CETconnect.org

Note: UC student Ryan McLendon is CET’s intern in the Content Division. We introduced him to Auction. Heh-heh-heh.

Being involved in Action Auction is very similar to walking inside Salvador Dali’s head: surreal. When I came to the CET studio early Friday night, my expectations were quite schizophrenic; I hadn’t the slightest idea what tasks I would perform, how the Auction itself was performed or if I would be forced to wear a game show host outfit to do a Bob Barker impersonation while introducing items.

As soon as I walked through the double glass doors, my first and omnipresent thought was “pizza.” The smell of LaRosa’s had permeated every element, every nook and niche of the building, causing me to internally squeal with delight. My nervousness and apprehensions were immediately squelched as a result of marinara in the air. Coincidentally, I had eaten the equivalent of prison food the entire day, a bread on bread sandwich coupled with a hefty bottle of tepid water located in the infernal abyss and perennial vacuum of matter that is my car.

I located Patsy Carruthers immediately, thrilled to see someone familiar at the starting gate, and together we located Jack Dominic on the soundstage, where coincidentally Mayor Mark Mallory had just finished introducing a series of items, many of them being autographed baseballs from the infamous Opening Day Pitch Debacle. My eyes had a lot to absorb in that moment; I was seeing a fresh scene that was familiar, but all together new. I had seen many an Auction on television, the close-ups of the items, the rows of patrons fused to telephones, the glee and elation that was omnipresent in the atmosphere of the room, but actually being  in the studio for a live program was like a microcosm for the center of the universe. The scenery I was viewing first hand was the same scene being broadcast into thousands of homes instantaneously. That’s a heavy concept for a hungry intern. I went into a dual astonishment/ food coma, unaware that I planted myself in the center of the floor, peevishly staring at everyone and everything. Jack had to give me a little nudge to ground me back into sanity.

I eventually was assigned to replace and rotate the auction items after they had been sold. The announcer would introduce the item while the cameramen would zoom in to extol the richness and grandeur of what was being offered. While I watched the action feverishly on the TV behind the stage, a grim realization overtook me: I had no idea what I was doing. I had been introduced to some very nice women who, while they did try to teach me their system for rotating and displaying items, they were doing so while trying to keep up with speed of the auctioneers. Many explanations of the job were punctuated with large furniture items being moved or the gussying up of display shelves. I’m really never one to ask a question more than twice in fear of seeming dense, so while I had a very fundamental idea of how this arrangement would work, I still wouldn’t have been able to thoroughly explain it to anyone, or myself, ever.

Never one to be put out by misunderstandings, I continued to follow the ladies around like a lost spaniel in order to get the rhythm of the job. Eventually, after many moved shelves, countless items and an infinite number of pizza slices, I was able deduce how the system worked, how each table behind the studio corresponded with one inside the studio, and how their order and item placement was arranged to maximize both the products and the efficiency required for a successful auction. At first, I thought it was confusing, but it made much more sense when I stepped back and incorporated all the action and all the jobs that were happening simultaneously. Every job had a complimentary job, and each task couldn’t be performed well without the compliment. I began to marvel at how precise and well-conceived the Auction was, how acutely timed and pragmatic all its elements were.

When I left, I felt more wizened than I had when I arrived. I had never been involved with live television, ever, in my life, and had remained pleasantly aloof of all the nuances and the particulars of how television comes alive. I’m only used to the final product, which doesn’t seem as final when it is what you experience first. By being involved with auction, I am now privy the organic nature of television, how it is it born in the studio, and then leaves the nest as its own organism.
–Ryan

Here is a Top 10 list of Cool Things About Auction.
Drum roll, please …
10. Most people at CET suddenly take on brand new jobs, and sometimes learn completely new skills. (Usually take viewer calls? How would you like to run a camera for a few days? How would you like to be on camera for a few days?)
9. Volunteers start pouring in from all over the city and fitting in like they’ve been here all year.
8. Work hours take on a whole new meaning.
7. People who never get to be on TV revel in their moment of glory.
6. People who always get to be on TV revel in their moment of glory.
5. Volunteers rule, and I mean literally.
4. Friends return, year after year.
3. We’re louder and more boisterous than Home Shopping Network.
2. Whole brigades of volunteer phone operators from companies across town show their colors and embarrass their co-workers as they try hard to be dignified Auctioneers.
1. Cincinnati turns out to support its own public media at CET. Thank you.
What can you add?
–Patsy

Do you remember Rudy? Does the name Pubby mean anything to you? We’re bringing our old friends out of retirement and back into the spotlight.

Rudy, the kangaroo, was the CET Action Auction mascot back in the day. And Pubby, the dog, was the Kids Club mascot. They both want to meet you at Fountain Square this Wednesday. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. you can come out and get a hug from your favorite old-timer mascot, weather permitting. KC the Koala, current Kids Club mascot, will also be there to say hello to all his fans.

If you can’t make it out to Fountain Square, be sure to tune into the CET Action Auction Wednesday through Saturday for special appearances. Also, for our Northern Kentucky friends, Rudy will be on the Insight Cable’s Northern Kentucky Magazine Tuesday.

And a special thanks goes out to John Schenz for helping us find our old friends!

-Katie

The year is 2107 and scientists are baffled again. It seems a steady stream of people is aimlessly wondering around a downtown Cincinnati vacant lot. What they came for and what they are looking for is unknown. No one seems to be able to explain why each year, in the spring, these people from all walks of life, from all neighborhoods and communities, feel the urge to assemble on this seemingly non-descript parcel of land. They all describe this “sense of being needed and wanting to help.” But none can say what it is that they are to do or for whom.

According to lore, this area was once a center for the performing arts and entertainment. A search of the databanks at the Historical Society indicates that this specific site was once the headquarters for some kind of a media organization and the building once located here must have been in a floodplain since it was built on pylons.      

As anthropologists explain it, at one time people received video entertainment from special centers called “TV Stations.” While a quaint concept now, it seems that it was very common during the beginning of the last century. We know from pictures and property records that this particular site had a very large building and that excavations show evidence that this was one of those “Stations.”    

A recent archeological dig on this site surfaced even more strange findings which to this day have defied explanation.  Archeologists found among the rubble various types of electronic gear that seems to have been used to produce and distribute these video programs. This of course is consistent with what they expected. What they did not expect was what they found in one vary large chamber. This chamber had a very high ceiling and concrete walls and lots of lights. 

One of the walls was covered with a heavy residue. The scientists took a sample of the residue and found that it contained a combination of burnt cheese and tomatoes. How and why this wall would have such a coating is a mystery. It is known that groups of people gathered in this chamber periodically, perhaps for some kind of worship. But what cheese and tomatoes have to do with this phenomenon is still unclear. 

Another finding that continues to mystify researchers is the repeated use of the same series of numbers. The numbers 5136514800 and 3471111 have been found engraved on several articles retrieved from the dig. The investigation continues. The groups of people continue to assemble.
– Jack Dominic

It is getting busier and busier around the CET studios this week as we get closer to the on-air Auction. Amidst the hustle and bustle connected with getting ready to go on the air, it is neat to step back and watch how so many volunteers work so hard for CET. Some have been here every day most of the past year. Other volunteers work only in the weeks before the actual event. Some work from home or office to find items and contributions. It is humbling and gratifying to know that these women and men are giving of their time, talent and pocketbook to make sure that CET continues to be a vital institution integrated into the very fabric of this community. 

The 40^th edition of the Auction runs next Wednesday thru Friday 5 PM-11 PM and Saturday (Wine Day) 3 PM – 11 PM.

– Jack Dominic

Are you ready? CET Action Auction is coming. I’ve asked some people here at CET to share their Auction stories … some interesting ones will be posted between now and April 18-21.

To the left is my “priceless” Auction item. But let me skip back a year from this photo … .

In 1999 I would have participated in my second Auction at CET … but it was not to be. I was at home, on maternity leave. I turned on the TV, thinking, “Hey, I’ll watch it from this side this year!” I soon discovered why people found it so addictive. If I just waited a few more minutes, that item I had just seen would be up for bid! What’s that noise? Oh, yeah, the baby’s crying.

In 2000, I was back on Auction duty in April. One evening, my husband - who always enjoys helping out at Auction as well - brought in our son, and we walked around with him a bit. One of the Auction volunteers saw him and ran up to me: “Hey! I need a kid wearing red! Can I borrow him?” And so that’s how my little guy scored some celebrity before he even knew what Auction was. For the life of me, I couldn’t get him to take that bottle out of his mouth! He eventually, with prodding, did ring the little bell on the engine.

My kids still know all about Auction, because they are here every year. It’s a family affair for us. For the children, it’s a lot about eating LaRosa’s food and feeling a sense of excitement about what is going on. But my son is old enough now to begin to understand what we do here at CET, and why Auction and Pledge are an important way for the public to support and have a say in what we do here.

What’s your story? Feel free to post it in our comments. We’d like to hear from you!
–Patsy

CET’s Action Auction is coming! Not only that, it is the Action Auction’s 40th anniversary! Wow. CET has one of the longest running ones, and we will be celebrating this year. Watch for amusing historical Auction clips and more.

I’ve been here almost 10 years, and I will NEVER forget my first Action Auction. First, let me say, I’m not from around here. The concept of an on-air auction this big was foreign to me, and to be in the middle of it was, well, confusing. But like the many, many volunteers who walk through our doors every year, I learned.

I’m going to be asking people to send their Auction stories for the blog. You feel free to write yours too! Just post a comment to this or another blog entry. I’m even creating a category for them at right, so you can read and comment on any/all of them anytime.

I’ll return and post more of my Auction story … and I’ll include the cutest little Auction model you’ve ever seen sitting in a little red fire engine. More to come from others as well. Stay tuned!

CET Action Auction will be on the air April 18-21. To donate an item or volunteer for CET Action Auction: http://www.cetconnect.org/events/auction2007.asp

-Patsy