When and how did the Auction start!!

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The best I can determine the Lions Club Radio

Auction started in 1953.



KTLO was started in 1951 by Bob Wheeler.

Bruse Washburn managed the station for the

first year.  Monk Stricklin bought the

station in 1952.  Mr. Stricklin move here

form West Planes, Mo where the Rotary Club had a

radio auction.  Monk offered the radio

auction to the Rotary Club here and they

turned it down.  Bob Pratt who worked for Mr.

Stricklin at the time told Monk that the

Lions Club would take radio auction with out

even asking the rest of the club.


When it first started the radio station got a

percentage of the auction. The percentage

depended on how much we made.  They also

wrote all the advertising for us.



In the early days we had a chalk-board that

had four columns wide and about 15 rolls

deep.  There were four auctioneers and it was

very unusual for each auctioneer to have more

than 8 to 10 items each night.  We had four

wives working the phones, two lions changing

the bid on the board, and two runners took

the bids in to the auctioneers.  As most of

you know in the later year we were erasing

item and putting new ones up.  In other word

about 70 items a night.  Last year we had

well over a 100 item a night.


In 1966 Mr. Stricklin build a new station

just West of the old station.  Mr. Stricklin

had four phone jack build into the wall just

for our acution.


About 15 year ago we went to a ten cent

minimum jump in bids, and about 10 year ago

we went to a quarter. Now we have a dollar

minimum unless the retail of the item is less than $10.00

In the early days we had big items, such as a

85 cent bottle of Lucky Tiger hair tonic for

Jerry Barber Shop. Two What-A-Burger and

drinks which was 95 cents.  Hair cuts were a

dollar then and big hamburgers were 35 cent.


Because we didn't have so many items to

auction we seem to have more fun doing the

auction.  I can't remember many funny thing

that happened, except one night Lion Bill

Wiseman was selling a item and he said," Mrs.

Jones you were high on the turkey but Mr.

Smith just TOPPED YOU for four dollars".


I would say that the Lions and there wives

bought a big share of the items.  At first

County Judge Thomas would by all the bonds at

retail, in later year It was lawyer O D

Pendergrass and Olus Hardgrave who bought the

bonds.


By the way O D Pendergrass was to the club

what Lion Bowman was in later year.  He could talk for

five minutes, and say nothing.  They were both

good for a laugh.


Some time after Loin Bob Knight (better known

as the big guy) bought the station in 1975

the FCC ruled that a station could not have

but 15 minutes of advertising per hour.  The

auction was considered a full hour of

advertising.  The only way the auction could

continue was for him to donate the time. Lion

Knight being a big hearted, swell, sweet,

super and loveable guy that he is donate the

air time to us free.


Then as now the station would run spots for

about two to three weeks before the auction

started, giving the article and the business

that donated the article.


There are many hours put into the

acution by many people. In the seventies on Auction 

night it was Buzzy and Jennie Dew, and Jack

and Laynell Cooper. They are the ones that

did there jobs and weren't really notice.

Now there are so many that I can't name them. 

Lucy and Paul Caton are there every night and 

Do a great job with the bid card.