and concludes at Central Park at the corner of Fifth and B Street. This youth-led group also joined in the GLOBAL Climate Strike Sept.

Please note there was an error on the Davis Senior High School website which instructed those interested in purchasing a DVD of the 2023 DHS graduation to contact Davis Media Access.  Another organization videoed the 2023 DHS commencement and it's available to view online on their website.

DMA recently recorded candidate statements for Donna Neville and Francesca Wright, who are running for the District 3 seat on the Davis City Council. The council called a special election to fill the District 3 vacancy left by Lucas Frerichs after he was sworn in as Yolo County Supervisor in January 2023.

DMA’s Executive Director Autumn Labbe-Renault was honored Nov. 9 as one of the 2021 Women of the Year for the 3rd Congressional District. Presented by Rep. John Garamendi, D-CA03, the annual awards honor women who go above and beyond serving their communities.

One of 44 women honored throughout Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties this year, Autumn was honored specifically for her media coverage that helped communities around Yolo County stay connected during the pandemic, though Garamendi also noted her longtime work on local election coverage.

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."