MICHIGAN/WISCONSIN:
The FCC has denied Heartland Communications' Petition to Deny the sale of WHRY/1450 (Hurley, WI) and WUPM/106.9 (Ironwood, MI) from Big G Little O, Inc. to Bay Broadcasting. Bay Broadcasting's Gerald J. Hackman signed a four-year non-compete agreement with Heartland on July 30, 2004, as part of the sale of four Ashland, WI, stations. The non-compete covered a 35-mile radius, and Ironwood/Hurley is on the edge of that radius. The FCC says it is not the forum for the resolution of such private disputes. It noted the proper jurisdiction for the dispute was either the courts in Cook County, IL, where Heartland is based, or Ashland County, WI. (1/30/2008)
NEBRASKA:
WJAG, Inc. is buying 10-Watt K290AT/105.9 (Norfolk) from Radio Assist Ministry for $17,500. The sale includes the license only; equipment will be returned to RAM. WJAG states it intends to rebroadcast its KEXL/106.7 (Norfolk) on K290AT. WJAG also holds a construction permit for a new station on 97.5 licensed to Pierce, a rimshot station which may benefit from a translator in Norfolk. (1/29/2008)
WISCONSIN:
Following the announced sale of its WRRD/540 (Jackson-Milwaukee) last week, Salem Communications is selling its other Milwaukee-market station, WFZH/105.3 (Mukwonago), to the Educational Media Foundation for $8.05 million. WFZH has carried a commercial Contemporary Christian format as "The Fish" since signing on in 2001. It will switch to EMF's non-commercial "K-Love" Contemporary Christian network on February 15. (1/28/2008)
IOWA:
The offices of Family Radio's KYFR/920 (Shenandoah) suffered heavy smoke and water damage during a fire that destroyed the nearby Valley News Today newspaper building last Friday evening (1/25). KMA/960 reports it took almost 24 hours to extinguish the fire, and the KYFR building may be salvagable. KYFR's on-air broadcasts have not been affected since programming originates at the transmitter site south of town. (1/28/2008)
WISCONSIN:
JER Licenses, LLC, has applied to move its construction permit for a new station on 100.5 from Rosholt to Rothschild. Moving to Rothschild would allow a slightly stronger signal to Wausau than currently permitted. Either way, the 25kW (class C3) station will have a rimshot signal to Wausau and Stevens Point. (1/28/2008)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Jeffrey G. Dress is buying silent translator K261CF/100.1 (Pierre) from Michael Gieseler for $7,000. K261CF was forced off the air by the December sign-on of KJBI/100.1 (Fort Pierre) and cannot return to the air until it applies for and receives a construction permit to move to another frequency. K261CF had rebroadcast KWYR-FM/93.7 (Winner); Dress states he would rebroadcast KPLO/94.5 (Reliance), a station owned by the Estate of Robert E. Ingstad which carries a Country format. (1/26/2008)
QUINCY SIGNS WITH RTN:
Quincy Newspapers, Inc., has signed up to carry Equity Media's "Retro Television Network" brand on digital subchannels of all but one of its TV stations. The stations are KTIV (Sioux City, IA), KWWL (Waterloo, IA), KXLT (Rochester, MN), WQOW (Eau Claire, WI), WXOW (La Crosse, WI), WKOW (Madison, WI), WYOW (Rhinelander, WI), WAOW (Wausau, WI), WREX (Rockford, IL), WSJV (South Bend, IN), and WVVA (Bluefield, WV). No launch date was given. QNI flagship WGEM (Quincy, IL) will not carry RTN, presumably because it already has two subchannels. It's not clear what this announcement means for Equity's KWWF/22 (Waterloo), which was one of the original RTN stations; adding coverage on KWWL-DT would expand the station's coverage area. (1/25/2008)
IOWA:
89.1 "The Spirit" (KWOF-FM Hiawatha-Cedar Rapids) is poised to add a signal in Iowa City. WAY-FM Media Group, which operates the Christian Hit Radio Satellite Network carried by KWOF-FM, is buying K261DH/100.1 (Iowa City), along with three translators in Washington state, from Horizon Christian Fellowship for $300,000, and tells the FCC it intends to carry KWOF-FM on K261DH. K261DH is a 47-Watt translator with a strong signal to most of Iowa City and Coralville. (1/24/2008)
NEBRASKA/WYOMING/COLORADO:
A Wyoming station that wants to move into the Fort Collins, CO, market is asking the FCC to move KCMI/96.9 (Terrytown-Scottsbluff, NE) to 97.1. Appaloosa Broadcasting's KIMX/96.7 (Laramie, WY) proposes downgrading KIMX from class C2 to A, changing its community of license to Nunn, CO, and moving to 96.9. KCMI would remain at its current power while moving up one notch on the dial to 97.1. KCMI is opposing the move, saying it does not want to change frequency and that the change would mean more interference in fringe areas. (1/24/2008)
WISCONSIN:
(Updated to include purchase price) Good Karma Broadcasting is buying WRRD/540 (Jackson-Milwaukee) from Salem Communications for $3.8 million, subject to adjustment. WRRD will be the new home of ESPN Radio, currently heard on WAUK/1510 (Waukesha) during the day and WMCS/1290 (Milwaukee) at night. The station is just 400 Watts but blankets southeastern Wisconsin day and night because of its low frequency position. The switch will occur in mid-February. Plans for future WAUK and WMCS nighttime programming have not been announced. WRRD is currently carries a Christian Talk format; Salem also owns 105.3 "The Fish" (WFZH Mukwonago-Milwaukee). (1/23/2008)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Longtime Sioux Falls Christian broadcaster K53EG/53, also known as KSCB-TV, has switched to the Daystar network as Siouxland Christian Broadcasting sells the station to Word of God Fellowship for $200,000. K53EG had carried local programming and a mix of a half-dozen Christian TV networks. The channel launched full-time on cable in 1979, and the broadcast signal was added in 1993. K53EG is carried on a number of South Dakota cable systems and the deal is contingent on the station retaining at least 70% of its 2005 cable coverage. (1/23/2008)
IOWA/ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN:
The vacant 1580 frequency in the Quad Cities, once occupied by KFQC, could return to life: the FCC has approved a move-in of a station from suburban Chicago. WKKD/1580 (Aurora, IL) will change its community of license to Silvis, IL, using 1.4kW day and 1kW night from a three-tower directional array in Pleasant Valley, IA. WKKD currently carries a Health Talk format. It is one of three stations Kovas Communications wants to move so it can upgrade WONX/1590 (Evanston-Chicago) from 3.5kW to 7kW. WMCW/1600 (Harvard, IL) has a pending application to move to Weston, WI (Wausau market) on 1180 with 35kW directional, daytime-only. WCGO/1600 (Chicago Heights) has a construction permit to move to Jenison, MI (Grand Rapids market) on 1020 with 10kW directional daytime. (1/22/2008)
WISCONSIN:
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Radio Multi-Media is buying WNOV/860 from Jerrel Jones. A purchase price was not disclosed and an application to transfer the license has not been filed with the FCC, but the paper reports the sale is expected to be completed by Feb. 6. A change from the current R&B/Hip-Hop format is not expected. (1/22/2008)
MICHIGAN/WISCONSIN:
WisconsinBroadcasting.com reports that Armada Media's WLST/95.1 (Marinette, WI) and WHYB/103.7 (Menominee, MI) have swapped formats. 95.1 is now "Cat Country" and 103.7 is now Hot Adult Contemporary "The Wave" with Bob & Sheri in the morning. 95.1 is the stronger of the two signals. (1/21/2008)
WISCONSIN:
Reedsburg Times-Press Publisher George Althoff has published a column correcting the paper's earlier article about job cuts at Magnum Radio's Reedsburg group (WRDB/1400, WBDL/102.9, and WNFM/104.9). The article had stated that seven full-time people had been let go [NorthPine.com reported five job cuts based on a report from a different source]. Althoff says at least two of the seven had decided to leave on their own, and that some of the remaining five had been offered other positions in the company but chose not to accept them. It is not clear whether the positions were full- or part-time or how many positions remain open. The paper had previously reported that there were only two employees remaining at the office. (1/20/2008)
NEW FM STATIONS GRANTED:
NEW TV STREAMS:
FOX 9 (KMSP Minneapolis) has become the first broadcast TV station in Minnesota to begin streaming all of its newscasts live on the internet. FOX 9 joins a ballooning number of stations streaming their newscasts nationwide, which are being tracked on the front page of NorthPine.com. In the Upper Midwest, KELO Sioux Falls and KWQC Davenport were pioneers in the field and have been streaming all of their newscasts for years. KARE 11's 4 p.m. "OnLive" program launched online and on TV last year. WFRV Green Bay is streaming its Noon newscast, WEAU Eau Claire is streaming at Noon and 5 p.m., and CBWT Winnipeg is streaming at 6 p.m. Continuous streams include cable news and sports Channel 12 from the northwestern Twin Cities and weather channels KARE-DT2 Minneapolis, WTMJ-DT2 Milwaukee, WMTV-DT2 Madison, KCCI-DT2 Des Moines, and KETV-DT2 Omaha. (1/19/2008)
WISCONSIN:
Magnum Radio has let go five full-time employees at its new Reedsburg group (WRDB/1400, WBDL/102.9, and WNFM/104.9) after taking over the stations last month. Those let go include veteran sportscaster Troy Matz. The Reedsburg Times-Press reports the recent change leaves two full-time employees in Reedsburg. Magnum Radio also owns three other stations in nearby Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo. The company is owned by David Magnum, who ran for Congress in 2004 and 2006. (1/17/2008)
WISCONSIN:
WWAZ/68 (Fond du Lac) has asked the FCC for permission to turn off its analog channel 68 signal and broadcast only digitally on channel 44. Owner Pappas Telecasting wants to surrender the analog license ahead of the February 17, 2009, deadline for all stations to end analog broadcasting. Standards will require the station to continue remapping itself to channel 68 on digital receivers. WWAZ signed on in 1999 and was last known to carry FamilyNet, though it has been reported off the air recently. It is officially part of the Green Bay market but cannot be seen over the air in Green Bay itself. The station's digital channel is to transmit from near Mayville in the Milwaukee market, and should reach Milwaukee. (1/17/2008)
WISCONSIN:
Cultural Renewal Radio's application for a new station on 90.9 in Ashland has been dismissed as a result of a settlement agreement with the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, which also applied for the frequency. A construction permit for the new station has not yet been granted. The new 23kW station will carry the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio, replacing a local translator. (1/15/2008)
WISCONSIN:
New VCY America station WVRN/88.9 (Wittenberg) has signed on carrying the Milwaukee-based Christian network. WVRN uses 25kW at 147m (class C2) from a tower northeast of Wittenberg, delivering a strong signal to Antigo and Shawano, with fringe coverage of Wausau and Stevens Point. (1/15/2008)
MINNESOTA:
WMIS/92.1 (Blackduck-Bemidji) signed on with a Talk format aimed at women a few months ago. The format is called "The River" and includes some Adult Contemporary music during the John Tesh show from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The lineup also includes Bob & Sheri from 5-9 a.m. and programming from the Lifestyle Talk Radio Network. It's owned by Troy Paskvan and co-located with Roger Paskvan's three stations on South Washington Avenue in Bemidji. (1/7/2008)
NEBRASKA:
Mission Nebraska is transferring KMMJ/750 (Grand Island) to The Praise Network for the assumption of debt. Mission Nebraska, a Christian broadcaster, added KMMJ alongside KROA/95.7 (Grand Island) in March 2006, and has added three more FM stations and fifteen translators since then. The Praise Network owns two FM stations in Nebraska and two FM stations in Kansas, as well as a dozen translators. KMMJ's 10.5kW daytime signal can be heard in most of Nebraska and much of Kansas. (1/7/2008)
MINNESOTA:
The FCC has denied a plan to bring AM 1400 in Virginia, formerly WEEP and WHLB, back on the air. The station left the air in November 2002 after a transmitter fire. In 2003, owner Full Armor Ministries reached an agreement to sell the station to the City of Virginia, but never filed an application to transfer the license. An application to renew the license was not filed by the deadline in 2004, and the station's license expired in 2005. In 2006, Full Armor Ministries and the City of Virginia filed a Petition for Reconsideration, stating that FCC rules allow late-filed renewal applications and that 1400 would be an important source of local news and information as the only station licensed to Virginia. The FCC responded that WUSZ/99.9 is also licensed to Virginia [though its studios and transmitter are located in Hibbing, facts which are not relevant under FCC rules] and that late license renewal applications are not allowed when the station's license has already been forfeited, in this case, because the station was off the air for more than a year. Read the entire letter here. (1/4/2008)
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