2012 Toyota Prius v featured in Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction

This year's Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction offers a 2012 Toyota Prius v. Below are a photo of the vehicle and Toyota's description:

Your New England Toyota Dealer has generously donated the vehicle named as the Best Car to Buy for 2012 by GreenCarReports.com, the all-new Toyota Prius v.

The much acclaimed 2012 Toyota Prius v hybrid delivers the highest combined fuel efficiency of any SUV, crossover utility vehicle or wagon with its EPA-estimated 42-mpg combined rating.

But great fuel efficiency isn’t the whole story. The Prius v boasts very low ownership costs. In fact, Intellichoice.com has ranked Prius v “2012 Best Overall Value of the Year” because owning it could save you $6,990 in five-year ownership costs.

 The comfortable, 5-passenger Toyota Prius v doesn’t just save you money; it delivers amazing performance while producing 66% fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new vehicle. This Prius v features the Star Safety System with seven airbags and contains 34.3 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s more cargo space than over 80% of small SUVs. It’s really no wonder that the “v” in Prius v stands for versatility!

Other features include:

• 6.1 inch touch-screen with Navigation, Entune, and integrated backup camera 
• AM/FM/Satellite radio, CD player, MP3 player/iPod holder, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and 6 speakers 
• Remote keyless entry and Push Button Start 
• Project-beam halogen headlights with auto-off feature 
• Cruise Control 
• Power windows, door locks and mirrors 
• Heated outside mirrors 
• 60/40 split fold-flat rear bench seat

Televised 2011 Spring Auction begins TONIGHT!

The studio is set, dressed, and lit. The items are lined up backstage, tagged and ready, waiting for their cue to make their television debut. The 2011 Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction starts at 7 p.m. tonight. The Auction continues through Saturday.

For all the activity you see during the show, the first night of live auction is especially busy behind the scenes - and it starts hours before the red lights on the TV cameras start glowing. Friends who have joined us for this annual event each year for decades will reunite, sharing hugs and handshakes. New volunteers will feel as welcome as family. They will chat over dinner, receive assignments and brief training, then man the laptops and phones, or boards and tables, with the confidence that their effort, their time, their dedication are important and appreciated. And they will have fun!

Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. for the excitement and (very) organized chaos of opening night of the 2011 Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction. Follow the bidding action online.

Featured item: 2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid
generously donated by your New England Toyota Dealer!

 

2011 Spring Auction Online Now, on TV May 4

With almost 1,000 items of all shapes, sizes, and values available – including a 2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid* generously donated by your New England Toyota Dealer – the televised Rhode Island PBS 2011 Spring Auction kicks off in just over a week. Bidding opened online on April 18.

"Despite the flagging economy, companies and individuals have responded to the Auction with overwhelming support and generous donations," said WSBE Auction Director Jeffrey Hartley. Looking around the storage room, he remarked, "There literally is something for everyone, and in every price range."

Hartley has been the WSBE auction director for almost 10 years. In that time, he has seen technology undergo a huge revolution, and he has kept pace by moving all auction activity onto the Internet.

"Every Spring Auction item is posted online," Hartley said. "This is our third year of putting all items online. People really love the convenience. Everything from a $10 pizza to the $25,000 Prius is available for preview and bidding online."

In addition to browsing pictures and descriptions, online bidders will know the exact time each item will be sold, to help them devise their bidding strategy. During the televised auction, bidding activity can be tracked in real time. The auction site also permits proxy bidding, which means bidders can reserve a maximum amount they are willing to bid on an item. It's important to note that only the minimum dollar amount needed to win the item will be used. Although not foolproof, the proxy bidding strategy is especially useful if a bidder will not be available to watch the auction close on an item of particular interest, or if the bidder suspects there will be increased competitive bidding at the last minute.

"A bid can sit unchallenged for days or even weeks, but there are watchers who are keeping an eye on it," Hartley noted. "Then, in the final minute, bids come in from all over, and the person who had the winning bid two minutes ago loses out. That happens several times every year. Proxy bidding can help protect against that by automatically challenging counter bids. It's what makes auctions so exciting."

Fans of the popular annual event who do not have Internet access can still watch the auction live on television and call in to place their bids from Wednesday, May 4 through Saturday, May 7, beginning at 7 p.m. each evening.

"All bids will be placed online, whether bidders do it themselves on computers at home, or by calling our studio and having our volunteers place bids online for them," Hartley explained.

Conducting the auction online opens it up to a world-wide audience. "We have had auction winners from all over the country, even as far away as California and Washington," Hartley said.

Casting a wider net using the 'Net increases visibility and positive exposure for the station, and for the many businesses that donated goods and services. Still, it is the close connection to the local community that differentiates WSBE from other public television stations in the region.

"The heart and soul of WSBE is our relationship with our members, donors, and volunteers," Hartley stated. "There is no greater proof of that than our Spring Auction."

To see auction items, bid online, or for more information, visit www.ripbs.org.

*Click here for information about the 2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid

Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction - just around the corner!

Have you watched the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction Preview Show yet? If not, here is the rest of the schedule, in the final days leading up to the televised auction on Wednesday through Saturday, May 4 - 7, starting at 7 PM nightly.

Preview Show on WSBE Rhode Island PBS 

04/24/11 11:30 p.m.

04/27/11 8:00 p.m.

04/28/11 2:30 p.m.

04/29/11 12:30 a.m. 

04/30/11 1:00 p.m. 

Preview Show on WSBE Learn

04/22/11 10:00 p.m.                            

04/22/11 1:30 a.m.                           

04/22/11 5:30 a.m.                                

04/23/11 2:30 a.m.                              

04/23/11 5:00 a.m.                              

04/24/11 2:00 a.m.                                

04/24/11 9:00 p.m.                                

04/25/11 4:00 a.m.                                

04/26/11 1:00 a.m.                                

04/29/11 8:30 p.m.                                

04/29/11 10:30 p.m.                                

04/30/11 3:30 a.m.                                 

04/30/11 5:30 a.m.                                

05/01/11 12:30 a.m.

05/01/11 2:30 a.m. 

All items will only be sold by bidding online at the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction Web site, including the 2011 Toyota Prius, courtesy of your New England Toyota Dealer! You can inform viewers without computer or Internet access that they can call in during the televised auction, and volunteers will happily  record and enter the bids. Of course, there's also something exciting about watching the fun and organized chaos that takes place during a live televised event, so join us even with your laptop at your side.

Online bidding started Monday and continues until the final virtual gavel falls on Saturday night.

Gas Prices Got You Blue? Think "Blue Ribbon Metallic" Instead

Considering the shocking prices at the gas pumps, this is a timely and appealing offer. We are proud, delighted, and ever so grateful to present this show-topper in the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction - check it out!

Your New England Toyota Dealer has generously donated the car people think of when they think of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius.

The much-acclaimed Toyota Prius Hybrid has won numerous green car awards and it’s really no wonder, with its EPA-estimated 50-mpg combined rating. It accomplishes this while delivering amazing performance and producing 70% fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new vehicle.

But the 2011 Toyota Prius doesn’t just help save the planet, it will also save you money: Prius boasts very low ownership costs and for nine years in a row IntelliChoice.com has ranked it a “Best Overall Value of the Year.” IntelliChoice research shows that owning a 2011 Toyota Prius could save you over $5,600 in five-year ownership costs.

This comfortable, five-passenger Toyota Prius Three, donated by Your New England Toyota Dealer, is Blue Ribbon Metallic in color and comes generously equipped. Features include:

• Toyota's STAR Safety System, including seven airbags;
• Remote keyless entry and pushbutton start;
• Automatic climate control with air filtration;
• Antilock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution & Brake Assist;
• Projector-Beam, auto-off halogen headlights;
• JBL AM/FM audio system with six-disk CD changer, auxiliary input with MP3/WMA capability, eight speakers and integrated satellite radio;
• Bluetooth wireless connectivity;
• Cruise Control;
• Instant MPG meter;
• Fabric Seats;
• Power windows, door locks and mirrors;
• Heated outside mirrors;
• 60/40 split fold-flat rear bench seat;
• Carpeted floor and cargo area mats;
• Rear deck spoiler

For even more information about this 2011 Toyota Prius, and to preview our other auction items (more lots still being added!) please visit the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction site. Preview is open, and bidding begins on MONDAY (April 18). 

Day 1: Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction has $60,000 in Bids

Day 1 of the live auction is now in the history books. It was a fun night - even if it was considerably quieter than past years. With all of the bidding taking place online, the phones don't ring as much, and there is less chaos and running around to collect and post paper bids on the boards. It's not a bad thing - it was certainly more "civilized" than I've seen it in past years. :)

We had some talented and fun-loving auctioneers: Ben Hague of The Rhode Show on Fox, mornings at 8; Paul Fuller of Paul & Al mornings on WHJY; Jim Cummings from Bank of America - the evening's sponsors - and Mike Sheridan, whose radio voice has long kept you out of traffic jams. Of course, the King of the Gift Certificate boards, Dave Richards of WOON 1240 AM radio, kept the bargains rolling while entertaining the phone bank volunteers and viewers.


Speaking of watch, Day 2 of the televised auction starts at 7 tonight. Guest auctioneers include John DePetro of 630 WPRO-AM; Eric Hofer, owner of the Comedy Connection; Michelle Muscatello of WPRI 12, Katherine Ferrington of the Newport Visitors Bureau; and Barry Mechanic, publisher of The Pawtucket Times and The Woonsocket Call. Dave Richards and Mike Sheridan will join us again, too.  

We currently have $60,000 in bids! Thank you so much for your support! The programming you enjoy watching so much on Rhode Island PBS depends on this money we raise. Pat yourself on the back for keeping on the air the shows you like to watch. : )

Live Auction Starts Monday, but You Can Bid Online Right Now

The Clock is Ticking: The Live TV Auction Starts Monday!

The crew has assembled and lit the set. Copy describing last-minute donations has been drafted and is being proofed. We now have more than 1,000 items described on our website.


Believe it or not, we still have a few more pieces to enter online and you know what that means: click here to visit our site often to check out the new arrivals.


The televised portion of our auction runs Monday - Friday, April 26 - 30, 2010, from 7:00 -11:00 pm, EDT. Remember that bidding high helps us pay for excellent programming for Southeastern New England families on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.


It's Easy to Bid!
Here's how the auction works: We're showing all the items available for bidding on our Web site. We’ll also show most of them on Rhode Island PBS during the televised auction. You can call the station and bid during the live broadcast, if you’d like. But our operators will enter your bids via computer, so bidding online streamlines the process for you by “cutting out the middleman” - even if you’re watching us on TV!


Please Register if You Haven't Already!
Registering takes moments. It’s necessary because our system must "recognize" a bidder before it accepts a bid. If you try to register and bid as an item is closing, you may not be able to finish in time to get it. If you’re not already registered, just click here to visit our homepage, then click "register to bid" to get started. It’s under the yellow "S" in "Spring Auction" at the top of the page.

Proxy Bidding Makes Winning Easier!
Can't tune us in? Can't wait to bid for those "Must-Have" items? No Problem. Bid now! Set up a proxy bid and you can specify the maximum you're willing to pay for an item. If others bid on the same piece, our auction hosting software will increase your bid on your behalf, by the minimum increment above the competing bid - but only to your maximum. If you're outbid we'll email you letting you know and, unless the item is about to close, you can decide if you'd like to increase your bid.

Catch Us Even If You Can't Tune Us In; We'll be Streaming!

Thanks to Internet streaming services provided by ON Worldwide, most of the live TV auction will be on worldwide! Just click here to listen. (Google Chrome users click here, then hit “ON TV” to watch whenever we’re available.) Why not bookmark the page to find it fast!

View All Auction Items

 

Five Days and Counting to the 2010 Spring Auction!

Less Than a Week Away!
As our production crew begins getting the studio ready for our televised auction - seen on WSBE Rhode Island PBS Monday, April 26 through Friday, April 30, from 7 – 11pm each evening - we continue adding more items to our inventory. Donors have been generous as the deadline to line up items for broadcast closes in.

And you know what that means: Check our site often because that special item you're looking for could show up tomorrow if it's not there today!

Among the items posted within the last 48 hours are a Dyer 7' 11" Midget Dinghy - one of the most popular tenders in the yachting world; three 60-foot packs of GutterBrush, the Simple Gutter Guard; and two participation packages to this year's Newport Concours - one of the top classic car events on the East Coast.

Remember that bidding high helps us pay for excellent programming the entire family can watch on Rhode Island PBS.


It's Easy to Bid!
Here's how the auction works: We show all the items available for bidding on our website as soon as we can after they’re donated. We’ll also show most of them on WSBE Rhode Island PBS during the televised auction. You can call in and bid during the live broadcast, if you’d like. But our operators will enter your bids via computer, so bidding online streamlines the process for you by “cutting out the middleman” - even if you’re watching us on TV!

Please Register if You Haven't Already!
Registering takes moments. It’s necessary because our system must "recognize" a bidder before it accepts a bid. If you try to register and bid as an item is closing, you may not be able to finish in time to get it. If you’re not already registered just visit our homepage and click "register to bid" to get started. It’s under the yellow "S" in "Spring Auction" at the top of the page.

View All Auction Items

2010 Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction Features the 2010 Toyota Prius

Your New England Toyota Dealer has generously donated the car most people think of when they think of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius.

The much-acclaimed 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid has been named Green car of the Year  by WhatGreenCar.com and it’s really no wonder, with its EPA-estimated 50-mpg combined rating. It accomplishes this while delivering amazing performance and producing 70% fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new vehicle.

But the 2010 Toyota Prius doesn’t just help save the planet, it will also save you money: Prius boasts very low ownership costs and for eight years in a row IntelliChoice.com has ranked it “best Overall Value of the Year.” IntelliChoice research shows that owning a 2010 Toyota Prius could save you over $6,800 in five-year ownership costs.

As you can see, this comfortable, five-passenger Toyota Prius comes well equipped. Features include the Star Safety System with seven airbags; a JBL audio system with eight speakers, 6-disc CD changer, AM/FM/MP3, Bluetooth and Satellite capability; automatic climate control, cruise control; power windows and locks; rear spoiler and more!

The 2010 Prius donated by Your New England Toyota Dealer is Blue Ribbon Metallic in color and includes the following equipment:

• Remote keyless entry and push button start;
• Automatic climate control with air filtration;
• Antilock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist;
• Projector-Beam, auto-off halogen headlights;
• JBL AM/FM/MP3 6-disk CD changer with 8 speakers, integrated satellite radio
• Bluetooth wireless and auxiliary audio jack  
• Cruise Control
• Instant MPG meter
• Fabric Seats
• Power windows, door locks and mirrors;
• Heated outside mirrors;
• 60/40 split fold-flat rear bench seat
• Rear deck spoiler

… and more!

Click here to see the "Window Sticker" information including a detailed list of equipment. This vehicle is valued at $24,750. Bidding starts at just $19,990.

"Show Me What You've Got!" Spring Auction Preview Show

With hundreds of items of all shapes, sizes, and values available, how do organizers of the 2010 Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction show off more of the merchandise before the event? Put everything online, and produce a preview show.

"We have already received more than 300 auction donations this year, and we expect delivery of 400 more items," said Auction Director Jeffrey Hartley. "In this economy, that speaks to the enormous generosity and support of our donor companies and individuals." He added about the donations, "There literally is something for everyone, and in every price range."

Jeff Hartley, of North Smithfield, has been the Rhode Island PBS auction director for eight years, and an employee of WSBE for 22 years. In that time, he has seen technology undergo a huge revolution, and he has tried to keep pace by moving more and more auction activity onto the Internet.

"Every Spring Auction item will be posted online," Hartley said. "We started using the Web two years ago, featuring items of higher donor value. Last year, the entire inventory went online, and people loved the convenience. So, again this year, everything from a $10 pizza to a $20,000 car will be available for preview and bidding online starting April 1."

In addition to browsing item images and descriptions, online bidders will know the exact time each item will be sold, to help them devise their bidding strategy. During the televised auction, watchers can track the bidding activity in real time. The auction site also permits proxy bidding, which means a higher, maximum bid can be placed on reserve, but only the minimum dollar amount needed to win the auction will be used. Although not foolproof, this strategy is especially useful if a bidder really wants a particular item, but either cannot monitor the final bidding, or suspects increased competitive bidding activity as the item is being sold off.

"A bid can sit unchallenged for days or even weeks, but there are watchers are keeping an eye on it," Hartley noted. "Then, in the final minute, bids come in from all over, and the person whose bid was winning two minutes ago, loses out. That's happened several times. It's actually what makes live auctions so exciting."

Fans of the popular annual event who do not have Internet access can still watch the auction live on television and call in to place their bids from Monday April 26 through Friday, April 30, beginning at 7 P.M. each evening.

"All bids will be placed online, whether bidders do it themselves on computers at home, or by calling our studio and having our volunteers place bids online," Hartley explained.

Conducting the auction online opens it up to a world-wide audience. "Last year, we had auction winners from all over the country, even as far away as California," Hartley said.

Casting a wider net using the 'Net increases visibility and positive exposure for the station – and the many businesses that donated goods and services. But it's still the close connection to the local community that differentiates Rhode Island PBS from other public television stations in the region.

"The heart and soul of Rhode Island PBS is our relationship with the community - our members, donors, and volunteers," Hartley stated. "There is no greater evidence of this dynamic than our Spring Auction."

More than two dozen Spring Auction items will be featured in a half-hour preview show, airing at various times throughout April on both WSBE Rhode Island PBS and WSBE Learn.

To see auction items, bid (beginning April 1), or get more information about the auction, visit http://ripbs.cmarket.com.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Preview show schedule

More than two dozen of the 700 Spring Auction items will be featured in a half-hour preview show, airing at various times throughout April on both WSBE channels:

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on digital 36.1. Find WSBE Rhode Island PBS on subscription television services on: Cox 08 or Cox HD 708, Verizon 08 or Verizon HD 508; Comcast (check local listings for standard definition) or Comcast HD 819; Dish Network 7776; DirecTV 36.

• Mon, 04/05/2010 at 7:00 PM
• Wed, 04/07/2010 at 12:00 PM
• Thu, 04/08/2010 at 5:30 AM
• Fri, 04/09/2010 at 7:00 PM
• Fri, 04/09/2010 at 8:30 PM
• Sat, 04/10/2010 at 1:00 PM
• Sun, 04/11/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Sun, 04/11/2010 at 5:30 AM
• Sun, 04/11/2010 at 3:00 PM
• Mon, 04/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Tue, 04/13/2010 at 5:00 AM
• Tue, 04/13/2010 at 2:30 PM
• Thu, 04/15/2010 at 12:00 PM
• Sun, 04/18/2010 at 1:30 PM
• Tue, 04/20/2010 at 1:30 AM
• Tue, 04/20/2010 at 5:00 AM
• Tue, 04/20/2010 at 12:00 PM
• Fri, 04/23/2010 at 5:30 AM
• Fri, 04/23/2010 at 8:30 PM
• Sat, 04/24/2010 at 5:00 PM
• Sat, 04/24/2010 at 10:30 PM


WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2, and on cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, Comcast 295.

• Mon, 04/05/2010 at 2:30 AM
• Mon, 04/05/2010 at 8:00 PM
• Wed, 04/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Fri, 04/09/2010 at 8:30 PM
• Sat, 04/10/2010 at 4:30 PM
• Sat, 04/10/2010 at 10:30 PM
• Sun, 04/11/2010 at 1:00 AM
• Sun, 04/11/2010 at 6:30 PM
• Mon, 04/12/2010 at 9:30 PM
• Fri, 04/16/2010 at 9:00 PM
• Sat, 04/17/2010 at 11:30 AM
• Sat, 04/17/2010 at 2:00 PM
• Sun, 04/18/2010 at 1:00 AM
• Mon, 04/19/2010 at 10:30 PM
• Tue, 04/20/2010 at 4:30 AM
• Wed, 04/21/2010 at 2:30 AM
• Wed, 04/21/2010 at 9:00 PM
• Thu, 04/22/2010 at 4:00 AM
• Thu, 04/22/2010 at 9:30 PM
• Fri, 04/23/2010 at 1:00 AM
• Fri, 04/23/2010 at 9:30 PM
• Sat, 04/24/2010 at 1:30 AM
• Sat, 04/24/2010 at 6:00 AM
• Sat, 04/24/2010 at 4:00 PM

2010 Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction Launches Online

It's here! It's time to browse and bid on any number of great items, while helping support the fine programming on Rhode Island PBS. Seven hundred items have been donated by generous merchants, artisans, restaurateurs, contractors, gardeners, and others!


We're posting items as quickly as we can to make them available for your bids. But what's on the site now is only a fraction of the number of items we'll be offering - so keep checking back! And remember - high bids help us pay for programming for the entire family here on Rhode Island PBS.

Pre-register*, preview, and bid!

See something you like? No need to wait until the auction is on TV, April 26 - 30. Bid now!

If you'd like, you can set up a proxy bid. This way, you can set a maximum you're willing to pay for an item. If others bid on the same piece, our auction hosting software will increase your bid on your behalf, by the minimum increment above the competing bid - but only to your maximum. If you're outbid we'll send you an email letting you know. Then, unless the item is about to close, you'll have the chance to decide if you'd like to increase your bid.


*Pre-Registering takes just moments, but please don't wait until moments count! Pre-register now. Here's why: Our system must "recognize" a bidder before it accepts a bid. If you're unregistered and try to bid as an item is closing, you may not be able to bid in time to get it.