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Mickunas starts new chapter at WYSO
By Don Thrasher
Contributing Writer
Sunday, January 06, 2008
YELLOW SPRINGS — Local fans of literature let out a collective cry of joy in December when Vick Mickunas, the former music director at WYSO and host of the station's long-running "Book Nook" feature, returned to the airwaves after a four-year absence.
Mickunas isn't on air as often as before, contributing a biweekly segment to the station's Sunday morning news magazine, "WYSO Weekend," but for many area listeners it was comforting to hear the well-read interviewer once again entering into intelligent discourse with authors for the public radio station.
"It's good to be back," Mickunas said. "(General Manager Paul) Maassen has been at 'YSO about two and half years, and I've been talking to him on and off that whole time about doing something at the station again. We've had a number of conversations, and it takes a while — progress can be kind of glacial in a lot of ways."
While he's pleased to have Mickunas back on the air, Maassen stresses it's not the return of the "Book Nook."
"We didn't do any big announcement because I don't want to give people the misimpression that this is a daily show," Maassen said. "At this juncture, Vick is just producing pieces for us in 'WYSO Weekend.' Part of the idea behind our magazine show is to reach out to different producers and have them put pieces in there. We thought it made sense to have Vick do something. We're very early in this process so we don't know where it will go. We'll see what happens."
Mickunas has been absent from the airwaves since being forced out of WYSO in late 2003 during former general manager Steve Spencer's controversial administration, but he never stopped interviewing authors. His weekly "Book Nook" column has appeared in the Dayton Daily News since mid-2004.
"I see this as a real win-win situation for the station, for the community, for the Dayton Daily News, for me, for everybody," Mickunas said. "I don't see how it can be bad. I think books are really important. You hear about people not reading anymore, and then you see how stupid people are. They all watch TV all the time, and they'll believe any stupid thing.
"In my view, books are the repository for the all the greatest thinking we've ever done," Mickunas continued. "A society that doesn't read books anymore is a culture on the verge of losing its collective mind. For me to have authors on the air talking about books on public radio has got to be done. I think the community needs it, and that's what I care about."
Mickunas' latest interview airs today at 10:30 a.m. during "WYSO Weekend."
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com. - goto
Posted by Vick Mickunas on 1/15/08; 12:27:09 PM
from the dept.
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