Autumn Labbe-Renault's blog

From the pace our staff and volunteers set in January, 2014 promises to be a most exciting year. We just hosted a concert in the DCTV studio on Feb. 4, in collaboration with the Davis Live Music Collective; we’ll record Congressman John Garamendi’s Town Hall forum Feb. 8 in Davis; help approximately 15 Yolo County non-profits to create public service announcements in the TV studio Feb. 12-13; and produce a plethora of local election programming for the June election.

DMA will produce “Meet the Candidates” for Davis and Yolo County contested races in the June election, as well as Assembly and Congressional races affecting Davis. We’ll also partner with other local non-partisan groups, and record local elections forums as resources permit. If you know of an election forum planned in the next few months that you would like covered, please contact Autumn via info@davismedia.org. We record these first-come, first served, as resources allow.

General Orientation: Curious about KDRT, DCTV or DJUSD Channel 17, and want to learn about the amazing umbrella organization of these community media outlets?  Plan to attend the next Davis Media Access General Orientation on February 13 at 6:30pm.  Sign up online here.

Equitable and affordable broadband access is a community media policy issue. Broadband adoption is slow in many areas of Yolo County and the county is taking action, embarking on a collaborative broadband planning study coordinated by Yolo LAFCo. The study aims to help determine Yolo County can best ensure that our businesses, residents, and community anchor institutions have access to affordable, high-quality and high-speed broadband services that will meet their long-term needs.

Now airing on Davis Community Television and viewable online at dctv.davismedia.org - a wide variety of programs by community producers: Scrambled, What’s Going On? Egyptian Updates, Nexus Stage, Chambers Street Theatre, Gaming Rainbow, and more) as well as these:

Note: The DJUSD does not have a policy that allows us to make local school-related productions available online. You may request additional airings on Channel 17 on the Comcast system by emailing agsilva@davismedia.org, or purchases copies of the programs here.

DMA is bidding fond farewell to two of our board members. We thank Glenda Drew, who wrapped a two-year term in January, for her passionate advocacy for community media, and for generously sharing her skills in all things graphic design.

DMA’s fiscal year runs July 1-June 30, and while we run our annual fund raising campaign in the month of May, we are grateful for donations year round. A BIG thank you to this year’s donors so far.

KDRT’s listeners tune in for an amazing variety of programs, created and hosted by their neighbors. KDRT listeners are people you want as clients and customers. Your business deserves to be affiliated with this kind of quality radio. For more information about underwriting, please contact underwriting@kdrt.org. And, as our current business supporters will attest, your support for KDRT is a "sound investment."

All year long, Davis Media Access makes available a staggering array of locally originated television and radio programming,. Most of this is also archived online, available on demand. In addition,
we train community members throughout the year in media production, digital literacy, and more. We mentor youth, cover local elections, offer workshops and training opportunities, and support a wide variety of other community organizations, schools, parent groups, musicians and more.

We've been doing this for 25 years, and we call it Creating Community Through Media.  And, we do most of it for free, or very low cost. But it takes effort and resources, in the form of community support from folks like you. If your life has been touched by DMA in some way, please consider making a year-end donation, in any amount. We are a 501 c(3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible. 

Please help build and sustain DMA - we can’t do it without you! Thank you for your support, and I wish you and yours a very peaceful and happy holiday season.

Autumn Labbe-Renault
Executive Director

P..S. The new year is almost here, but there's still time to get rid of that unwanted car and get a last- minute tax receipt. Davis Media Access works with the Center for Car Donations, and donations benefit KDRT.  Don't get stuck with that old clunker in 2014, visit the Center for Car Donations website and tell them your donation is to benefit KDRT.

DMA's Annual Reports provides an in-depth look at our programs and services. The report for 2012-2013 is available here.

DMA recently produced a short video for our local non-profit Davis Farmers Market.  Local produce, local gifts & local media! Check it out: Davis Farmers Market - Gift Basket Central.

Host Nora Filet talks with local filmmaker Blake Lyon and welcomes co-host Chris Garrison on the latest Scrambled - Teen TV.