Autumn Labbe-Renault's blog

DMA's Board of Directors meets the First Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. in DMA’s admin office.

KDRT's Steering Committee meets the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. in DMA's admin office.

DMA's General Orientation is free, offered monthly and designed to give attendees an overview of DMA's programs and services. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Programming Manager Jeff Shaw will give a short tour, show clips and orient to DMA's websites, and provide information about how to get started at DMA. register here.

Milestones: Just recently, Chris Mussen celebrated 5 years of his KDRT show, “A Constant Grin,” which offers up Indie Rock. Pieter and Jeanne Pastoor just wrapped the first year of “Listening Lyrics,” a show was has featured live in-studio poets, singers and songwriters many a Friday afternoon. And Lee Renault, “The Eclectic Dinosaur” himself, just wrapped up year 8 on the air. Congratulations to all.

ON DCTV –

It’s October – Must Be Time for Tarantulas!

Ruth Chambers, intrepid host of “The Chambers Street Theatre” on both DCTV and KDRT, offers up “The Halloween Special: The Tarantula Show” this month on DCTV. A consummate storyteller, Ruth will read The Tarantula Story from ‘Roughing It,” by Mark Twain. The show airs live on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m., with repeats scheduled throughout October (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at noon); weekends at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and 2:30 and 10 p.m.). Tune in live or find the show at online and get a tasty helping of seasonal atmosphere.

DMA is pleased to sponsor this fine community event: Music Only Makes Sense and the DHS Blue & White Foundation present “Festival on the Green” –Saturday, October 12, 2013. Eight bands on 2 stages at Central Park in Downtown Davis to raise funds to benefit our local public schools in areas of extra-curricular activities, such as music, art and performing arts. Scheduled to take the FotG stage…

Be Calm Honcho - Cherry Royale - Extra Classic - Kingfisher/Sea Train -Midi Matilda - Radiation City - Rita Hosking and Cousin Jack - The West Nile Ramblers

There will be plenty of food, a beer garden, and great music for this all ages event. Tix and more info at http://www.showclix.com/event/fotg2013.

Donations to DMA support digital skills building and platforms for local voices and viewpoints. Thanks to the following for their recent support of community media: Mark Brown, Stephen Brown – In Memory of Bill Smith, Anya Clasen, Dr. G, Wayne Hagen, Katherine & John Hess, Kay Knepprath – In Memory of Bill Smith, Monticello Seasonal Cuisine – Rhonda & Tony Gruska, Marian Stephenson – In Memory of Bill Smith, Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis (via congregational collection).

DMA fund raises all year long, with our major fund raiser slated for spring 2014. Please consider a year-end donation to DMA by clicking here.

Within a one–week span, DMA just celebrated the 9th anniversary of KDRT’s launch, and kicked off a yearlong celebration of 25 years building community through media here in Davis, CA.

A decade ago, the board and staff of what was then called Davis Community Television, along with a group of community volunteers known as the KDRT Working Group, was hip-deep in engineering specs, Federal Communications Commission jargon, and community ascertainment. I will never forget the 18 months we spent building a station and bringing it to life. We were the first public access channel in the nation to launch a Low-power FM station, a new class of radio designed to provide hyper-local broadcast radio to a specific community. There was no road map, and we were in uncharted territory. It was a nail-biting, endorphin-producing wild ride.

A big thank you to Craig & Darien Blomberg, who hosted a wonderful get-together for the KDRT community on Aug. 3. Craig serves as chairperson of the KDRT Steering Committee and is instrumental in KDRT’s operations & well-being.

We give a fond farewell to DCTV intern Bryce Parker, who’s been a veritable fixture here for two years. Bryce is headed to Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Massachusetts, where he’ll be studying film.

You Inspire Us…

Welcome to the dog days of summer! It’s that funny time in Davis when things are relatively quiet, yet hovering just on the horizon is September, otherwise known as the Time When All Things Begin. We’ll be starting fall internships, firing up partnerships and trainings, planning for election coverage, and getting ready for another whirlwind year.

Livening up those aforementioned dog days of summer, this month the Insect News Network and Davis Media Access bring you…bees.

Longtime DMA friend and supporter Bill Smith passed away July 19. A memorial for him will take place Sunday, Aug. 18 from 2-4 p.m. at Symposium Restaurant in Davis.

Bill, who was also a KDVS DJ for many years, was deeply involved with DMA, having served by turns on our board, as a member of the KDRT Working Group that helped to launch the station, and later, a member of the KDRT Steering Committee.  He was also a prolific producer.