Blogs

KDRT public affairs show Davisville wins S.F. Press Club awards for fourth year running

The San Francisco Press Club recently announced the winners of its 2021 Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards, and KDRT’s Davisville placed second and third among small noncommercial radio/audio public-affairs programs!

The winning episodes were an interview with Winters’ Nora Cary, “The Palms, on indefinite hiatus, is ending its lease in Winters” (Aug. 17, 2020), and a discussion with Ryan Easterday, a U.S. Navy commander from Davis (Feb. 17, 2020).

The contest recognizes excellent work by journalists and other communicators in 12 counties ranging from Monterey and Marin to Yolo. Davisville has previously won six S.F. Press Club awards for shows created in 2019, 2018 and 2017. On the program, journalist Bill Buchanan interviews people about events, news, and stories involving Davis. He produces the show, and his brother Jim Buchanan is the sound engineer. Both Davis residents have been volunteer programmers at KDRT for more than a decade.

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!

The event drew families, students, public figures, neighbors, artists, local business owners, and the many volunteers who had been working since 2000 to get this station on the air. Davis Enterprise columnist Bob Dunning was the evening's emcee, and Mayor Ruth Asmundson flipped the on switch to officially launch our broadcast.

Seventeen years later, we are proud to offer Davis locally produced radio that draws on the help and huge commitment of our 34 volunteer programmers, many of whom have been with us for a decade or more. We treasure this local resource, and look forward to the day when we can again come together with the community to celebrate in person. Until then, stay tuned to 95.7 FM, "where the grassroots grow," and stream our wide variety of shows at kdrt.org.

Celtic Songlines August 31st 2021

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celtic, celtic music, Irish music, Scottish music, England

This week's session of Celtic Songlines features the Celtic banjo of Adrian McAuliffe with Cathal Flood, the Bothy Band, Hannah Harris, Donovan, Julie Fowlis, boudran player Colm Phelan, Men of Worth, Iona-Pan American Celtic band, Boys of the Lough, Eliza Carthy with Martin Carthy, Beoga, Kerfuffle and Molloy, Brady and Peoples.

Tune into Celtic Songlines at KDRT 95.7 fm or stream at kdrt.org each Tuesday 11 to Noon, Wednesday 1-2 p.m, Thursday 6-7 p.m. and Sunday 4-5p.m.

Davis musician Gary Lee Yoder, RIP: In Oxford Circle, Kak and Blue Cheer, he was part of the 1960s San Francisco Sound

Updated Aug. 13 with link to Live Tracks that featured short talks with musicians who played with Gary, plus information about Davis Music Connections program on Aug. 17

We’re sorry to report this news: Gary Lee Yoder, whose Davis band Oxford Circle became part of the San Francisco Sound in the 1960s, died on Saturday, Aug. 7. He was born in 1946.

Gary lived in Davis most of his life, and continued to perform in town after returning to Davis following his time in the Bay Area.

He was also a member of the Davis High School Hall of Fame as a player on the school’s undefeated varsity boys basketball team of 1961-62.

After Oxford Circle broke up, he and band co-leader Dehner Patten formed Kak. The group played fewer than a dozen concerts but recorded a self-titled LP for Epic in 1969, renamed Kak-Ola when released in expanded form on CD. Many listeners consider it to be an obscure gem from the psychedelic era. A live recording of Oxford Circle was released on CD.

After Kak, Gary recorded solo material, and became a later member of Blue Cheer.

At least three KDRT program hosts plan to play some of Gary’s music:

KDRT celebrates international Make Music Day June 21 with special programming

In honor of “Make Music Day” celebrated across the globe each June 21 on Summer Solstice, today we present the “Make Music Davis-DIMI Showcase 2021” which will air on KDRT 95.7 FM  at 10-11 AM and 6-7 PM. This song showcase highlights five emerging local young musicians/bands from the Davis Independent Music Initiative (DIMI) project recorded by Davis Media Access at the Davis Veterans Memorial Theatre. Additionally, from 11 AM to 1 PM June 21 we will air special extended live recordings of performances from DIMI 2021 Award winner Boca do Rio, and from multi-SAMMIE Award winners The Nickel Slots. We will also feature some highlight performances from the well-loved Thursday Live! community concert series recorded at Davis Odd Fellows Hall.

We're back on the air!

Evening UPDATE, MAY 13: We're broadcasting and livestreaming again. Thank you for your patience!

Listen at 95.7 FM in Davis, at https://kdrt.org/, or if you want to hear a program via our website:

  • Find and select the program you want at kdrt.org/station/programs ... for example, "Celtic Songlines"
  • Find the episode you want to hear, and select its title (URL) ... for example, "Celtic Songlines April 27, 2021"
  • And listen!

Thanks for supporting KDRT on BDOG2021

During the 24 hours of Big Day of Giving (BDOG) on May 6, KDRT and Davis Media Acccess received close to 100 donations, and we exceeded our 24-hour goal for the second year in a row. Thank you for the generous support of our grassroots community media!

The 98 participating nonprofits in Yolo County received $1.5 million -- up 75% from the pre-pandemic 2019 figures, according to the Yolo Community Foundation. Also shattering records was the total of $13.3 million for 688 regional  nonprofits reported by local BDOG organizer, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

Did you plan on donating to KDRT and just not get around to it? No problem. BDOG2021 served as the kickoff for our Annual Spring Appeal Fundraiser. You can donate throughout May and June at kdrt.org/donate.

COVID-19 Community Report, April 27, 2021 - Yolo Food Bank

Epsiode 62 is the final episode of this series. I want to thank everyone who has listened, participated, shared, and supported this effort.

If you have enough food, you tend to take it for granted. Mealtimes happen at regular intervals, grocery stores and local markets are nearby and readily accessible. If you've ever experienced food insecurity, however, food looms large as one of the biggest problems in need of a fix. It's hard to take care of other basic needs if you're too hungry to think clearly, or if you're worried about where the next meal comes from.

COVID-19 Community Report, April 20, 2021 - Voices of the Pandemic

Since launching this show on March 17, 2020. I’ve interviewed just shy of 100 people representing a breadth of experiences across Yolo County. We’ve heard from elected officials ranging from Congress to school board; from Yolo County’s public health staff, and from teachers, students, and parents. I’ve interviewed artists and musicians; journalists, businesses, and nonprofit leaders. I’ve focused on the science, interviewing epidemiologists, virologists, and hospital administrators. We’ve talked about mental health, homelessness, hopelessness, and resiliency. And through it all, I’ve tried to illustrate that the pandemic has meant many things to many people, and to highlight the ways it has illuminated the holes in our safety net, and the extra burdens borne by marginalized communities. Today I’ve pulled out what I thought were particularly poignant passages from the past 13 months.

COVID-19 Community Report, April 13, 2021 - Don Saylor

As I am winding down this series (last show airs April 27), I wanted to circle back with someone at the county level, and I chose Don Saylor, whom I last interviewed in June 2020.

Supervisor Saylor represents District 2, including the cities of Davis and Winters, the campus of the University of California at Davis, and the farm land of southwestern Yolo County. His public service career spans over 45 years and includes 25 years elected in office, administrative, planning and analytical positions in local government and both the legislative and executive branches of California state government.

We’ve spoken a couple of times over the course of the pandemic, but it had been a while, and much has happened. Join us for  conversation spanning his key takewaways from the pandemic;  how the American Rescue Act funds wil be used; and how the county is grappling with a  mandated overhaul of the juvenile justice system, envisoning new approaches and new purpose for the Juvenile Justice Facility.

Tune in live Tuesday, April 13 at noon PST on KDRT 95.7 FM, or catch the show in my archive anytime, anywhere.