About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2011)
SIGNING OFF She has... devolved into a one-woman news department. Those of us who rely on WUGA-FM for our radio news have depended, for longer than any of us cares to admit, on Mary Kay Mitchell to tell us what is happening in Athens. "This is Mary Kay Mitchell, and you're listening to WUGA FM 91.7..." Now, we'll be listening to see (hear) who takes her place, because our longtime radio voice has retired. Of course, she is irreplaceable—all that in-depth knowl edge about Athens, all those stories, all those news briefs, all those interviews, those hours at the typewriter and the computer—oecause she has to write it before she broadcasts it. (She doesn't just make up all that stuff on the spot, you know.) We're losing all that and starting over from scratch, and of course Mary Kay started from scratch, too. She was in on the very beginnings of WUGA when it first went on the air, and she has been around ever since and reflects the fortunes of the station. Mary Kay was there in those heady days when our local radio pioneers brought National Public Radio to Athens. You can't imagine what that meant. Before WUGA, we had an hour of classical music on Sunday night. Local radio then as now was a vast wasteland of bad country music and worse gospel, sketchy news and the occasional local angle like election returns. WUGA brought all the great national stuff: "A Prairie Home Companion," the news programs, magazine features and classical music. NPR was like an invigorating rain on a parched desert, and its local affiliate had a strong commitment to local news and features. WUGA also gradually developed Ihe staff to create what it wanted to deliver. David Bryant, Angela Elam, Rob Hilton, Melinda Weir and Steve Lickteig produced thoughtful, insightful, creative news and commentary about Athens and beyond. They were like an alternative newsmaga zine of the air, teaching us again what radio could be, with a dedication to getting news right and giving it enough time to tell the story with intelligence and a fidelity to the truth on our own station, right here in Athens, Georgia, brought to us by the University of Georgia. It is impossible to imagine Athens without WUGA, though we have had to get used to a vastly reduced presence, with all that great, creative staff gone, except for Mary Kay, and now her. She has, after successive budget cuts over the years, devolved into a one-woman news department, with the abil ity to go out and do the interview, come back and write it up, go on the air with her report, then back to her office to write up the next news report, hosting the weekly "Athens News Matters." Mary Kay has been like a princess once accustomed to a full staff now reduced to doing everything herself, but a noble princess, never complaining, actually taking pride in her abil ity to do it all, even enjoying it, despite the frustration of not being able to do more, as she could when she had a full staff of radio geniuses. One other thing, while we are eulogizing her career, that you don't usually associate with a hard-driving newsperson: Mary Kay is kind and caring. She genuinely likes people and is interested in their stories. That may mean she would never make it as a modern-day news-shouter, but it frequently meant that she was able to make people real in her interviews and stories and make their humanity palpable through the air. She's funny, too: not at all pretentious, and that carries across the ether. OK, the radio station is out of the university's control now, given over to Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta, and Mary Kay has decided to hang up her headphones. Here's hoping the station is able to hire a worthy successor: they're trying, and they know it's a tough hire. Thanks, Mary Kay, from all your fans, all the nameless and faceless people you had to imagine were out there listen ing every time you turned on your microphone. We were out there, and we were listening; we depended on you to keep us tuned in. You were there alone in the studio, but you were sur rounded by people all over town counting on you to keep us up to the minute with local news. 1 hanks a lot. Mary Kay. We heard vou. Pete McCommons THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: HEWS .§3 FEATURES City Dope 4 Athens News and Views Local Democrats and Republicans are co-sponsoring an Aug. 14 town hall meeting on redistrictmg Athens Rising 7 What’s Up in New Development A few musmgs on the various cycles of life in Athens-Clarke County. Theatre Review 11 Wit and Wisdom An Ideal Husband is a very fashionable story of love, blackmail and the hell of others' expectations Grub Notes 12 Summer Wrap-Up A roundup of all the openings, closings and changes that summer brought M1US0© A Tale of One City 15 How Athens Keeps the Hits Coming, 30 Years Going An mtro to our music scene through the lenses of a newcomer and a veteran How to Get Your Band in Flagpole 16 Tips for Beginners Playing music in Athens? You'll need publicity, and this is how to get it | — ! CITY DOPE 4 j CITY PAGES 5 ; CAPITOL IMPACT 6 I ATHENS RISING 7 j MISCELLANY 8 j GUIDE TO ATHENS 9 ! MOVIE DOPE 10 | THEATRE NOTES 11 j GRUB NOTES 12 j THREATS & PROMISES 13 WELCOME TO THE MUSIC SCENE 15 GETTING IN FLAGPOLE 16 PATTERSON HOOD 17 BELA FLECK 19 THE CALENDAR! 21 BULLETIN BOARD 28 ART AROUND TOWN 29 COMICS 30 REALITY CHECK 31 CLASSIFIEDS 32 EVERYDAY PEOPLE 35 ras iH m ►► The new Flagpole Guide to Athens is here! Check it out online! ►► Like us on Facebook! Follow our Tweets! ►► We want to know about your next event: email calendar@flagpole.com ►► Can’t find a keeper? Jyl Inov still wants to hear from YOU! Get a free Reality Check ►► Contact Us! Submit your original, non-published writing, story ideas or photos to editor@flagpole.com ►► Write a Letter to the Editor. Pete wants to know your thoughts on local issues COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring an illustration by David Mack EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING OIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION OIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey Melinda Edwards. Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gil/enrat CITY EDITOR Dave Varr CLASSIFIEDS. DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER NrcoCasmn AD DESIGNERS Kelly Ruberto. Cindy Jerrell CARTOONISTS Cameron Bogue, Missy Kulik. Jeremy Lor e. David Mack Clint McEiroy. Sarah Trigueros ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS John Barrett H i ary Brown Nicole Cashm, Kevin Craig. Tom Crawtord. David Fitzgerald. John Huie. Jy! Inov Gordon Lamb. Emily Pairing John G Nettles ;eft Tobias Drew Wheeler Kevan Williams Marshall Yarbrough CIRCULATION Charles Greenleat Nish Hogan Jesse Margum. Matt Shirley WEB DESIGNER Kel.y Ruberto ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT j' t Sntt ADVERTISING INTERNS Anne ' jt?>- v H >rr s A nl», i ora'rote MUSIC INTERNS Chris MiHer Brian Walter CONTACT US: STREET ADDRESS: 112 Foundry St.. Athens. GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.0. Box 1027. Athens. GA 30603 EDITORIAL: (706) 549-9523 ADVERTISING: (706) 549-0301 FAX: (706) 548-8981 ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com COMICS: comics@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editor@flagpole com LETTERS: !etters@flagpole com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com WEB SITE: web@flagpole com VOLUME 25 ISSUE NUMBER 31 Flagpole Inc ; • flagpole Magj/me .veeMv and d'Sfrrbtites !/';■. t) cop-*** $3?i to? sr» months '■ 2011 Flagpole. Inc. 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