PABLO — Hard economic times have people considering what bills are expendable and what are needed. Usually the first to go is cable, meaning more and more people depend on “bunny ears” to get over-the-air television signals, a move that makes free, public television even more of a premium. Locally, that channel is KSKC, Salish Kootenai College’s very own station that broadcasts a wide range of programs, from children’s to nature documentaries.

But because of stringent federal policies on qualifications for public broadcast channels, KSKC does not receive any state or federal funding. That’s why each year, for the last 13, KSKC has called on “viewers like you” to help with funding. Rather then just pledge donations, KSKC uses a two-night auction to try and raise more than $10,000 towards their $60,000 budget in annual expenses.

“The auction, underwriting and other donations are 80 percent of the budget,” Dr. Frank Tyro, general manager and chief engineer of KSKC, said. “This year will be down a bit, which is great for the viewers but, on the other hand, it helps us when we have a lot more bidders.”

Tyro said this coming year will be especially challenging, as the station needs a new satellite receiver to get Montana PBS and a new federally-mandated emergency notification system.

“It’s more than $1,000 for that little jewel,” Tyro said. “Emergency notice has always been linked to radio and television, but this new system will link it to the Internet.”

For this year’s auction, “The Colonel,” as local legend Doug Allard was known in the Mission Valley, is no longer on the air, having passed away in 2009, but his successor, Rudy King, took to the airwaves last Wednesday and Thursday for the annual KSKC public television auction.

“Doug got me started, he called me and said ‘Rudy, I’m sick, will you do the auction this year?’ and I said heck yes I’ll do it,” King, who owns a private auction company as well, said of his start as the KSKC auctioneer a few years ago. “I try to help as much as I can. I’m a cancer survivor as well, so I try to do fundraisers for all sorts of things.”

All items auctioned, about 100 total groupings, were donated, Tyro said, making every cent raised pure profit. King, now in his third year as emcee of the event, pleaded for viewers to donate and mixed humor into his presentation.

“It’s only $55!” King exclaimed at one point last Wednesday. “You can put more than that into the machines in three minutes.”

Some bidders took his comments to heart. Several items went for $200 or more, while a watercolor by Corky Clairmont, painted during the four combined hours of the two-night auction, fetched $800, the most of any item.

“We raised $8,600 which was down from $11,100 last year,” Tyro said. “We had the items and a good selection but primarily, economics have begun to hit us here.”

Not too many people were on site at the live viewing of the auction last Wednesday night, but Tyro said Thursday night saw more people attend the event at the Three Wolves Deli on the SKC campus in Pablo.

“We used to have it in the TV studio but it became too small,” Tyro said. “We’ve had times in the deli when it’s been standing-room only.”

Despite a small group on hand, King implored viewers on either of KSKC’s two channels, standard and high definition, to call in, and many did, despite a 10-second delay.

Volunteers manned the phones, doing the bidding for those who couldn’t be there in person. Other volunteers, Emmy Driscoll, a Polson High School student, and Roxy Runs Through, an SKC librarian, held and displayed the items up for auction throughout the two nights.

“This was my first time,” Runs Through said, “and I just wanted to help out for the cause.”

While the money raised wasn’t as much as previous years, Tyro is grateful for all the supporters and vows to carry on the tradition of KSKC.

“We are so appreciative of all the bidders and people who donated, especially the business community,” Tyro said, noting that around 110 businesses and individuals donated items for this year’s auction.