Davis Poet Laureate featured 'In the Studio'

Tim Gaffaney hosts Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine. She read two of her poems and talked about the context in which they were written. She discussed how she came to writing poetry, how she has enjoyed her role at the poet laureate and her plans for Davis, including a contest.

For more info: sites.google.com/view/juliablevine

Recorded: 1/17/22

Giving Tuesday Gratitude for the Grassroots

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021  is Giving Tuesday, and on this worldwide day of generosity we at Davis Media Access invite our community of local media advocates to show your support of our beloved grassroots radio station KDRT 95.7FM.  It operates 24/7 from the power of passionate volunteer programmers, and stays on-air due to your support at kdrt.org/donate

Congressman Garamendi presents 2021 Women of the Year awards - DMA Executive Director is one of 12 honored from Yolo County

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.

ClipDart offers Day of Duty

Meet Kyle Parker, the founder and CEO of ClipDart, and a recent transplant to Davis. In a conversation with Jeff Shaw, Kyle talks about his own experience understanding the importance of a simple haircut, and the centrality of a barbershop, especially in black and brown communities. He discusses his mission to help neighbors in need who want to look their best, and the ways a haircut can contribute to mental wellness. Learn more about the Day of Duty, which will  offer barbering, free food, clothing, school supplies, and support services here in Davis. 12-6 pm Oct.

Gratitude to Our Supporters 2022-23

Thank you all for your generosity!  This list includes donors from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, including those who generously supported DMA on 2022 Giving Tuesday; the 2022 Fall Fundraiser for KDRT 95.7FM; the 2023 Big Day of Giving, and DMA's Annual Appeal 2023.  

During this time of transition out of the pandemic, DMA and KDRT continue to work hard to provide locally relevant information, virtual production services, and of course, eclectic music. This is work we share with you, and we want you to know your support matters.  Unrestricted donations—whether by individuals, events, local businesses, or donor-advised funds—keep KDRT on the air, and help support DMA's work on local elections and youth media services. We thank you!

Advocating for the Arts

Davis Media Access (DMA) straddles an interesting intersection between the arts and technology, but we are generally classified as an arts and culture organization. Our Yolo County arts and culture nonprofits were deeply impacted during the pandemic, both financially and programmatically, and many of us still have our doors closed or our services deeply curtailed.

 

One of the hats I wear is chair of Arts Alliance Davis. I’m pleased to note I’ll serve as moderator for an an important Aug. 30 workshop, “Mapping the Sector: Arts & Culture Post-Pandemic.”  Co-hosted by Arts Alliance Davis, YoloArts and the Yolo Community Foundation, the virtual event will detail these impacts and explore what reopening and recovery look like.
 


 

The workshop will feature a presentation about the current needs of the arts  and culture sector, followed by a panel discussion featuring local nonprofit leaders providing context, information, and stories. Then all participants are invited into facilitated breakout groups for discussion and collaboration. Register here

         --Autumn Labbe-Renault, Executive Director

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.

KDRT is a project of Davis Media Access (DMA), the only nonprofit community media center in Yolo County. Founded in 1988 and based in Davis, DMA carries out its mission of providing alternatives to commercial media through partnerships across Yolo County.

The radio station—whose motto is “Where the Grassroots Grow”—launched in 2004 and has been broadcasting from the DMA facility at 1623 Fifth Street 24/7 ever since. In fact, DMA's original incarnation - Davis Community Television--was the first public access center in the nation to launch a Low-Power FM radio station.

With 34 local programmers, the station provides an eclectic mix of music and public affairs programming, with live streaming and podcasts available, and listeners around the globe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of its volunteer programmers learned how to record from home, keeping the community well connected despite distance and isolation.

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."

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. From assisting many nonprofits with the transition to "virtual" online community celebrations, events, and live local election night coverage, to last summer's youth online workshop week "Hollywood from Home" to training staff and volunteers to produce their interview and KDRT music programs at home - we continued to grow connections. We were thrilled to have our video selected by the national advocacy organization Alliance for Community Media to serve as an example of telling the 2020 store of resiliency. To learn more about DMA and our work this past year, you can check out our short and recently released Annual Report Video.