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Davis Media Access (DMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. DMA is a community media center serving Davis, CA and surrounding areas. Our mission is to enrich and strengthen the community by providing alternatives to commercial media for local voices, opinions and creative endeavors. Our major projects are KDRT 95.7 FM, Davis Community Television and DJUSD Channel 17.

KDRT Highlights

Put another candle on the cake -- KDRT turns 17 today

This week marks the start of fall, the return of students to UC Davis, and the 17th birthday of KDRT. Our launch party was held on a warm Friday evening, Sept. 24, 2004, on the Davis Media Access backlot. It featured live music, hay bales for seats, speeches, cake, camaraderie, and excitement about having our own community radio station!

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 23, 2021 -- Leucadendrons

Do native bees, pollinators, and other beneficials NEED to have only NATIVE plants? No, for most. But yes for a few. The "Pipevine Swallowtail" butterfly needs the California pipevine for its larva to feed on (other pipevine species won't do). Monarch butterfly larva feed only on milkweed plants. But most local insects will be happy with many garden plants. Having a diversity of plant species is a good way to attract and help beneficial insects.

What is "planting with natives?" If "native" means "originally existing in the local plant community," then we are extremely limited in Davis. If "native" means "native somewhere" (that is, it's not a hybrid), then anything goes! If "native" means "naturally occuring in some political region" such as California, then native-ness has no relationship to how well something will grow in my yard -- because California contains so many different climate zones. Perhaps it would be better to look for "locally adapted" plants -- species which originated in climates like ours (such as the Mediterranean, coastal Chile, parts of Australia, southern Africa, etc.), and so will grow well in OUR climate.

Today's questions include: Should we be "pinching" broccoli? (Don doesn't.) That's bacterial Citrus Blast -- exacerbated by a few days of humid weather in August. Why Don's 32-year-old orchard is being taken out (lifespan of the trees vs. changing economics vs. climate expectations). How farmers decide what to plant where. And what some people expect to happen to our local climate in the next 20-50 years.

Jazz After Dark September 21 2021

Tonight on Jazz After Dark: we'll start with some of Gerry Mulligan's studio recordings from the early 1960s. Then Grant Green, Deodato, Benny Carter, two from Count Basie's late-career recordings, Milt Jackson, Dave Young with Oscar Peterson, and the Rosenberg Trio.

Davisville, Sept. 20, 2021: Amid drought and frightening wildfires, Davis is relatively fortunate

The prediction a few weeks ago, inspired by this year’s ravaging wildfires, that “every acre [in California] can and will burn” — does that really apply to Davis? And if the drought continues through this coming winter and spring, does Davis have the water it needs? Today we talk with Stan Gryczko, director of Public Works Utilities & Operations for the city, and Joe Tenney, Davis fire chief, about the city’s water supplies, conservation, and the fire risks facing Davis in 2021.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 16, 2021, Brassicas -- a one-plant wonder

'Tis a time of CHANGE! Weather is cooler, season is later ... For some folks, it's time to cut down the cucumber vines and plant some brassicas. For others (like Don), there are still tomatoes ripening to harvest into October. What's your plan for a winter garden? Now is a good time to plant peas, lettuce, brassicas, and other cool seaon vegetablees. You can also plan to put "cover crops" on the portion of your summer garden that you don't plan to plant for the winter -- to keep down weeds and improve your soil.

COVID-19 Community Report

Davis Media Access Executive Director Autumn Labbe-Renault will be hosting live shows Tuesdays 12-12:30pm and Fridays 12-12:30pm to help update the community about COVID-19. The shows will rebroadcast Tuesdays and Fridays at 5pm. This show will be a compendium of local resources with check-ins from local officials and other community leaders. As a companion piece for the show, link to the weekly updated blog posting of local services and information called the COVID-19 Community Resource List.

DMA During COVID-19

Since closing the facility on March 13, we’ve navigated a broad range of operational/technical/programmatic and administrative challenges during quarantine. We’ve helped some of our radio and TV volunteers as they’ve navigated producing from home--and commiserated with those who couldn’t. And we’ve adapted on other levels, working to fill budget gaps that are a byproduct of this time, while striving to respond to community requests for help with events that are now virtual. In short, though the building has been closed, the organization has not!

Through it all, we’ve kept abreast of the ever-changing laws and public health orders. In particular, we are following the guidelines for reopening developed by the John Hopkins Center for Public Health and Yolo County Public Health. Our policy and timeline has been developed by staff, and was vetted and approved by the DMA board at its June meeting.

Connecting to What Matters

If this is your first visit to our website, welcome, and thanks for visiting.

Davis Media Access (DMA) is a non-profit community media & technology center currently celebrating its 31st year of serving Davis and environs. Elsewhere on this website you can read about what we do; the purpose of my message here is underscore why we do it. DMA’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.