Annual NewTV Auction to Highlight Culture and Community

With the new equipment installed and the high definition upgrade complete, the staff and volunteers at NewTV are eager to show off the station to the Newton community.

Starting tomorrow night, NewTV will have an opportunity to showcase those new graphics and tools with its Fifth Annual Live Fall Auction, an event that features local businesses and NewTV programming while raising money for the station. 

"It's a good, interactive community event," says NewTV Marketing Manager Shelly Kamanitz. "The [auction items] highlight local businesses and give them some publicity and in exchange, the donations help fund our internship and scholarship programs."

The live fundraiser will run for three nights, Nov. 27 - Nov. 29 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Similar to previous years, the auction will feature a number of local officials, NewTV hosts and business owners who have donated items to the auction.

Several celebrity hosts are also lined up for the event including former Bruin and current NESN analyst Andy Brickley, former politician and Fox political pundit Warren Tolman and former Boston Evening Magazine host Barry Nolan.

The four-hour evenings will be broken up into 15-minute segments to keep the auction moving and to help viewers "stay focused" on the bidding, Kamanitz says.

Some of this year's auction items include hotel stays, concert tickets, restaurant gift certificates, spa packages, rounds of golf, ski lift passes and more. A full list is available on the auction website.

Aside from new auction items and shorter bidding segments, viewers will notice another addition to this year's fundraiser: cultural highlights. 

According to Kamanitz, the station has partnered with a number of local arts organizations to showcase Newton's music and culture scene within the auction airtime.

In between the bidding, viewers will have a chance to see a New Philharmonia Orchestra performance, a rehearsal with the Boston Ballet School or a profile on a local artist. 

"The main thing is we’re trying to create more entertainment within the auction by highlighting creative organizations and performing arts," Kamanitz says.

This year, the station also plans to showcase the new switchroom and equipment that was recently added for the high definition upgrade, according to NewTV Content Producer Andrew Eldridge.

During its 2011 live auction, NewTV raised around $22,000. The station is aiming to surpass that this year and raise $25,000 for its scholarship and internship programs.

"The [NewTV] internship can help launch you into [the field]," Eldridge says, noting numerous NewTV interns and employees who have gone on to larger media roles. "Plus, it helps sustain our industry." 

Newton residents can catch the annual auction Tuesday-Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The auction will air on Comcast channel 8, RCN channel 15 and Verizon channel 34. The auction will also stream live on the NewTV website.

Disclaimer: Local editor Melanie Graham teaches occasional social media courses at NewTV.