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WHYY TO HOLD FIRST-EVER ONLINE AUCTION

WHYY will hold its first ever Online Auction from June 21 through June 28 at www.whyy.org, offering items of every imaginable sort, from fine jewelry to tickets for local events, to vacation and spa packages. The auction will feature a Yamaha Digital Grand Piano valued at $18,000, a Jerry Garcia Postage Stamp Collection, a four-day stay in Ecuador, and more.

During the weeklong event, the station will auction off a number of rare collectibles which are sure to interest WHYY fans. These will include a tape of never before seen outtakes from WHYY film critic Patrick Stoner’s celebrity interviews, a set of prints drawn by caricature master Al Hirschfield exclusively for WHYY, and autographed merchandise courtesy of Fresh Air and other programs. Also up for bid will be a set of backstage passes to the June 19 th Denyce Graves concert at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, which will feature the opera superstar performing with Patti LaBelle and R&B group Take 6.

The auction will be conducted similarly to a live auction but with the bidding taking place through the station’s website, www.whyy.org , beginning June 21 at 8:00 p.m. Pictures and descriptions of the auction merchandise will be displayed with a place to enter an initial bid. Each time the bid is raised, bidders will be notified through e-mail and given the chance to up the bid. Bidding for each item will take place over the course of two days, and new merchandise will be added to the auction daily.

A preview of the auction merchandise will be available at www.whyy.org beginning Sunday, June 15. Viewers can also tune in to TV12 on Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m. to see the items up for bid as the auction kicks off.

“The Online Auction was developed this year by WHYY as a fun and energetic way of raising the funds needed to continue to provide quality programming and services in a difficult economic climate,” said Bryan Delowery, Manager of Membership Growth Initiatives at WHYY.

WHYY invites members of the Philadelphia community to support the very best in public television and radio by participating in the Online Auction. Proceeds from the event will go toward funding for WHYY’s local programming and outreach projects, including You Bet Your Garden , A Jazz, Gospel and Classical Spectacular with Denyce Graves , Sunday Showcase , Philadelphia Music Legends and many more.