Not exactly a silent auction

Bridget Veltri
news@mustangdaily.net

Not exactly a silent auction: KCPR turns airways into bidding war

For months, DJs from radio station KCPR have been running around trying to collect donations from local businesses. Now, they’re trying even harder to get rid of them.

KCPR, Cal Poly’s “non-profit, volunteer-run” radio station is currently in the midst of their annual fundraising auction while continuing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the station, which started as a senior project in 1968.

The week-long auction, which runs Monday through Friday, is the non-profit station’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

“This how we get all our money to run,” psychology senior and KCPR business director Megan Martin said. “It’s just a cool fundraiser for us to do, because it lets our listeners give back.everyone at the station is a volunteer so they are all really passionate about music and sharing that with the community. It’s a cool opportunity for the community to give back.”

The auction has been a part of the station for almost its entire existence. “The auction started in the early ’70s; it was one of the first fundraisers that the station did,” English senior and KCPR General Manager Brian Hildebrand said.

“We have two primary fundraisers: auction in the fall and pledge drive in the spring,” Hildebrand explained. “Auction is the best one because callers can bid on actual items that they get in return and there are tons of things that are donated from local businesses.”

The station has been collecting donations from local businesses over the past few months and putting them together in themed packages, which they then auction off over the air. Each themed package includes several items based on its theme; the lowest starting bid price is $10.

“Listeners call in and it’s kind of like bidding wars,” Martin said. “The bidding wars usually get really intense right at the end, people will call when there is five seconds left and out bid each other.”

So far this week, approximately five to seven packages have been auctioned off each day in between auction hours 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

This year, KCPR will auction off around 35 packages. Some consist of CDs records, T-shirts and gift certificates to local businesses and restaurants. Some of the more unique items are a guitar and set of bongos.

Hildebrand said that the best packages are usually auctioned off on Thursday and Friday, and is personally looking forward to the Hipster Bullshit package, which includes a Palm Theater super card.

Other big items to be auctioned off in the next few days include an acoustic guitar, two HP printers and a $100 dollar gift certificate for a tattoo, along with a variety of items and gift certificates.