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An Imperative to Support Local Media

Davis Media Access’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. Teaching people to create media, and providing a vibrant community learning center with a mind-boggling array of services, is what DMA has done for 30 years.

Thank You to Our 2017-18 Donors

Donations, whether by local businesses, donor-advised foundations, or individuals, keep KDRT on the air, and help support our work on local election & youth media services. We fundraise all year, but conduct our major drive during the spring months, with on-air fundraisers on KDRT in both fall and spring. Our goal for this year was $30,000.

DMA's donors and supporters make possible a great deal of the work we do. We appreciate you!

$1,000 & Above

Big Day at the Dock Celebrates Non-Profits

As the Big Day of Giving – affectionately known as Big DoG—gears up for its fifth year, three local non-profits have teamed up to create a community event with a focus on fun and philanthropy.

Davis Media Access, Davis Music Festival and Davis Phoenix Coalition are the combined force behind “Big Day at the Dock” to be held Thursday, May 3, 2018, from 6-10 p.m. at the Sudwerk Brewing Co. Dock Store, 2001 Second Street in Davis.

Big Day at the Dock features live music by local bands, information tables and giving stations from a wide variety of non-profits, a BBQ by Davis Firefighters, a photo booth, and of course the beer for which Sudwerk is famous. The event is an all-ages venue.

"Non-profits do transformative work across diverse interest areas. Big missions and tight budgets are the norm, and for the Big DoG., I didn't want us to be siloed in our efforts," said Autumn Labbe-Renault, executive director of Davis Media Access. Along with Kyle Monhollen and Gloria Partida of Davis Phoenix Coalition, Labbe-Renault is organizing an event that now includes nearly a dozen local non-profits: Cool Davis; Davis Arts Center; Davis Media Access ;Davis Music Festival; Davis Phoenix Coalition; Davis Shakespeare Festival; International House of Davis; Yolo County SPCA; The Pence; Yolo County CASA, and Yolo Land Trust.

Please join us. Come hungry and thirsty, come to learn about non-profits with whom you may not be familiar, and help make the Bog Day of Giving 2018 one marked by generosity and conviviality. Questions? Contact Autumn.

City holds Public Charrette on Downtown Davis

The City is conducting an 18-month process to plan for the downtown’s future. Over the next several months, the City will work to identify all of the essential elements that make up a vibrant and inclusive community, and address current challenges to reach this vision.

The Charrette  is a multi-day opportunity for residents, property owners, and students to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to craft a vision for Downtown Davis. The ideas developed during the Charrette will help guide the creation of the Specific Plan for the downtown.

Daze of Justice

In solidarity with the Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees who are the target of recent deportation efforts, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis invite you to see the documentary, Daze of Justice, that follows a group of Cambodian American women who returned to Cambodia to testify in the historic trial against the Khmer Rouge.

Rocklin-based Filmmaker, Michael Siv––who barely escaped the infamous “killing fields” of 1970s Cambodia–– will talk about the project. He will be joined by Chen Kong-Wick, whose brother Rottanak was arrested by ICE in Davis in October and released in January.

Yolo County Supervisor, Don Saylor–– an author of the Yolo County’s Safe and Welcoming Resolution––will facilitate a discussion after the film.

Friday, March 30, 7-9 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road, Davis

The UUCD Social Justice Coordinating Committee and Immigration Justice Team invite the community to join us in this free event to build awareness, healing and community around sanctuary.

For more information, contact: Stefan Harvey at stefh2002@yahoo.com

Honoring a Hawaii Slack Key Master

One of the musicians featured on DCTV in recent years was Uncle Richard Ho'opi'i's, who passed away earlier this month. With the assistance of KDRT Programmer Beth Post (Na Mele O Hawai'i,) we were able to record him as well as renowned slack key guitarists George Kahumoku Jr. and Led Kaapana in a very special performance in the DCTV studio. Both Uncle Richard and Led Kaapana are recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship, and it was an honor for us to be able to record these musical and cultural legends.

Low-power, High-Energy Radio – Updates From KDRT

We’re loving how new DJ Frank Fox (The Wild Fox Party, live Tuesdays 10-11 a.m.), describes KDRT as “low-power, high-energy radio.” So true!

  • This month, KDRT welcomes “Indivisible Yolo” to the airwaves Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Indivisible Yolo is a collective of concerned citizens of Yolo County who care about national issues. Two members of that collective, Isabel Warner and Andrew Clausen, are producing this new radio show.  
  • We also welcome DJ Dirk who produces " Twang Thang" on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. A Twang Thang features the "folks who sowed the harder-edged musical seeds for what we today call 'Americana,' and the newer artists who continue the tunes and Outlaw Ethos forward."
  • Be sure to check out Bill Buchanan's exit interview with Debbie Davis and Bruce Gallaudet, and his introduction interview with new Davis Enterprise editor Sebastian Oñate, all on the latest Davisville.
  • Also check out Pieter Pastoor's interview with Wyatt Williams, talking about the newest live music venue in Davis, the "Melon Ball".
  • Lastly, drop by Second Fridays at the Downtown Davis ArtAbout to hear KDRT broadcasting live from Armadillo Music., where we feature a different musician or band each month. Tune in if you can’t make it. 6:30-8 p.m.

Summer Workshops for Kids & Teens

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. This summer’s offerings include:

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. 

Digital Storytelling Workshop Connects Community

The power of personal storytelling can shift perspectives and change individual trajectories. But what role can it play in larger settings – academia, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood projects?

That’s the topic of “Storytelling: Discovering Self, Connecting Community,” a free event scheduled for Wednesday, April 25 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Blanchard Room in the Mary L. Stephens Library in Davis. Non-profit community media & technology center Davis Media Access (DMA) has partnered with the Library to present the event, which is supported by a 2018 City of Davis Arts Grant.

The evening features the following presenters:

·      Milmon F. Harrison, Professor of African American & African Studies at UC Davis. Professor Harrison’s areas of expertise include ethnicity in the U.S.; the Black Christian church; black social and political thought, and Black popular culture. Trained as a Storytelling Facilitator at the StoryCenter in Berkeley, Harrison uses digital storytelling as a tool with his students, and also in his academic and personal research. He will share several digital stories, in addition to talking about his work. https://aas.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/milmon-f-harrison

·      Danielle Fodor is an artist, teacher, and community organizer living in Davis, CA. She creates artwork that transforms people, places, and communities by working in a variety of mediums, including zines, performance, murals, audio, and posters. Fodor has an extensive resumé of media and arts projects, spanning organizations from KDRT 95.7 FM to the Experimental College and the Arboretum at UC Davis; Grant High School in Sacramento; community build street murals in East Davis; the Davis Feminist Film Festival; and Imagining America. Fodor will speak about recent story share projects at The Cannery in Davis, and Imagining America at UC Davis. You can see some of her art here: http://daniellefodor.com

Video Quilt Will Celebrate 30 Years

We love our volunteers and supporters. We love that so many of you have taken what you have learned here and gone on to do great things. And…we have a simple request of you (whether you’ve moved on or are still active).

Please help us put together a “Video Quilt” by doing the following:

  • Record (or have someone record for you) a simple video on your phone
  • Tell us 1). Your name 2). How DMA has changed or impacted your life and 3). Wish Davis Media Access a Happy 30th Birthday
  • Please speak clearly, make sure you’re not squinting into the sun, and make sure we can hear you.
  • Upload your video to davismedia.org/quilt, no later than April 6, 2018
  • If you can’t manage this yourself, we’ll do it for you. Make an appointment by emailing Jeff or Autumn.
  • By submitting, you give DMA permission to use your video for promotional purposes, including fund raising, Big Day of Giving testimonials, and a new ‘About DMA” video quilt

Stories and personal testimonials have such power, and there are many to be told after 30 years! What you do reflects the best of DMA, and we are eager to share. Thank you, in advance!

A Note From the Director

We’re celebrating 30 years!

It’s a Tuesday as I write. Studio Manager Diane Dedoshka and I are finalizing a schedule for a record number of “Meet the Candidates” productions. DCTV intern Daisy Lee has a crowd in here tonight for her game show pilot, and Production Manager Jeff Shaw is meeting with KDRT’s public affairs programmers. This is the day-to-day reality of life in a community media & technology center: busy, full, vibrant, and innovative.

In 1988, a group of forward-thinking people in this city decided to form an organization that would provide multiple layers of community benefit—a non-profit that helps other non-profits, schools, local government, and ordinary citizens share information, build skills, and foster transparency. In 2018, that non-profit is known as Davis Media Access (DMA), and we’re excited to be celebrating 30 years of service to our community.

I believe we’ve lived that original mission, and built upon it considerably over time. I still get excited about the work we do! A couple of things are really juicing me right now, and I hope you’ll take a moment to learn more about our 30-year Video Quilt, summer youth workshops, and digital storytelling.

DMA Board Comings & Goings

We bid longtime board member Henry House a fond farewell this month, and thank him for his service. Henry bought a new home near Grass Valley and is in Davis less frequently these days.



We also welcome Bill Wagman to a two-year term on the board. Bill says, "I have been involved in radio production for many years. I have hosted programs on KDVS since 1991 including 'The Saturday Morning Folk Show' for the last 17 years, and have been a co-host of the 'Folk Brothers' on KDRT for the last 2 1/2 years. I've long had an interest in community media as it extends to community radio. It is so much more important and relative than commercial, mainstream media, which seems to be more interested in reaching the largest, most lucrative market possible.

In Remembrance

Community media centers by definition involve many members of the community, and DMA is a place where friendships are forged. We've lost a few good folks these past couple of months, and would like to remember them as follows:

  • Longtime community TV volunteer David Pierce, who passed away in January. David was a fixture around here in the late 90s and early aughts. We remember David for his innate curiosity and his love of dramatic contrast, and his willingness to volunteer.  A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 24 at the Shaded Arbor Picnic Area in Davis Community Park.
  • We also remember Marcella Lorfing, wife of OLLI producer Bill Lorfing, and a longtime supporter of DMA. Marcella passed in December.
  • Finally, we remember with fondness Corinne Cooke, a longtime supporter of DMA, who once told me that librarians and community media had much in common, and it's a message I integrated deeply. I will miss my spirited discussions with her.

--Autumn Labbé-Renault