SHSU’s radio-television department is preparing for the 23rd annual United Way Sale-A-Thon that will be held Oct. 8-10 on Cable 7 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.Last year, Cable 7 raised $9,700 for the United Way with the Sale-A-Thon. This year, the goal is to raise more than $10,000.Every June, the RTV department solicits requests for donations from local businesses in Huntsville, Houston and College Station. “Donations come primarily from the Huntsville community and Walker County,” said Dr. Maryjo Cochran of the RTV department and sponsor of the Sale-A-Thon. Four hundred items with a cumulative value of $25,000 have been donated for the event this year, including such things as Schlitterbauhn passes, a baseball autographed by the Houston Astros, symphony tickets, season passes for the Sam Houston Theater, compact discs, toys, T-shirts and 140 restaurant gift certificates. “We try to find something for everyone to bid on,” Cochran said.Over 75 RTV majors are working on the Sale-A-Thon answering phones, doing production work and bookkeeping. “The event is not only good experience, but it’s an opportunity for public service,” said Cochran. For the three hours, the show will be broadcast live. Viewers will not only be able to watch the phones being answered, but also donations being given on Cable 7. Viewers will see clips of the items being bid on to get an idea of what they are purchasing.The broadcast also offers interviews with various United Way agencies to give the viewers an idea of what the United Way is about. Celebrity Phone Angels will also be taking bids. These are people of importance and recognition in the Huntsville and Walker County community.Bids will begin at $5 for items under $100, and will increase as people call in. If someone bids the full value of what is being sold, it will be taken out of the auction and sold to that person.The Sale-A-Thon will also be simulcast on KSHU, SHSU’s radio station, so people can listen and call in if they are unable to watch.For the past three years, the RTV department, along with the Texas Department of Corrections and Wal-Mart, has been one of the top contributors for the United Way. Proceeds grow each year. Cable 7 made $6,000 from the Sale-A-Thon in 1999, $8,000 in 2000, and $9,7000 in 2001. “Every penny we make goes to the United Way,” Cochran said. “If everyone in Walker County donated just $1, the United Way would make $30,000. This [Sale-A-Thon] is a great community service that we have.”