January 2001

MINNESOTA:
101.3 is still KDWB. At 7 a.m. Monday, they announced KDWB would "turn off the power -- that the electric company has over your checkbook." Some KDWB staffers spent the weekend fanning the flames on rumors that KDWB would change to "Kiss FM" or "Star 101." (01/29/01)

MINNESOTA:
Is it true? That's what everyone in the Twin Cities wants to know. KDWB/101.3 began announcing at 4 p.m. Friday that this would be "the last weekend of KDWB" and they'd "turn the power off for the last time" at 7 a.m. Monday, and the station is now running without announcers. Are they really changing or is it a weekend promotion? (01/26/01)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Saga Communications is purchasing KMIT/105.9 (Mitchell) and KGGK/98.3 (Wessington Springs-Mitchell) from Mitchell Broadcasting. Saga also owns WNAX AM-FM (Yankton). (01/25/01)

IOWA:
Des Moines got a sixth commercial TV station Saturday when KPWB/23 (Ames) began broadcasting. The WB affiliate also has a secondary affiliation with UPN, and syndicated programming includes Friends from 6 to 7 p.m. KPWB is expected to be carried on channel 9 on AT&T's cable systems. The station is owned by Pappas Telecasting, which also owns the FOX affiliates in Omaha and Sioux City and operates Omaha's WB affiliate through an LMA. (01/21/01)

WISCONSIN:
Z104 (WZEE Madison) has been fined $7,000 for "willfully broadcasting indecent language" by airing the unedited version of Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" on September 8, 2000. Read the report here. (01/19/01)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Northern Communications Acquisition Corporation is buying all of Shockley Communications' radio and TV stations, selling the Wisconsin TV stations to another buyer, and selling a Minnesota TV station back to Shockley. Northern Communications Acquisition will buy and keep Duluth radio stations are KDAL/610, WDSM/710, KXTP/970, KDAL-FM/95.7, KTCO/98.9, and KRBR/102.5. After buying WKOW/27 (Madison), WAOW/9 (Wausau), WYOW/34 (Eagle River), WQOW/18 (Eau Claire), and WXOW/19 (La Crosse) from Shockley, Northern Communications Acquisition will sell the stations to Quincy Newspapers. All of the Wisconsin TV stations are ABC affiliates. Quincy currently owns KTTC/10 (Rochester) and four other TV stations, two radio stations, and two daily newspapers. Finally, Northern Communications Acquisition will sell KXLT/FOX47 (Rochester) back to Shockley. (01/18/01)

WISCONSIN:
Jessica Jallings joins WISN-TV/12 (Milwaukee) as weekend anchor/reporter. She was last in Jacksonville, Florida. (01/17/01)

WISCONSIN:
WEAU/13 (NBC, Eau Claire) has updated its logo and on-air graphics. (01/16/01)

MINNESOTA:
KMSR/94.3 (Sauk Centre) has been heard with long periods of dead air but reportedly still carries its Adult Contemporary format most of the time. The station is being sold from Main Street Radio to BDI Broadcasting, which wants to move it to Alexandria. (updated 01/16/01)

MINNESOTA:
KRVY-FM/97.3 (Starbuck) is on the air with a locally automated Adult Contemporary/Oldies format as "The River." The music seems to be mostly of the AC genre, but the `60s are in there. The station has a good signal into Alexandria and mentions Willmar in its ID, where it has a fair signal. (01/14/01)

MINNESOTA:
KXSS/1390 (Waite Park-St. Cloud) is now "Easy 1390" instead of "Magic 1390." (01/14/01)

MINNESOTA:
KZNT/105.3 (Cambridge) has been out of phase for a few months. The other Zone 105 stations, KZNR/105.1 and KZNZ/105.7, are fine. (01/14/01)

IOWA:
John McLaughlin, Chief Meteorologist at KCCI/8 (Des Moines), has been elected president of the 3000-member National Weather Association for 2001 and 2002. The organization includes meteorologists and forecasters from the media, National Weather Service, armed forces, and universities. (01/12/01)

MINNESOTA:
Rob Cook is joining KSTP-TV/5 as weather anchor. He's leaving Bay News 9 in Tampa. (01/12/01)

MINNESOTA:
FOX29 (WFTC) is making the first on-air mention of the newscasts coming to the station in announcements about job openings in the news department. (01/12/01)

WISCONSIN:
A recent change in the Northwoods has broadcasters scratching their heads. WRHN/100.1 (Rhinelander) has picked up Jones Radio Network's Light AC format, which is also carried on co-owned WMQA/95.9 (Minocqua). The two stations operate independently with separate liners and commercials. Their coverage areas overlap greatly -- the transmitters are only 34 kilometers apart, and WRHN's 100kW signal is available just about everywhere WMQA's 25kW signal can be heard. The stations are owned by Marathon Media. (01/12/01)

MINNESOTA:
KPXM/41 is now repeating KARE 11's 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts at 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. The 10:30 broadcast is the only local newscast in the market at that time, while the 6:30 broadcast competes with KSTP-TV/5's live newscast. It's part of the joint sales agreement between KARE owner Gannett and KPXM owner Paxson that allows KARE to sell the advertising on KPXM. WB23 and FOX29 are now the only stations in the market without a local news presence, and FOX29 is expected to begin a local newscast this fall. (01/10/01)

IOWA:
KJMH/26 (Burlington) has added WB prime time programming and some syndicated shows, but still rebroadcasts FOX18 (KLJB Davenport) 11 hours per day. (The simulcast hours are 10a-3p, 9-10p, 1:30-2:30a, and 3-7a.) The addition of WB programming occurred on Monday, December 25, 2000. (01/08/01)

IOWA:
The WB's website lists the target sign-on for KPWB/23 (Ames-Des Moines) as Monday, January 15. (01/08/01)

IOWA:
WNCB translator K220HY/91.9 (Spencer) is on the air. (01/06/01)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Mix 97-3 (KMXC Sioux Falls) has increased its coverage area greatly with a change from 60kW at 67m to 100kW at 256m. (01/06/01)

WISCONSIN:
WTMJ-DT/28 (Milwaukee) is on the air. (01/06/01)

WISCONSIN:
WMVT/36 (Milwaukee) has upgraded to 4770kW at 330m from 2340kW at 283m. (01/06/01)

WISCONSIN:
WYOW/34 (Eagle River) has upgraded from 2000kW to 2250kW. (01/06/01)

WISCONSIN:
WEUX/FOX48 (Eau Claire) is still experiencing transmitter problems, but has been up to full power a few times in the last few days. (01/06/01)

MINNESOTA/NEBRASKA/WISCONSIN:
The following channel changes have been granted: K15DC (Appleton, MN) to K40FX, K25EI (Appleton, MN) to K51GE, K22CX (Lincoln, NE) to K51GQ, and W57AS (Spooner, WI) to W51DC. (01/06/01)

WISCONSIN:
WEIO/1050 (Eau Claire) adopted a Catholic format for the new year. The station is being purchased from Alpenglow Communications by Totus Tuus Communications, leaving Alpenglow's WISM/98.1 as a stand-alone station in the market. WEIO will change to WDVM, "Divine Mercy Radio," with some proramming comes from EWTN Radio. Fans of the Nostalgia format in the Chippewa Valley can still hear it on WEAQ/1150. (01/02/01)

WISCONSIN:
WEUX/FOX48 (Eau Claire) is still at low power due to transmitter problems and cannot be seen outside of the immediate Eau Claire-Menomonie area. (01/02/01)