Cal Poly’s radio station, KCPR 91.3 FM, will hold its 41st annual auction this week in order to replace old equipment, keep music selection up to date and maintain community and volunteer-driven identity.
Listeners can bid on more than 25 different prize packages from approximately 65 Central Coast businesses. Bidders can call in between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to vie for a variety of items.
KCPR business directors Kelly Stewart and Laura Fraser were responsible for putting the auction together. They said despite their lack of experience, they hope together they can improve upon the auction’s lack of success in recent years.
“Last year it was not a very big thing,” Stewart said. “(KCPR) only made a couple hundred dollars.”
The auction is the stations biggest fundraising event, so both Stewart and Fraser are hoping to reach at least four figures this year.
In their first years as business managers with KCPR, Stewart, a sophomore materials engineer, and Fraser, a soil sciences senior, said they hope to lay a foundation for the station’s future success.
“That’s another reason why we wanted to be business directors,” Fraser said. “Nobody gets trained. We have to figure it all out by ourselves, and executives change every year. It’s like you’re taking a year-long class with no teacher.”
Stewart and Fraser said even though they had difficulty transitioning into their new roles, they, along with other KCPR DJ’s, have managed to put together some interesting and even exclusive packages to bid on.
“The big thing that we’re going to have this week is from a former DJ who now works at Calcareous Vineyard in Paso (Robles),” Fraser said. “He is going to pick four people up in the Calcareous limo, take them around the vineyard and do a picnic lunch, tastings and go to other vineyards in Paso. You can’t get this anywhere else. It’s only because he is a former DJ, and he works there now.”
Other items that will be auctioned off include drum lessons, original artwork from inmates at California Men’s Colony and gift certificates to various local food, clothing, art, book, music and athletic stores.
Businesses participating in the auction will be eligible to claim tax exemptions on donated products and receive advertising space on KCPR, which is normally nonexistent.
General manager of Petra Mediterranean Pizza and Grill Rammy Aburashed said his restaurant is donating to KCPR without expecting any kind of a return.
“I actually know one of the DJs for KCPR,” Aburashed said. “That’s the only reason why we donated to that: because he is a friend and pretty much a regular.”
KCPR’s goal for the auction is not simply to raise money, but to keep the community and volunteer-driven station true to its values, Stewart said.
“We have a few more corporate places that donated,” Stewart said. “We just resonate a lot more with the more locally owned and operated places.”
Those who are interested in items available to bid on can visit KCPR.org to view a list of all the prize packages. The station can be heard within a 50 mile radius, Stewart and Fraser said, and bids can be placed by phone.
Editor’s note: This article has been update to correctly reflect KCPR’s frequency. It previously stated, “Cal Poly’s radio station, KCPR 93.1 FM.” The correct frequency is 91.3 FM.