Autumn Labbe-Renault's blog

Facility News & New Hours

Beginning the week of March 4, 2013, DMA will increase its open hours to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our staff is small but recognizes that our volunteer usage has increased and there's a need for this.  Please note, the facility will be open for normal use during this time but no technical assistance will be available. DMA's after-hours use policy has been amended to reflect the change and can be read here.

Music & Muses

New programs abound and old favorites remain on KDRT. Some recent Highlights: "Listening Lyrics" (Fridays 4 p.m. with Pieter Pastoor) features Marque Cass of local band Tha Dirt Feelin'. On "Davisville" (Mondays 5:30 p.m), Bill Buchanan checks in with Davis City Councilmembers Brett Lee and Lucas Frerichs about their first six months on the job. On "The Golden Road" (Thursdays 6 p.m.), host Rod Moseanko interviews famed musician, composer, producer, artist and visionary, Bob Bralove of San Francisco. Wednesdays at 1 p.m., DJ Skip brings you "Roots, Rock, Revolution." Wednesdays at 3 p.m., check in with Gary Pratt on "An International Affair." Brazilian Carnaval music one week, Chinese opera the next, Gary truly brings some international flair.  And, if you like storytelling, you can listen to Ruth Chambers on "Chambers Street Theatre" Thursdays at 11 a.m., or "Club Huga" with Michelle Woods Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.

Local content abounds

Davis Media Access with the help of volunteers and interns produced a number of programs this February, including the Surface Water Project Forum, Breaking the Cycle of Gun Violence, Parent University, the 19th Annual City of Davis Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame 2012.

All programs air on Davis Community Television Comcast Channel 15 in Davis.  Follow the link to read more about these programs and view them online.

Keep it Local, Keep it Strong

Each year, I write an annual report for the preceding fiscal year. I'm pleased to share with you Davis Media Access's Annual Report & Financials for 2011-12 , available here. Like this newsletter, we make this report available online only in order to conserve resources.

The report helps us tell the big-picture story of where DMA fits in, both locally and in the larger community media movement. It illustrates how we leverage limited resources in support of a really big mission - to provide digital media and technology equipment and training that builds skills, furthers job readiness, and connects our community in myriad ways. I hope you'll take a few minutes to page through it, and let me know what you think about the year that was.

Community events

“Canada’s Tar Sands are perhaps the most visually compelling example of all that is wrong with our addiction to fossil fuels and why we must change or face dire consequences for all life on Earth,”Garth Lenz states in his award-winning slideshow talk, The True Cost of Oil: Images of Beauty and Devastation