Saturday, March 22, 2008

Spring (Auction) Fever

If it's Spring, it's time for the Rhode Island PBS SPRING AUCTION!

Sure enough, today is the first day of online bidding for Spotlight items!

Spotlight items (formerly called Majors and Specials) are our most sought after, unique, and exciting donations. When you click on an item, you'll find all the details you need to make an informed bid, including images, a link to the donor's website, and the sell-off time. Spotlight items will be auctioned online only on Saturday, April 26.

Hundreds of other great items will be available for live auction each night during our televised auction April 21 - April 26, starting at 7 PM Monday-Friday, and at 5PM on Saturday.

Don't Miss That Great Buy Again!

This year, the rapid response from our hundreds of generous donors combined flawlessly with advanced technology - and a lot of sweat and organization by our two auction staff - to make an important improvement we've been dreaming of for years. For the first time ever, the entire schedule of items - the day and time (within a half hour) that an item will be auctioned - is available online in advance of the televised auction. In fact, the schedule is ready right NOW.

This improvement allows us to show you that we acknowledge and respect your limited viewing time. As exciting and important as the live auction is - it's THE priority for all station staff for that entire week - we know you may not be able to dedicate your week glued to your television for four hours a night, waiting for those items you know we'll be featuring at some point.

Now, if you invest a little time reviewing the schedule first, you can KNOW when we'll auction off all those great buys that peak your interest, and you can plan to watch, bid, and WIN!

Everybody Wins

The Spring Auction is the biggest fund raising event for the station. The money we raise from winning bids goes a long way in keeping the programs you love to watch on Rhode Island PBS.

The auction is a win-win-WIN deal:

1. Local businesses win by making a tax-deductible charitable donation, and receiving on-air television recognition for their generosity.
2. High bidders win by supporting high quality programs and specials on Rhode Island PBS, and get great deals for their generosity.
3. Rhode Island PBS wins by getting the funds we need to deliver the quality programming you just can't find on other channels, without commercial interruption.

Browse online SPOTLIGHT items here

Review the live auction SCHEDULE here