THIS MONTH IN THE HISTORY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS by Laura Sampson Founder Station s Archived Memories (SAM) For 44 years, April meant AUCTION at RMPBS. From 1966-2009, the Rocky Mountain PBS televised Auctions were major annual spring community events raising millions of dollars through the generous donations of businesses and artists throughout Colorado. The donations were sold live on the air as viewers eagerly watched TV at home submitting bids on items as they appeared on the air. Hundreds of volunteers worked along with RMPBS staff before, during and after each auction week. But, that s another story! Did you know that between 1979-1998, NINETEEN homes were donated and sold to benefit Rocky Mountain PBS? It s true! Funds raised from the sale of each of the beautiful auction homes ranged from $72,000 up to $168,000. Proceeds for the sale of the homes helped purchase evening and weekend programming. The very first Auction home was donated to the 14 th annual KRMA-TV Channel Six Auction in 1979 by US Home. The inaugural Auction home, known as a Sun Home, was located in Aurora at 3557 S. Waco Way and was the largest valued item ever donated to KRMA s public television auction at the value of $110,000. Auction volunteers handled a great deal of the project organization working very closely with donors to oversee the home s construction. Most often, the land was donated as well as the construction costs with hundreds of subcontractors donating their time, materials and service (see pages 4-5). Can you imagine the amount of organization it took to coordinate the donations from over 100 The first Channel Six Auction Home, 1979 subcontractors and suppliers that generously donated doors, roofs, countertops, appliances, carpet, excavation, electric layouts, carpentry, brick, paint and so much more! Without the generosity of the subcontractors and suppliers, Channel 6 (now Rocky Mountain PBS) would have been obliged to deduct the non-donated construction costs from the proceeds of the sale. It was truly a remarkable community endeavor that was admired by public broadcasting stations across the country. Many community supporters of public broadcasting donated services or items related to the auction homes. Local banks donated financial services, landscape companies donated their talent, time and materials, and furniture stores donated home furnishings and décor items Page 1 of 5
that were sold separately during the course of the televised auction. Promoting the house was another auction component with volunteers and staff working jointly to procure free publicity from all possible resources. Denver s commercial stations (both radio and TV) frequently donated FREE on-air spots and interviews to promote the sale of the auction homes. Prior to broadcasting the daily auction, invitation-only House Parties were hosted at the auction homes allowing realtors, house donors, subcontractors and suppliers to be feted by Rocky Mountain PBS. In addition, multi-day community open houses were hosted welcoming the community to view the homes and consider submitting a bid. Auction Homes Open Houses attracted 100 s of guests that were enticed by various entertainment venues which made the grand openings fun for all ages. The Channel Six mascot, Mrs. Bird, was a hugely popular attraction at open houses as were musicians, popcorn machines, bounce houses, clowns, face painters, refreshments and much more! Page 2 of 5
Methods of bidding for the auction homes varied. For the very first auction home in 1979, bidders were asked to pick up a bid sheet at the auction home or at the Channel Six studios on Glenarm -- no internet or email was available back then, of course. Bidders could submit a written bid prior to the televised auction. During the weeklong televised auction, a special auction phone number was available allowing bidders to ask questions or place their bids throughout the 1979 auction week. The sale of some of the homes was quite a fanfare! Some homes were actually celebrated and sold on the air with the lucky bidders being treated to a live fanfare. The studio came alive when the highest bidder of the 1979 home was introduced!! As you can imagine, the entire process of procuring, building, decorating, marketing and selling Auction homes was a huge endeavor. As a result of the combined efforts of the RMPBS staff and an vast volunteer corps, millions of dollars were raised over the years for Rocky Mountain PBS. See online article about Auction years: http://www.rmpbs.org/volunteer/sam/our-annualauction/ or contact the SAM Office 303-620-5734 or SAM@rmpbs.org Station s Archived Memories (SAM) serves the past, present, and future of Rocky Mountain PBS by assuring that the history of the station and its importance to the Colorado community will survive for generations to come. SAM is a volunteer-driven project preserving the history of Rocky Mountain PBS. To learn more about the station s history and how to volunteer or donate items to the archives, please visit www.rmpbs.org/sam, contact the SAM office at Rocky Mountain PBS 303-620-5734 or email SAM@rmpbs.org Page 3 of 5
DONORS TO THE 1979 AUCTION HOME Page 4 of 5
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AUCTION HOMES 1979-1985
AUCTION HOMES 1986-1990
AUCTION HOMES 1991-1998 As of the publica0on date of this ar0cle (April 1, 2017), no photographs have been archived of Rocky Mountain PBS Auc0on homes sold aeer 1998.