WISCONSIN:
Hearst ABC affiliate WISN-TV/12 (Milwaukee) is moving the start of its morning news up to 4:30 a.m. effective Sept. 6. WISN joins Local TV's FOX 6 (WITI) at 4:30 a.m. (9/1/2010)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Midwest Communications has moved the syndicated Bob and Tom morning show to "Bridge 95.7" (KDAL-FM/95.7 Duluth) after the format change at sister station KHQG/102.5 (Superior-Duluth). The show had been heard on 102.5 for more than a decade through several different Rock formats. (9/1/2010)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
A full-fledged Contemporary Hits format has returned to the Twin Ports on Midwest Communications' KHQG/102.5 (Superior-Duluth), which dropped its Classic Rock format Monday for Top 40 as KDWZ. (The official callsign change remains pending.) The 100kW frequency was home to longtime heritage Top 40 station KZIO in the 1980's and early 1990's. The market hasn't had a long-running CHR since 102.5 changed to the first of many Rock formats in 1996. The new KDWZ challenges Townsquare Media's "Mix 108" (KBMX/107.7 Proctor-Duluth), which runs a hybrid Hot Adult Contemporary/Adult CHR format. The new callsign is one letter off from KDWB, which Northlanders are used to hearing on trips to the Twin Cities, and industry vets may recall the callsign from its use in Des Moines in the late 1980's. (8/31/2010)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader reports "Sunny Radio" expects to debut on 92.1 in Sioux Falls this week, after getting FCC approval to move translator K220JO/91.9 to 92.1 last week. The FCC rejected an objection from Backyard Broadcasting, which contended 92.1 is too close to its KELO-FM/92.5. The move was necessary for commercial operation because 91.9 is reserved for non-commercial use. The translator will relay KZOY/1520 (Sioux Falls), which carries an `80s Hits format with special emphasis on the Brandon area. Though KZOY is a daytime-only station, the translator will be allowed to carry programming 24 hours a day. (8/31/2010)

IOWA:
The FCC has deleted the license of KGCW-LP/95.7 (Johnston-Des Moines). The 32-Watt station, which was owned by Mercy of Jesus Educational Radio and carried a Catholic format, signed on in 2006 but then left the air in 2007 due to an unstable tower. The FCC dismissed an application to move to a new tower in 2008 because it was too close to KUNI translator K237FB/95.3 (West Des Moines), which is not yet on the air. (8/30/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Minneapolis digital TV now has a third Christian broadcaster. Daystar's WDMI-LP (Minneapolis) has ended analog broadcasting on channel 62 and is now operating digitally on channel 31, remapping to channel 62.1. WDMI uses 15kW, the maximum power for LPTV stations and the same power used by two other Twin Cities LPTV broadcasters carrying EWTN on channel 16 and five TBN services on channel 25. There are still three analog signals left in Minneapolis: Univision affiliate WUMN-LP/13, Three Angels Broadcasting Network's K14KH/14, and Home Shopping Network affiliate K43HB/43. The latter two have construction permits to flash-cut to digital. (8/30/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
KNOX-FM/94.7 (Grand Forks) has dropped the Santa stunt and is now "Z94.7, Today's Hit Music." The 100kW Leighton Broadcasting station is taking on Clear Channel's heritage "XL93" (KKXL-FM/92.9), and Leighton knows something about the Contemporary Hits format -- it also owns heritage CHR KCLD/104.7 (St. Cloud). The new format displaces a three-year-old Classic Rock format. (8/26/2010)

MINNESOTA: (UPDATED)
KFAN/1130 (Minneapolis) is now also on FM with the sign-on of translator K279AZ/103.7 from the IDS Center. It's Clear Channel's sixth FM signal in the market and the first time "The Fan" has been heard on analog FM, except for a day of stunting in 1999. Officially, K279AZ rebroadcasts an HD subchannel of KTLK-FM/100.3 which relays KFAN.

103.7 uses 170 Watts, a tiny fraction of the major FM signals in the market but enough to reach car radios across most of the metro. The main coverage area reaches into St. Paul and some second-ring suburbs. The translator had applied to modify its construction permit in June, saying it was unable to reach a lease agreement with the owners of a shared antenna, but that situation was apparently resolved before the FCC acted on the CP modification.

K279AZ is licensed to Cottage Grove and formerly transmitted from Inver Grove Heights. It carried the "K-Love" network until Clear Channel completed its purchase of the translator from the Educational Media Foundation last month. (8/25/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
KNOX-FM/94.7 (Grand Forks) wins the prize for being the first to flip to Christmas music this year. The Leighton Broadcasting station dropped its "Power 94.7" Classic Rock format and began stunting Monday as "94.7 Santa FM, Everything from Sting to Bing", and its web stream remains active on its former website. The Classic Rock format had debuted in September 2007, replacing a long-running Country format. (8/24/2010)

IOWA/MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Many Sinclair Broadcasting stations could be about to get not one, but two subchannels.

On Monday, the company announced plans to add The Country Network in most of Sinclair's 35 markets, which include Minneapolis (WUCW/23), Madison (WMSN/47), Milwaukee (WVTV/18 and WCGV/24), Des Moines (KDSM/17), and Cedar Rapids (KGAN/2 and KFXA/28). 28 of the markets will begin carrying TCN in October, with the others joining early next year.

Another music channel, The Cool TV, is already slated to launch on 34 Sinclair stations in the near future. The Cool TV's website lists Minneapolis, Madison, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines as cities poised to get affiliates (the network is already seen on another channel in Milwaukee). (8/24/2010)

NATIONAL:
The Trinity Broadcasting Network has agreed to donate up to 155 low-power TV stations to the Minority Media & Telecom Council. A list of the stations to be donated was not immediately available, and MMTC cautioned in its press release that it may not be able to accept all 155 stations if it cannot find partners to operate them. TBN owns dozens of LPTV stations in the Upper Midwest, most of which have not been converted to digital and went silent earlier this year. MMTC works to expand ownership and training opportunities for minorities, women, and other underserved groups, and is also the recipient of Clear Channel stations KFXN/690 (Minneapolis) and KMFX/1190 (Wabasha, MN). (8/23/2010)

MINNESOTA (UPDATED):
Minnesota Public Radio has signed on new station WGRH/88.5 (Hinckley), carrying the MPR News network. The station uses 3.8kW/129m (class A) from a new tower west of Hinckley. It fills in a gap in city-grade reception between MPR's Twin Cities and Duluth transmitters, with a main coverage area including Pine City, Mora, and Sandstone. It's the 38th transmitter for the News network, which features state news and talk, weather alerts, and flagship NPR programming such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

MPR has four existing translators in Hinckley and one in Pine City/Beroun, three of which currently carry MPR News. The network had also applied for a new station on 91.9 in Hinckley, but lost in the FCC's analysis to Immanuel Baptist Church of Rice Lake, WI, which applied for a station on 91.9 in Pine City. MPR recently filed a petition to deny the Church a construction permit, alleging it did not have reasonable assurance to use the tower specified in its application. (8/23/2010, added reason for petition 8/24)

IOWA/ILLINOIS/MINNESOTA:
DISH Network has added HD locals in the Rochester-Austin-Mason City and Quad Cities markets. DirecTV already offers HD locals in the Quad Cities, but not in Rochester. (8/23/2010)

MINNESOTA:
TV listings indicate KSTP-TV/5 (St. Paul) will move the start of its morning newscast up to 4:30 a.m. on Monday, August 30th. With the expansion, KSTP will be producing nine hours of news programming each weekday, including 2.5 hours which airs on independent sister station KSTC/45, plus the hour-long "Twin Cities Live" talk show. The ABC affiliate joins FOX 9 (KMSP) and CBS' WCCO-TV/4 at 4:30, which is rapidly becoming the standard start time for morning news in major markets across the country. NBC affiliate KARE 11 will be the last Twin Cities station still starting at 5 a.m. (8/20/2010)

ONTARIO:
The CRTC has approved a plan to switch the programming on AM 1240 (Atikokan) from CKDR-FM/92.7 (Dryden) to CFOB-FM/93.1 (Fort Frances). Both stations are owned by Acadia Broadcasting, and community leaders in Atikokan said their community has stronger ties to Fort Frances than to Dryden. The 50-Watt rebroadcaster and an FM CBC transmitter provide the only local radio reception in Atikokan, which has a population of about 3,300. (8/20/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Bemidji is poised to get an AM-on-FM translator with Paul Bunyan Broadcasting's purchase of K235BP/94.9 from Shine the Light, Inc. for $50,000. The application states K235BP will relay KBUN/1450, which carries the FAN Network and ESPN Radio, as well as the Twins, Timberwolves, Vikings, Wild, and Gophers (the Twins and Vikings are also heard on co-owned FM stations in the market). It will be the first time the FAN Network is carried on an FM signal.

Shine the Light purchased the 250-Watt translator from Edgewater Broadcasting for $740 last year. It currently rebroadcasts the commercial Christian format of KKEQ/107.1 (Fosston), but just 18 percent of Bemidji listeners responding to a poll on the station's website say they listen to 94.9 intead of 107.1 or web and cable TV feeds. (8/16/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Cornerstone Community Radio is buying the construction permit for WIWM/90.9 (Sheboygan) from Bloomington Normal Broadcasting Corporation for $5,000. The Florida-based buyer owns eight stations in Illinois and KMDY/90.9 (Keokuk, IA). WIWM will use 15kW/35m vertical only from a cell tower along I-43 near Cleveland. (8/16/2010)

MINNESOTA:
GAP Broadcasting has completed its transition to Townsquare Media, joining former Regent Broadcasting stations that began using the Townsquare name earlier this year. Oaktree Capital Management was already the majority owner of both GAP and Townsquare. There are now 171 stations in 36 markets operated under the Townsquare name, including four stations in the Duluth market, formerly owned by GAP, and six in the St. Cloud market, formerly owned by Regent. The stations are WEBC/560, KLDJ/101.7, and KKCB/105.1 (Duluth), KBMX/107.7 (Proctor-Duluth), WJON/1240 and WWJO/98.1 (St. Cloud), KXSS/1390 and KLZZ/103.7 (Waite Park-St. Cloud), KMXK/94.9 (Cold Spring-St. Cloud), and KZRV/96.7 (Sartell-St. Cloud). (8/14/2010)

WISCONSIN:
WEAU-TV reports firefighters battled flames at the tower site of WJMC-FM/96.1 (Rice Lake) Wednesday night, but the station was able to continue broadcasting. The Rice Lake Fire Department told WEAU the fire appears to have started in a generator and spread to a building's roof, leading to an estimated $250,000 loss. The tower site east of Haugen has been in use since 2000, when the owners of KARP/96.3 (Glencoe, MN) paid for new facilities for WJMC-FM so KARP could move into the Twin Cities market. (8/12/2010)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
The FCC has approved a power increase for WDGY/740 (Hudson, WI-St. Paul). The "True Oldies Channel" affiliate owned by Greg Borgen will continue to transmit from east of Hudson, but will double its daytime power from 2.5kW to 5kW, improving its signal across the Twin Cities metro. 740 will continue to be a daytime-only station. It had originally applied for 5.5kW, but that application was rejected due to overlap with KVOX/740 (Fargo) and CHWO/740 (Toronto). (8/11/2010)

IOWA/ILLINOIS:
Grant Media's FOX 18 (KLJB Davenport) is dropping Independent News Network and switching to ABC affiliate WQAD/8 (Moline) as the source of its 9 p.m. newscast effective Sept. 6. With the move, the station will go seven days a week by adding a Saturday 9 p.m. newscast. Kim Johnson, a veteran of stations in Duluth and Green Bay, will co-anchor the FOX 18 newscast with a yet-to-be-determined male counterpart. Independent News Network, based in Davenport, has produced KLJB's newscast since the company's inception in 1999 and also produces newscasts for a handful of stations around the country. Titan Broadcast Group's FOX affiliate KPTM/42 (Omaha) is due to begin using INN-produced newscasts next month. (8/10/2010)

MINNESOTA:
The Minnesota Twins have extended their deal with Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP/1500 (St. Paul) for another two years, the station announced Tuesday. The team moved from longtime home WCCO/830 (Minneapolis) four years ago. Some listeners have complained of reception problems, and the network has added more affiliates closer to the metro. Both WCCO and KSTP are 50,000 Watts, but KSTP's higher frequency and the fact that it must use a directional antenna at night limit the signal. (8/10/2010)

IOWA:
KCVM/96.1 (Hudson-Waterloo) has moved to 93.5 and changed its slogan from "Mix 96" to "93.5 The Mix." The station is owned by Fife Communications and runs an Adult Contemporary format. Although KCVM remains class A (6kW/99m), the frequency change enabled it to change its directional antenna pattern to improve its signal to Waterloo. The directional pattern previously protected KMXG/96.1 (Clinton-Quad Cities), which also goes by the name "Mix 96," and now protects KIOA/93.3 (Des Moines). (8/10/2010)

IOWA:
Saga Broadcasting translator K260AM/99.9 (Ames) is on the air from Alleman relaying "Star 102.5" (KSTZ Des Moines), which transmits from the same tower. However, the setup is likely temporary: Saga is known for using translators to relay HD2 signals in other markets and K260AM has applied to move its transmitter closer to Des Moines. Saga proposes using a directional antenna from a tower in Altoona, providing a strong signal to most of Des Moines but not its western suburbs. K260AM would also change its community of license to Des Moines. The original construction permit for the translator was issued in 2004 to Edgewater Broadcasting and then transferred to Horizon Christian Fellowship, which sold it to Saga last year for $20,000. (8/9/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Real Presence Radio is buying translators in Minot and Williston from Horizon Christian Fellowship for $14,000. Plans call for K216EE/91.1 (Minot) and K203DU/88.5 (Williston) to relay KPHA/91.3 (Mandan), a new station Real Presence Radio hopes to have on the air by the end of the year. The Catholic broadcaster also operates KWTL/1370 (Grand Forks) and KVXR/1280 (Moorhead-Fargo). (8/9/2010)

WISCONSIN:
New station WDRT/91.9 (Viroqua) is getting closer to signing on. The station has posted photos of its July 16 antenna installation on the Vernon Telephone Cooperative tower between Viroqua and Westby. The goal is to get "Driftless Community Radio" on the air this summer, with a grand opening set for Sept. 17. (8/9/2010)

WISCONSIN:
WRCO/1450 and WRCO-FM/100.9 (Richland Center) have moved to a new studio/office on the south end of town. The locally-owned station was formerly located in a flood-prone area and was forced off the air by flooding in 2007. (8/9/2010)

IOWA:
KHPP/1160 (Waukon) has dropped Oldies for Adult Contemporary as "K-Soft," using Dial Global's Adult Contemporary format with AP news on the hour and weather forecasts from WXOW/19 (La Crosse, WI). The Wennes Communications station's previous format had been Citadel's True Oldies Channel. The station is ID'ing as KSFF, though the FCC database still listed its callsign as KHPP as of Wednesday. (8/4/2010)

NEBRASKA:
Southeast Community College is selling KQIQ/88.3 (Beatrice) to Christian broadcaster Mission Nebraska for $4,400 plus FCC filing costs. The station uses 4.2kW/103m, providing a strong signal to Beatrice and Fairbury. KQIQ signed on in 2001 and is staffed and managed by students in the college's Mass Media program. It will be Mission Nebraska's ninth station. Mission Nebraska has sought a main studio waiver to co-locate KQIQ's studio with KROA/95.7 (Grand Island). (8/4/2010)

MINNESOTA:
NBC and CW affiliate KTTC/10 (Rochester) has applied to increase its power from 33.7kW to 43.1kW. Though KTTC does not mention reception issues, a number of VHF High stations (channels 7 to 13) have reported trouble reaching viewers since moving digital broadcasts to VHF High. (8/2/2010)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
First a tower collapse and now an FCC dismissal are delaying The Praise Network's plans for new station KGRJ/89.9 (Chamberlain). KGRJ's original construction permit called for using the KPLO-TV/FM tower near Reliance, which collapsed earlier this year. The FCC has now denied an application to move to a tower in Chamberlain and downgrade from class C1 to C3. The commission stated that the downgrade is not allowed because The Praise Network won the CP in a competitive application process based on a larger coverage area. (8/2/2010)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has cleared the way for an upgrade by KMOJ/89.9 (Minneapolis), approving a construction permit modification for the station to broadcast with 6.2kW/116m from Arden Hills. KMOJ already had a CP to move to Shoreview with 1.4kW/273m and then sought a modification to 4kW/171m, which was rejected due to problems with the proposed directional antenna pattern. The station also states that the rent was too high at the originally-planned Shoreview tower. The upgrade will improve KMOJ's signal to St. Paul and the eastern metro, but much of the western metro will remain outside of its main coverage area, which is shown on page 15 of this document. The station carries R&B and information for the African-American community. (7/30/2010)

MANITOBA:
The CRTC has approved the CBC's plan to switch the programming source of CBWST/8 (Dauphin) to CBWT/6 (Winnipeg). The 120kW station had relayed CBC affiliate CKX-TV/5 (Brandon) until CKX-TV went dark last year. The public broadcaster has not proposed restoring over-the-air service of the CBC in Brandon, or, for that matter, in Thunder Bay, where longtime CBC affiliate CKPR-TV/2 is leaving the network. (7/30/2010)

IOWA/ILLINOIS:
WQAD/8 (Moline) has announced plans to become the first all-HD news operation in the Quad Cities. The full HD debut is expected to happen within the next few months. WQAD is an ABC affiliate owned by Local TV, LLC. (7/29/2010)

MANITOBA:
The CRTC has given final approval to a new radio station in Winnipeg Beach. CJIE-FM will broadcast on 107.5 with 1.62kW, carrying a mix of Country, Pop, and Rock. The CRTC approved the new station for 5777152 Manitoba Ltd. earlier this year but said it had to choose a frequency other than 93.7, which had been originally sought. Instead, 93.7 was set aside for a fugure station in Winnipeg. CJIE-FM will have a 119-Watt rebroadcaster on 99.5 in Arborg. 5777152 Manitoba is owned by William Gade, who owns similarly-formatted stations in Neepawa and Swan River and has applied for a station in Virden. (7/29/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Duluth's Red Rock Radio is moving Minnesota Wild hockey broadcasts to "The Fan 1490" (KQDS) starting this fall. The team had previously been heard on 94X (KZIO/104.3 Two Harbors and translator K231BI/94.1 Duluth). The move comes as Red Rock moves University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog hockey from 1490 to 94X. (7/29/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Ahead of a new football season and November elections, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) is urging the FCC to use its influence to get Wisconsin-based TV programming into the thirteen northern and western Wisconsin counties assigned to the Minneapolis, Duluth, and Marquette markets. Feingold says the lack of Wisconsin stations is often brought up at listening sessions in the region. Though many are concerned about a lack of Wisconsin news, the major public complaint seems to be Green Bay Packers games, some of which are not carried by Minneapolis and Duluth stations due to conflicts with the Minnesota Vikings and contracts that limit when stations can air a double-header. Some cable systems are able to carry Wisconsin commercial stations, but FCC rules don't allow that option in cities such as Hudson, River Falls, and Superior. Wisconsin Public Television is available on cable systems everywhere in the region except Superior. The rules are more strict for satellite; current rules would allow some Wisconsin commercial stations to be carried by satellite in four of the counties (Barron, Dunn, Florence, and Pepin), but neither provider has opted to offer the service. (7/28/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Clear Channel's new Twin Cities translator, K279AZ/103.7 (Cottage Grove), is now relaying "Cities 97" (KTCZ/97.1), but is still transmitting from Inver Grove Heights. The translator had previously carried the "K-Love" Christian network. K279AZ has a construction permit to move to the IDS Center in Minneapolis but is awaiting FCC approval for a modification of the CP after it couldn't reach an agreement with the owners of the shared antenna it originally planned to use. It proposes using 250 Watts from a different antenna on IDS. The translator could potentially be used to relay an AM or HD2 station. Clear Channel bought it from K-Love operator Educational Media Foundation in exchange for giving EMF the rights to program an HD2 channel on a Clear Channel station in Detroit. (7/28/2010)

IOWA:
KWWF/22 (Waterloo) returned to the air July 20 and is carrying Untamed Sports TV. The station had left the air last June 12 because its former owner, Equity Broadcasting, went bankrupt and couldn't afford to convert the station to digital. It's now owned by Waterloo TV Licenses and is broadcasting with a special temporary authority for 18.7kW/330m from the KPXR-TV/48 (Cedar Rapids) tower near Urbana. Waterloo TV Licenses is a partnership of Fusion Communications of Davenport and PLLW-LLC of Miami, which is owned by Paul Libovitz. Fusion Communications is owned by Jeff Lyle and David McAnally of Davenport. The companies own stations in about a half-dozen markets outside the Upper Midwest. (7/24/2010)

WISCONSIN:
UPDATE: Weigel Broadcasting's WBME/49.1 (Racine-Milwaukee) is back on the air, but WDJT/58.1 (Milwaukee) remains off after Thursday night's flooding. WBME, which normally carries "Me TV" on 49.1 and "Telemundo Wisconsin" on 49.4, is carrying the independent WMLW lineup on 49.2. WDJT's primary "CBS58" programming is being seen on Journal Broadcasting's WTMJ-TV/4.3, displacing "The Cool TV." WDJT subchannels "This TV" and "Shore West TV" remain unavailable. (7/23/2010) 7/27 update: WDJT has since returned to the air.

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio has returned the license for translator K254AE/98.7 (Dubuque). The translator had gone off the air last fall due to the loss of its transmitter site, which IPR says it was not told about until one day before the antenna was removed. The translator had been on the air since 1983 relaying KUNI/90.9 (Cedar Falls) but became less necessary when KUNI repeater KDUB/89.7 (Dubuque) signed on in 2006. IPR also has translator K269EK/101.7 (Dubuque), which relays KSUI/91.7 (Iowa City). (7/22/2010)

IOWA:
Calvary Satellite Network translator K233BT/94.5 (Des Moines) went off the air July 17 after lightning damaged its transmiter and antenna. The station states in an FCC filing that the transmitter is repaired, but the antenna will be out of commission until later this month. (7/22/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Tri-County Radio, Inc. is the winning bidder for a new station on 98.9 licensed to Two Rivers. Tri-County had been competing with Radio Plus and won with a $49,000 bid in the sixth round. The new station will be class A (6kW/100m maximum) and could be a potential Sheboygan rimshot. (7/21/2010)

MINNESOTA:
In a surprise move, Clear Channel is donating KFXN/690 (Minneapolis) to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council. KFXN is a 500-Watt daytimer that acts as a sister station to KFAN/1130, carrying FOX Sports Radio and Jim Rome. The station had carried ESPN Radio until the network moved its affiliation to KSTP/1500 earlier this year. Clear Channel states the donation is part of "an ongoing program to expand ownership and training opportunities for minorities, women, and other underserved groups." KFXN is one of six stations Clear Channel is donating to MMTC, four of which were announced last year, including KMFX/1190 (Wabasha).

The donation will reduce Clear Channel's presence in the Minneapolis market to six stations (1 AM and 5 FM), although it is in the process of putting a translator (K279AZ/103.7) on the air from the IDS Center which could be used to relay KFAN or an HD2 channel. (7/20/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Duluth's Red Rock Radio has named Bruce Ciskie its new Sports Director. He replaces Mark Fleischer, who left earlier this month to return to his former position as Operations Manager of Midwest Communications' Duluth group. Ciskie was already the voice of University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog men's hockey games, and will now join the KQDS-FM/94.9 morning show and host a Noon-hour show on "The Fan 1490" (KQDS). Ciskie had previously been heard on Midwest's KDAL/610 and WDSM/710. (7/20/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA:
New station KDXN/105.7 (South Heart-Dickinson) is on the air as "The Mix," carrying Adult Contemporary and Oldies. KDXN broadcasts with 100kW/166m (class C1) and is owned by Totally Amped, LLC, which bought the station for $40,400 after its last owner, Western Edge Media, filed for bankruptcy. The station had originally been scheduled to sign on in fall 2008 with a Country format. It's the fifth commercial station in the Dickinson market. (7/19/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Leighton Enterprises' "Wild Country 104.1" (KBOT Pelican Rapids) has applied to move its transmitter closer to Detroit Lakes, where it would remain 50kW but reduce its antenna height from 150m to 139m. It would use a directional antenna to prevent interference to stations in East Grand Forks and Breezy Point. The change would improve KBOT's signal to Detroit Lakes but remove Fergus Falls and Wahpeton from its main coverage area. (Here's the current coverage area and the proposed coverage area.) KBOT would continue to have a fringe signal to Fargo. (7/19/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA:
A month after signing on with 4.7kW, KFAA/89.5 (Horace-Fargo) has applied to upgrade to 50kW. The station is owned by Selah Corporation, a local non-profit, and is carrying Educational Media Foundation's "Air1" network. Its transmitter would remain in West Fargo with an antenna height of just 27m. EMF also runs the "K-Love" network heard on KKLQ/100.7 (Harwood-Fargo). (7/19/2010)

NEBRASKA:
"K-Love" station KMLV/88.1 (Omaha) has upgraded from 3.7kW/242m (class C3) to 59kW/390m (class C0). The upgrade puts Lincoln on the edge of KMLV's main coverage area. It was possible because of the end of analog broadcasting by WOWT/6 (Omaha), which now broadcasts digitally on channel 22, since channel 6 lies just below the FM band. KMLV is owned by K-Love operator Educational Media Foundation. (7/19/2010)

NEBRASKA:
Bott Radio Network's translator in Fremont has moved from 102.9 to 103.1 following an upgrade by KVSS/102.7 (Papillion) last year that put Fremont in its main coverage area. The move happened on July 13. The translator, now K276FI, continues to use 250W. It relays KLCV/88.5 (Lincoln). (7/19/2010)

WISCONSIN:
WRVM translator W203AV/88.5 (Oshkosh) wants to move south. The station is currently licensed to transmit from a site north of Oshkosh with 38 Watts and has applied to move to a site south of town with 250 Watts. WRVM translator W268BC/101.5 (Oshkosh) transmits from the same site currently used by W203AV, which completed a daisy-chain move from Omro last year. (7/19/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Red Rock Radio is moving broadcasts of University of Minnesota Duluth Men's Hockey to "94X" this fall (KZIO/104.3 Two Harbors-Duluth and translator K231BI/94.1 Duluth). Bulldog Hockey moved to Red Rock's "The Fan 1490" (KQDS) last year after decades on crosstown KDAL/610. Red Rock says the move to 94X is being made to improve the Bulldog broadcast's reach; 1490 is a "graveyard" channel with about 170 stations in the U.S., limiting KQDS' coverage to the immediate Twin Ports area at night. Bulldog Hockey will continue to be simulcast on KBAJ/105.5 (Deer River-Grand Rapids) and KAOD/106.7 (Babbitt), which relay Red Rock's KQDS-FM/94.9 at other times. (7/16/2010)

NORTH DAKOTA/SOUTH DAKOTA:
Longtime farm broadcaster Lyle Romine has died of cancer at the age of 59. Romine was Farm Director at the American Ag Network, which serves 40 radio stations in the Dakotas and Montana. He began his broadcasting career 35 years ago at KDLR/1240 (Devils Lake) and became a farm broadcaster with Ag America in 1981. He joined American Ag Network in 1986 and was a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. Long time on-air partner Rusty Halvorson takes over as lead farm broadcaster while the American Ag Network searches for a replacement. (7/16/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Companies that own radio groups in the Duluth and St. Cloud markets will soon be operated under the same corporate structure, pending FCC approval. Oaktree Capital Group Holdings proposes combining ownership and control structures for GAP Broadcasting and Townsquare Media, formerly known as Regent Communications. The companies own stations in 36 markets. The GAP stations include WEBC/560 (Duluth), KLDJ/101.7 (Duluth), KKCB/105.1 (Duluth), and KBMX/107.7 (Proctor); the Townsquare stations include WJON/1240 (St. Cloud), KXSS/1390 (Waite Park-St. Cloud), KMXK/94.9 (Cold Spring-St. Cloud), KZRV/96.7 (Sartell-St. Cloud), WWJO/98.1 (St. Cloud), and KLZZ/103.7 (Waite Park-St. Cloud). (7/16/2010)

MINNESOTA/NATIONAL:
Hubbard Broadcasting is suggesting that the FCC break up virtual duopolies among TV stations in the Duluth and Rochester (MN) markets as part of its review of ownership rules, whether or not it decides to allow duopolies in small markets.

Hubbard owns stations in the two markets and has long sought an FCC review of the shared services agreements that have led to combined operations of some competitors. In Duluth, Granite Broadcasting's NBC affiliate KBJR/6 runs CBS affiliate KDLH/3, while in Rochester, Quincy Newspapers' NBC affiliate KTTC/10 runs FOX affiliate KXLT/47. In its filing, Hubbard suggests that SSA's are "improper conduct" and may be a violation of the current duopoly rule.

It writes, "Parties that have been in violation of the current rule should not be permitted to profit form behavior that was inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the duopoly rule or benefit from the lack of decision-making under past administrations."

Current ownership rules prevent a company from owning more than one station per market unless the combination would leave the market with at least eight owners of full-power TV stations, limiting duopolies to the Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids markets in the Upper Midwest. The rules also prohibit co-ownership of more than one of the top four stations in all markets, which are typically the ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates.

Besides Duluth and Rochester, virtual duopolies among top-four stations also exist in the Cedar Rapids, Fargo, and Sioux City markets, and virtual duopolies involving a station outside of the top four are found in the Green Bay, Lincoln, and Omaha markets. In Cedar Rapids' case, the market is large enough to qualify for a duopoly under the current rules, but the stations involved in the virtual duopoly are both in the top four, prohibiting one station from completing an agreement to buy the other.

The National Association of Broadcasters has asked the FCC to allow duopolies in smaller markets but did not specify exactly how it believes the rules should be changed.

For full disclosure, it should be noted that your reporter has worked for stations that compete with virtual duopolies in Duluth and Cedar Rapids, including Hubbard's WDIO-TV. (7/14/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio's "The Current" is now heard in New Ulm on 250-Watt translator K237ET/95.3. It's the ninth signal for the Adult Alternative network, which is also heard on two translators in Mankato as well as translators in St. Peter, Austin, and Hinckley, full-power stations in the Twin Cities and Rochester, and an HD2 channel in St. Cloud. (7/14/2010)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Television is seeking a new translator in Dubuque, stating that viewers in Dubuque can no longer receive KRIN/32 (Waterloo) after the digital transition. The Dubuque translator would broadcast on channel 18, remapping to channel 32 on digital receivers. It would broadcast with 15kW, the maximum allowed for translators, from the same tower used by KFXB-TV/40 (Dubuque) across the Mississippi River in Wisconsin. (7/13/2010)

NEBRASKA:
KDCV-FM/91.1 (Blair) has gone off the air following Dana College's decision to close. An FCC filing indicates the 6-Watt (class D) station went silent on July 6. The FCC stopped issuing new licenses for class D educational stations in 1978. Last month, the FCC denied a petition for reconsideration of its denial of a construction permit to upgrade KDCV to class A by changing its community of license to Herman and moving to 88.7, using 1.051kW/86m. (7/12/2010)

NEBRASKA:
A potential new FM station in the Lincoln market has signed on, but it's not reaching Lincoln yet. KOLB/93.7 (Firth) is on the air with 310 Watts from a tower near Firth. KOLB -- the callsign stands for its original owner, Kolbe Media -- is owned by VSS Catholic Communications and carrying "Spirit Catholic Radio," which originates at KVSS/102.7 (Papillion-Omaha). VSS had announced plans to sell KOLB when it bought the present-day KVSS. The original construction permit for KOLB was for 6kW/69m from a tower north of Firth which would have had a rimshot signal to Lincoln. (7/12/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio's WHSA/89.9 (Brule-Superior) has gone HD and is carrying WPR's 24-hour Classical service on HD2. The service simulcasts the programming heard on the NPR News & Classical Music network, which is WHSA's primary stream, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and carries Classical 24 at other times. The HD2 service is heard on at least eleven other WPR stations, including KUWS/91.3 (Superior). (7/12/2010)

MICHIGAN/MINNESOTA/NEBRASKA/SOUTH DAKOTA/WISCONSIN:
King Street Capital LP is buying a 40 percent interest in Armada Media, which owns 28 radio stations divided among subsidiaries in Aberdeen, SD, McCook, NE, Menominee, MI, and Watertown, SD. Current principals of Armada Media will see their share of the company fall, with Shockley Broadcasting continuing to have the largest chunk of 46 percent. (7/10/2010)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Mark Fleischer is returning to his old position as Operations Manager of Midwest Communications' Duluth-Superior group, which includes KDAL/610, WDSM/710, WGEE/970, KDAL-FM/95.7, KTCO/98.9, and KHQG/102.5. Fleischer was most recently Sports Director at crosstown Red Rock Radio. He replaces Corey Carter, who's moving to Midwest's WIXX/101.1 (Green Bay) after working at every commercial radio group in Duluth over the last decade. Fleischer takes over Monday. (7/9/2010)

NEBRASKA/SOUTH DAKOTA:
New station KDAM/94.3 (Hartington, NE-Yankton, SD) signed on at 6 p.m. July 1 with a Rock format as "The Dam." It's the only station on the genre in the Yankton/Vermillion area. KDAM is owned by Riverfront Broadcasting LLC, which also owns KYNT/1450 and KKYA/93.1 (Yankton). It uses 50kW/103m (class C2) from the KKYA tower south of Yankton. (7/9/2010)

WISCONSIN:
The FCC has granted a construction permit for a new FM station to potentially serve Appleton and Oshkosh. Metro North Communications and three other groups applied for the new station on 92.9 licensed to New Holstein in 1996, but when the FCC recently announced an auction for the frequency, Metro North was the only one of the four to complete all of the required steps. The CP is for 6kW/100m from a tower near Chilton, which would give the station a fringe signal to Appleton and Oshkosh. It's possible the station could seek a site closer to Appleton or Oshkosh before it actually signs on.

Metro North is owned by Bonita Meyer of Mishicot (28%), Donald G. Burcham of Randolph (18%), Douglas H. Engelbrecht of Two Rivers (18%), Kelly T. Meyer of Two River (9%), Mark Heller of Two River (9%), Thomas S. Tomter of Malone (9%), and Wendy S. Tomter of Malone (9%). Heller is the owner of WGBW/1590 (Two Rivers). (7/9/2010)

WISCONSIN:
OnMilwaukee's Tim Cuprisin reports Milwaukee Public Television plans to shuffle its channel lineup. Currently, WMVS/10 carries one HD channel while WMVT/36 carries four standard-definition channels and four audio channels. On Sept. 1, PBS World, V-Me, and MPTV Weather will move to channels 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4. WMVT will begin an SD simulcast of WMVS/10.1 on 36.2, while Create and audio channels carrying Classical, Jazz, and traffic information will occupy channels 36.3 through 36.6. Also, WMVT/36.1 will be upgraded to HD in 2011.

The simulcast of 10.1 on 36.2 is intended to reach viewers who have difficulty receiving WMVS' VHF broadcast (channel 8). The FCC has granted WMVS a construction permit to add a UHF translator on channel 36 (WMVT actually broadcasts on 35), but the station has not announced plans to activate the translator. (7/9/2010)

NEBRASKA/IOWA:
The Omaha World-Herald reports FOX affiliate KPTM/42 plans to outsource production of its 9 p.m. newscast, the station's only newscast, to Independent News Network beginning Sept. 6. INN produces newscasts at its Davenport studio using content provided by local reporters and photographers, and it appears Omaha will be the largest market they serve. KPTM management would not specify how many jobs will be cut, but said the number of reporter positions would increase. The change conceivably eliminates the need for anchors and production staff in Omaha. KPTM is owned by Titan Broadcast Group, which bought the station after longtime owner Pappas Telecasting entered bankrupty proceedings last year. (7/8/2010)

MANITOBA:
Newcap Broadcasting's CHNK-FM/100.7 (Winnipeg) has flipped to its fourth format since signing on in 2002: a broad Classic Rock-based format as "K-Rock." The switch from Country "Hank FM" happened on Tuesday (July 6). The new format includes the Bob and Tom Show from 6-10 a.m. 100.7's new format competes primarily with Rogers Broadcasting's CITI-FM/92.1 (Winnipeg). The flip leaves Standard Radio's "QX104" (CFQX-FM/104.1 Selkirk) without a direct competitor in the market, though NCI-FM (CICY-FM/105.5 Selkirk) carries a substantial amount of Country music as part of its format targetting the aboriginal community. CHNK first signed on as CHNR in 2002 with a Nostalgia format and was later sold to Newcap, which changed its format to Adult Alternative as CKFE and then Country. (7/8/2010)

IOWA:
All Access reports a coincidental format flip at two nearby stations on the same frequency: KQMG-FM/95.3 (Independence) and KIFG-FM/95.3 (Iowa Falls) have both dropped Hot Adult Contemporary for Classic Hits. KIFG-FM, owned by Times Citizen Communications, is simulcast on KIFG/1510. KQMG-FM, owned by KM Communications, contunues to go by the slogan "Brite 95.3" and has a pending application to move into the Cedar Rapids market, where it would be licensed to Solon on 95.1. However, that application has sat at the FCC without action for more than three years. (7/7/2010)

MINNESOTA:
There's a delay in Clear Channel's plans to add a sixth FM signal in the Twin Cities. They're in the process of moving translator K279AZ/103.7 (Cottage Grove) to the IDS Center in Minneapolis, where it could be used to relay an AM station or HD subchannel. However, in an FCC filing, Clear Channel states it has been unable to reach a lease agreement for the shared antenna it had planned to use at the top of IDS. Instead, K279AZ has now applied to use its own antenna on the top of IDS with 250 Watts, the maximum for translators. The antenna would be directional to limit the signal towards KLZZ/103.7 (Waite Park-St. Cloud). As a translator, K279AZ will be required to resolve interference complaints from KLZZ listeners who say the translator is interfering with their reception. (7/3/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Just months after "Majic 102.5" launched in Milwaukee, Radio Multi Media has asked the FCC to move the translator station to a different frequency. W273AT/102.5 is a translator of WNOV/860 and carries a community-oriented R&B format. The station says it has received fourteen interference complaints from listeners of Northwestern College's WNWC-FM/102.5 (Madison) and proposes moving to 93.9, where it would remain 99 Watts. Many of the complaints, shown in this document, appear to come in response to a letter from WNWC asking people to report reception problems.

W273AT is seeking special consideration from the FCC for the move; the rules usually only allow translators to move to a first- or second-adjacent frequency, or to an IF frequency (10.6/10.8 MHz away). In this case, existing Milwaukee stations on 91.7, 102.1, and 102.9 prevent a move to any of those frequencies. On 93.9, the translator could still interfere with deep-fringe reception of WLIT/93.9 (Chicago), though its application suggests Radio Multi Media believes the WNWC-FM complaints only came about because the station offers a unique niche format. (7/3/2010)

MINNESOTA:
Radio Power, Inc. is continuing modifications at two translators it bought from Horizon Christian Fellowship earlier this year. W220DK/91.9 (Mora) and K287AU/105.3 (Olivia) each applied for licenses to cover their previous construction permits on Monday (June 28) and then applied for new facility changes two days later. W220DK moved to 102.5 with 250W, where it will be W273BX, from a tower southeast of Mora. It's now applied to move to 101.9 with 100W. Meanwhile, K287AU had already moved its transmitter out of Olivia and now has a side northwest of Hector; it's applied to move the station farther east and change frequency to 105.5. The community of license would change to Buffalo Lake and the transmitter site would be north of town. It appears K287AU may be headed for Hutchinson or Glencoe. Radio Power lists KCFB/91.5 (St. Cloud) as the primary station for both translators, though W220DK has been off the air during your reporter's travels through Mora in recent months. FCC rules would allow the translators to relay AM stations. Where will they finally end up? Stay tuned. (7/3/2010)

WISCONSIN:
After just a few weeks of running Adult Standards from the Music of Your Life network, WFDL/1170 (Waupun) has switched to a locally-automated mix of Oldies and Adult Standards. The station had carried an Adult Standards format for years and switched to the Oldies-formatted "Hit Parade Radio" network earlier this year. That network ceased operations last month. (7/3/2010)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Christian broadcaster The Praise Network has changed its plans for a new station in central South Dakota after the collapse of the KPLO-TV/FM tower north of Reliance last winter. The current construction permit for KGRJ/89.9 (Chamberlain) is for 47.5kW/310m (class C1) from the now-collapsed tower. KGRJ has now applied to use a tower in Chamberlain with 14kW/78m (class C3). The station has until Aug. 22, 2011 to begin broadcasting. (7/3/2010)

WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN:
Heartland Communications' four AM stations in northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula made their anticipated flip to "Freedom Talk" on Thursday, July 1. WPFP/980 (Park Falls, WI) dropped ESPN Radio, while WATW/1400 (Ashland, WI), WERL/950 (Eagle River, WI), and WFER/1230 (Iron River, MI) dropped Dial Global's Adult Standards network. Each station has an identical lineup: America's Morning News (5-8a), Glenn Beck (8-11a), Rush Limbaugh (11a-2p), Sean Hannity (2-5p), Michael Savage (5-8p), Laura Ingraham (8-11p), Dr. Dean Edell (11p-Mid), and Coast-to-Coast with George Noory (12-5a). The weekend lineups include some local programming, Leo Laporte, Handel on the Law, Bill Cunningham, and repeats of weekday programs. IRN-USA News airs on the hour. (7/2/2010)

MINNESOTA:
News anchor Cyndy Brucato plans to leave KSTP-TV/5 (St. Paul) around Labor Day. Brucato worked at the station from 1979 into the 1980's, and returned in 2004 as main evening co-anchor. She now anchors KSTP's 6:30 p.m. newscast. Brucato plans to return to public relations but will work with KSTP on special projects. (7/1/2010)

WISCONSIN:
Bustos Media, owner of Regional Mexican-formatted WDDW/104.7 (Sturtevant Milwaukee) and Azteca America TV affiliate WBWT-LP/38 (Milwaukee), is merging with NAP Broadcast Holdings, LLC. The value of the transaction was redacted from documents filed with the FCC. NAP is owned by NewStar Financial, Atalaya Capital, and The Prudential Insurance Company of America and will be the surviving company after the merger. (7/1/2010)

NEBRASKA:
Dana College, licensee of KDCV/91.1 (Blair), is closing its doors after regulators denied a plan to sell the 125-year-old ELCA college to the for-profit Dana Education Corporation. The future of the 6-Watt KDCV was not immediately clear. Last week, the station applied to transfer the license to Dana College Broadcasting Corporation, a group associated with Dana Education Corporation. (7/1/2010)

MANITOBA:
The CRTC has ordered Golden West Broadcasting to pay a $19,000 shortfall in Canadian talent development contributions for CFEQ-FM/107.1 (Winnipeg), even though the shortfall happened when the station was owned by Kesitah, Inc. The CRTC says Golden West inherited the liability for the previous owner's non-compliance when it bought the station. It ordered Golden West to make the payment by August 31 and renewed CFEQ's license for another four years. (7/1/2010)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has ordered James & Sharon Norrbom to turn off an unlicensed transmitter operating on 87.9 in suburban Minneapolis. An FCC field agent tracked the signal to a Burnsville address on June 15, and a June 22 letter ordered the transmitter turned off immediately. (6/30/2010)

MINNESOTA/IOWA/WISCONSIN:
Rochester Community and Technical College is poised to get a radio station, again, after the FCC named it the tentative selectee from a group of eight competing applications in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

The college had operated KRPR/89.9 (Rochester) until selling it to Rochester Public Radio about a decade ago. Its new proposed station would be licensed to Stewartville and operate on 88.1 with 1.9kW/278m (class C3) from the KTTC-TV/10 tower near Ostrander, MN, but would have only a fringe signal to Rochester. (KROC-FM/106.9 Rochester also transmits from the tower but uses 100kW.) Use of the frequency was previously not possible because of the analog signal of KAAL/6 (Austin), since channel 6 is located immediately below the FM band. KAAL now transmits digitally on channel 36.

RCTC edged out the other applicants because its proposed coverage area would provide new non-commercial service to more than most of the other applicants. It tied in new service with Southern Minnesota Catholic Radio, which also applied for a station licensed Stewartville, but the college won because it is a local applicant.

Other applicants included Decorah Lutheran Church (Decorah, IA), VCY America (Meriden, MN), Crossfire Inc. (Eitzen, MN), Pensacola Christian College (Byron, MN), We Have This Hope Christian Radio (Dodge Center, MN), and Calvary Iowa City (Genoa, WI). (6/29/2010)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Immanuel Baptist Church of Rice Lake, WI, is the FCC's tentative selectee for a new non-commercial station on 91.9 in Pine City, MN. It was one of five applicants for the frequency in four different communities.

Refuge Media Group (Robbinsdale, MN) and De Mujer a Mujer Interacional (Hinckley, MN) were eliminated because their coverage areas wouldn't have reached enough listeners without current non-commercial service. Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (Webster, WI) was eliminated because its proposed station would have served far fewer people than stations proposed by Immanuel Baptist Church and Minnesota Public Radio (Hinckley).

Immanuel Baptist Church and MPR went into a tiebreaker in which the church was selected because it has fewer existing stations than MPR (none versus 64). MPR has an existing construction permit for a new station on 88.5 in Hinckley and also has four translators in Hinckley and one in Pine City.

The new station would use 25kW/99m (class C3) from a tower near Hinckley. It wouldn't be possible if WCMP-FM hadn't moved from 92.1 to 100.9 more than a decade ago, a move which allowed WWAX/92.1 (Hermantown-Duluth) to upgrade. (6/29/2010)

NEBRASKA:
All Access reports Chadrad Communications plans to have its new station on 107.7 licensed to Hay Springs on the air late this year with a Classic Rock format. Chadrad already owns KCSR/610 (Chadron) and bought the construction permit for the new station from Big Cat Broadcasting for $85,000. The current CP for 107.7 calls for 100kW/150m (class C1) from a tower south of Chadron, with a rimshot signal to Alliance. (6/29/2010)

MICHIGAN:
Catholic broadcaster Starboard Media has taken WMUP/99.9 (Carney) off the air and is seeking a buyer for the station. The station says in an application for special temporary authority to remain silent that it has lost its existing transmitter site because the landlord no longer wishes to lease tower space to Starboard. The filing also says Starboard wants to sell the station and has at least one potential buyer. WMUP is currently licensed for just 200 Watts, but could be upgraded to cover nearby larger cities. (6/25/2010)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
KFCR/1490 (Custer) went off the air Wednesday (June 23) for technical reasons and is seeking special temporary authority to remain silent. The station was heard with open carrier (no programming) during visits to Custer between June 16-18 of this year and June 22-24, 2009. In 2004, KFCR was simulcasting sister station KAWK/105.1 with extremely low modulation. KAWK is now silent for staffing reasons, but the current STA expires Monday, June 28. The stations are owned by Jan Charles Gray's Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting. (6/25/2010)

IOWA:
The FCC has approved a fill-in digital translator for CBS affiliate KCCI/8 (Des Moines), which says viewers have had reception problems since it moved digital broadcasts from UHF to VHF last year. The digital translator will broadcast on channel 31, KCCI-DT's former UHF home, using 15kW -- the maximum for UHF digital translators. WOI-DT/5 (Ames) already has a UHF translator in Des Moines; KDIN-TV/11 and WHO-DT/13 also broadcast digitally on VHF but have not sought UHF translators. (6/25/2010)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio has signed on its first non-translator station in the Quad Cities, KWNJ/91.1 (Bettendorf). The station relays IPR's News/Talk and Studio One music programming from KUNI/90.9 (Cedar Falls), which has been heard on translators at 94.5 and 102.1 in the Quad Cities for years. However, KWNJ's signal is weak on the west side of the metro since it transmits with just 740W/117m from a tower in rural East Moline, IL. (6/23/2010)

IOWA:
KFMG-LP/99.1 (Des Moines) returned to the air on June 14. Its former owner, Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation, had silenced the station in January due to a strained budget. KFMG is now run by the Des Moines Community Radio Foundation and carries Progressive, Adult Alternative and other genres of music along with arts and culture programming. However, KFMG continues to battle another station's proposal that could force it off the air: KTIA-FM/99.3 (Boone) has applied to move its transmitter to Saylorville and change its community of license to Johnston. KFMG says there is no alternate frequency available for LPFM broadcasting; the Des Moines Community Radio Foundation and nine individuals have filed informal objections to KTIA-FM's application. (6/23/2010)

IOWA/NEBRASKA:
The FCC has approved another move-in to the Sioux City market: KCTY/104.9 (Wayne) will change its community of license to Emerson, NE, and transmit from near Hubbard with 25kW/100m (class C2). KCTY is owned by Wayne Radio Works, LLC, and currently carries a mix of Classic Hits, Adult Contemporary, Rock and Country.

104.9 isn't the only new signal pending in the Sioux City market. Cochise Media's KHSK/100.9 (Allen, NE) has a construction permit to move its transmitter to the Ponca area using 8.6kW/169m (class C3), which will serve Sioux City. KHSK received its license on Oct. 15, 2008 but went silent the next day citing financial reasons. Then last July, a tornado toppled the station's tower and damaged its transmitter, leading to a special temporary authority for 10 Watts from Allen. (6/21/2010)

MINNESOTA:
New station WXYG/540 (Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud) is on the air testing with Rock music as "i101," the same format used during testing of sister station WMIN/1010 (Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud) a few years ago. The station uses 250 Watts directional with different day and night patterns, enough to cover central Minnesota and deliver a fringe signal to parts of the Twin Cities metro area during the day. It's owned by Herbert M. Hoppe, who owns three other AM stations and one FM station, an unusual combination. All four AM stations transmit from the same seven-tower array on Golden Spike Road in Sauk Rapids. Engineer M.W. Persons has posted photos of the site. WXYG is the third new AM station to come on the air in the St. Cloud area in the past two years, after WMIN in late 2008 and Throw Fire Project's KYES/1180 (Rockville-St. Cloud) in summer 2009. (6/21/2010)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has granted another facility change for WREY/630 (St. Paul). It's currently 1kW day and 2.5kW night with different directional antenna patterns; the construction permit calls for 2.3kW day and night with the same directional antenna pattern. WREY will continue to transmit from the WCTS/1030 site in Maplewood. 630, which was KDWB's original home and now carries a Regional Mexican format as "Radio Rey," has changed its facilities numerous times since the frequency's original transmitter site in Woodbury was bulldozed in 1994. (6/21/2010)

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