News from Davis Media Access - August 2011

News from Davis Media Access - August 2011

DMA is the community media center for Davis and surrounding areas. DMA operates DCTV public access channel 15 and Educational Access Channel 17 (in partnership with the Davis Joint Unified School District), and low-power community radio station KDRT 95.7 FM. info@davismedia.org or (530) 757-2419 for more info. DMA is located at 1623 Fifth Street in Davis.

Contents

  • Thank you!
  • Celebration on the Backlot: Sept. 17
  • Departures and Changes
  • Studio Revamp
  • Welcoming New Board Members
  • News from DMA's Community Partners
  • Program Profile: The Recollection

The dog days of summer find us totally immersed in the television studio revamp, planning for a fall get together on the Backlot, and lapping from a big bowl of change. Here are the highlights & goings on at your community media center:

Thank you

To all who contributed generously to DMA during our fiscal year 2010-11 fund raising campaign. We know the economic situation isn’t ideal for many, and we know you have choices about what and whom you support. We look forward to another year of community development through media creation and training, and we hope we count on your continued support. Thank you!

Sept. 17, A Celebration on the Backlot

Join DMA for On the Backlot: Celebrating Local Music & Media, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 from 6-10 p.m.. Held on the "backlot" at DMA's facility at 1623 Fifth Street in Davis, the event is "a celebration of the ways in which the media center connects to, and supports, our community," said Andrea Jones, event co-chair. 

Highlights include live music by local musicians Nat Lefkoff, Tha Dirt Feelin, Belle Francisco and Hardwater. Also featuring music by DJ Vee, free hot dogs, beer and wine sales by Soroptimist International of Davis, and a kids' space. The event will feature a celebration of KDRT 95.7  FM’s 7th birthday, and the unveiling of DMA’s newly rebuilt community television studio.  A fund raiser for DMA’s programs and services, tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale and will be available at the door. Here for more information.

Departures and Changes

We say farewell to Technical Trainer Cliff Garibay and wish him well as he returns to school full time. A commonly held belief around here is that someday, we’ll all be saying “we knew him when.”  We thank him for his energy and enthusiasm over the past three years, and for his skill and dedication to good craft.

Cliff has held down the night shift at DMA for several years, during which time we stayed open late to be available to as broad a cross section of the community as possible. We’ve seen many changes during this time, including increased daytime usage.

We’ll be taking the next several months to develop our workflow in the new studio, mapping out what staffing structure serves us best as we do so. Beginning Aug. 22, DMA will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. Equipment reservations and checkout/checkout must take place during this time. Please see staff for details.

Studio Revamp & thanks

As of this writing, the walls have been painted, the floor is being prepped and equipment is arriving daily. Hats off to Darrick Servis, Alex Silva-Sadder, Jeff Shaw and Diane Dedoshka for their starring roles in this effort.

Another huge thanks goes out to Jim Allen, owner of Eli-James Company. Jim is a general building contractor specializing in commercial construction who has volunteered his time and expertise to help Davis Media Access with recommendations and purchasing of materials for the studio remodel. 

Jim came down to the studio, to see the current condition of the facility, and talked with staff about what they had in mind for the look and use of the remodel. He then consulted with painting companies and contractors to secure the best wholesale prices on paint and make recommendations on the best material to use on the floor. Jim made the purchases and delivered the paint.

Beyond the discount he gets as a general contractor, Jim acquired the permission of Steve Valle Painting to get a deeper discount only available to painting contractors. We are very grateful for Jim’s assistance and connections!

And a thank you to DMA Board Member Ron Clement,who has donated time inventorying and installing new equipment and helping Darrick prepare for its installation.

Our Fabulous Board

DMA has been through many changes and much reinvention these past years. Two of the board members who led us through these changes termed off the board in June. We cannot possibly thank Andrea Jones or Peter Peterson enough, for their dedication, vision and service to this organization. We will miss them both!

But luckily, we’ve started this year with a full board and four new board members. We’re very happy to welcome aboard:

Patty Clark– Patty volunteered as a board member of the Friends of  Yolo Adult Day Health Care for 12 years during the same time she worked as Dental Program Director for CommuniCare Health Centers. Following her position at CommuniCare, she went back to school to complete her degree in Marketing and Management. She then became St. John's Retirement Village's Development Director for two years prior to her position at University Retirement Community, where she have worked for the past six years as their Marketing Director. Patty lives with her husband, Charlie, in Woodland.

Glenda Drew- Glenda creates visual projects that include layers of oral history, image and text. From 3D Viewmaster reels to scratch-and-sniff trading cards and live video projection, her projects create messages that contribute new ways of looking at history, culture and meaning. The primary themes in her work include social justice for under-represented populations, immigrant and working class labor, and the interplay of technology with culture. She is currently an Associate Professor of Visual Communication at UC Davis. Glenda lives in Davis with her husband Jesse and their children.

Lucas Frerichs- Lucas serves as a member of the Yolo Democratic Central Committee; as Board Chair of the California Center for Cooperative Development; as a member of Acme Theatre's ICE Invisible Council of Elders; and a member of Saving California Communities. He works as a legislative staffer and serves as Vice Chair of the City of Davis Planning Commission.  Lucas lives in Davis with his wife, Stacie.

Fernando Moreno– Fernando started in community radio in the 1980s and from there was recruited by public access in Tucson to be a media trainer. He worked at access centers in Albuquerque, Portland and Denver, serving as executive director at several sites. He said he became a community organizer and community development specialist through his work in video. His mother and sister live in Davis, and with his family, he moved to be near them three years ago. He works part-time as an accountant for Progress Ranch.

These fine folks join continuing board members Nancy Bodily (who serves as our president this year), Ron Clement (Treasurer), Mel Lewis (DJUSD Representative), Rita Montes-Martin and Paul Sheeran (Secretary). We thank them all for their service!

News from DMA partners

Autumn Labbé-Renault, DMA’s executive director, has been participating in an Advisory group on Services for Older Adults, organized by the Yolo County Library. The Library is sponsoring an Older Adult Community Fair on Sunday August 28, from 1-5 p.m. in the Blanchard Room at the Davis branch. The event is free and open to all, with refreshments provided by The Friends of the Davis Library.

DMA is proud to be a new member organization of the Cool Davis Initiative. On Sept. 24, CDI & Village Homes Present a 350.org Celebration, featuring local internationally acclaimed author Kim Stanley Robinson reading from his climate change trilogy: “Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, and Sixty Days and Counting.” The event also features local musicians Andrew Corbett, George Haver, Eve West Bessier and the Threshold Choir; desserts and iced teas; walking tours of the sustainable features of Village Homes. Most pieces take place between 7-9 p.m. Here for more info.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, International House Davis is holding an International Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at the Veterans' Memorial Center, 203 E. 14th Street in Davis. Featuring the cultures of 20 different cultures, an international fashion show, arts and crafts vendors, food booths, Mexican, Thai, folk, Chinese, African and Indian dance, singing and more. A special kids area will be set up, and rain moves the event to the Blanchard Room at the nearby library. Here for more info. 

Program Profile: The Recollection

Hosts Ted and Josh of The Recollection on KDRT invite you to tune in Tuesdays live from noon to 1 p.m., with a Wednesday 10 p.m. replay. Says Ted, The Recollection is "an arena where we gather listeners’ opinions and discuss them. This show will usually span the field of sports talk, but entertainment and current events are also regular topics. Anything is fair game for conversation, and sometimes humor. When the calls are slow (or when Ted can’t remember how to work the phones) this show becomes informative and hilarious impromptu conversation with two guys who enjoy talking about sports and are really good friends." Tune in, check it out, and leave some love on their blog at kdrt.org.

As with all KDRT programs, you can listen live online or anytime thanks to the wonders of archiving.

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