On Sept. 24, KDRT 95.7FM — the radio station based here at community media center Davis Media Access — turned 19.
DMA was the first public-access community media center in the nation to launch a Low-Power FM (LPFM) station. Since then, many have followed, and just recently the Federal Communications Commission opened a rare window for applications to open frequencies on this non-commercial educational radio spectrum.
DMA’s Jeff Shaw was recently a featured speaker at a regional meeting for potential applicants put on by the Alliance for Community Media. Since KDRT was started during the first licensing period, Jeff is often called upon to offer a long-term perspective on many topics involving the facets of operating an all-volunteer community LPFM radio station.
From its inception, KDRT has been more than a low-power community station, more than a project of DMA, and more than a place to just play music or talk. It’s been a volunteer-fueled community, one that connects to our larger community both by running live broadcasts from community events, and each and every week in front of the mics and the sound board in the KDRT studio.
