February 2013

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Midwest Communications is merging two music formats in Sioux Falls to make way for an AM-FM News/Talk simulcast. Beginning Friday (March 1), KXQL/107.9 (Flandreau-Sioux Falls) will simulcast KELO/1320 (Sioux Falls), which has a lineup including local morning talk, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity. Meanwhile, KXQL's "Kool" slogan will be moved over to KSQB-FM/95.7 (Dell Rapids), which offer a middle ground between KSQB-FM's former Variety Hits format and KXQL's former Oldies format. Midwest also operates AM-FM Talk simulcasts in Green Bay and Wausau/Stevens Point. There's no commercial FM talker in Sioux Falls, though there are two Sports formats on FM: A translator at 98.1 relaying Midwest's FOX Sports affiliate KWSN/1230 and Townsquare Media's KSOO-FM/99.1 (Lennox-Sioux Falls), which carries ESPN Radio. (2/28/2013)

WYOMING/SOUTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has proposed another unusually large fine against a Wyoming broadcaster who also owns stations in South Dakota. The Commission has issued Notices of Apparent Liability totalling $60,000 for alleged public file violations at four Mount Rushmore Broadcasting stations in Casper: KMLD/94.5, KHOC/102.5, KQLT/103.7, and KASS/106.9. The NALs allege that the stations' public files were missing issues/program lists for 23 consecutive quarters when an agent conducted an inspection of the stations on Aug. 17, 2011. The stations went silent following the inspection and recent filings indicate KMLD and KHOC are still off the air. The same inspection led to NALs totalling $68,000 last summer for alleged studio-to-transmitter link (microwave) violations. In both cases, the FCC proposed fines that are larger than normal due to the alleged repeated nature of the violations. The stations are all up for license renewal this year. The Casper Star Tribune reports the licensee also faces a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Labor over alleged pay violations, which company president Jan Charles Gray called "bogus."

Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting also owns KFCR/1490 and KAWK/105.1 (Custer, SD) and KZMX/580 and KZMX-FM/96.7 (Hot Springs, SD). Recent FCC filings indicate the Hot Springs stations are still silent, while special temporary authorities for the Custer stations to remain silent expired on Jan. 21. (2/28/2013)

IOWA:
KNIA/1320 (Knoxville) could get an FM translator if the FCC approves a waiver to move a translator from Pella to Knoxville. K237DH/95.3 is currently licensed to transmit with 10 Watts from a tower east of Pella and has applied to move to Knoxville with 250 Watts. The move is farther than would normally be allowed, but K237DH is seeking a waiver because the old and new facilities are mutually exclusive. K237DH is owned by First Ventures Capital Partners and KNIA, which carries a Country format, is owned by M&H Broadcasting. M&H also owns Adult Contemporary outlet KRLS/92.1 (Knoxville). (2/28/2013)

WISCONSIN:
WMCS/1290 (Greenfield-Milwaukee) has dropped its longtime format targetting the African-American community and is now stunting as "Elvis Radio." WMCS' lineup had included talk shows during the day, Blues in the evening, and Gospel overnight. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the change affects 14 full- and part-time employees, while four employees associated with the station will keep their jobs. WMCS, which runs 5kW day and night, is owned by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership of Shamrock Communications and Willie Davis' Suburbanaire, Inc. The company also owns two FM stations in the market. (2/26/2013)

NEBRASKA:
NBC affiliate WOWT/6 (Omaha) has announced the hiring of Mike LaPoint as its new Chief Meteorologist. LaPoint is originally from Kansas and most recently worked in Pittsburgh, with a resume including stops in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Cedar Rapids. He replaces Jim Flowers, who parted ways with the station last year. WOWT also announced the hiring of meterologist Cheryl Lemke, an Omaha native who spent 22 years at The Weather Channel. (2/26/2013)

MINNESOTA:
Twin Cities radio listeners will hear something unusual on 96.3 "K-Twin" (KTWN-FM Edina-Minneapolis) in a few weeks: A music format with afternoon and evening shows featuring two or three personalities. On Monday, the Adult Pop station and new Minnesota Twins flagship announced five new hires: Radio veteran Mark Rider, former Twin Ron Coomer, and Minnesota Swarm arena announcer Lindsay Guentzel will host afternoons while "Cities 97" veteran Jason Nagel and former KSTP-TV sports anchor Rod Simons will host evenings. All five begin March 4. Nagel and Simons will also host a "post-postgame" show after Twins broadcasts. "K-Twin," owned by the Pohlad family's Northern Lights Broadcasting, became the new home of the Twins this season, marking the first time the team's flagship has been a music-based station. (2/25/2013)

NEBRASKA:
Gray Television's KOLN/10 (Lincoln) will begin operating KSNB-TV/4 (Superior) on or about April 1, the station announced Monday. As reported here earlier this month, the FCC approved a "failing station" waiver allowing Gray to buy KSNB in a $1.25 million deal. Gray's announcement confirmed that KSNB will carry most or all of the programming that currently airs on KOLN's "MyTV" subchannel, including half-hour newscasts at 5:30 and 9 p.m., rebranded as "10/11 Central Nebraska." (KOLN, a primary CBS affiliate, is relayed on KGIN/11 [Grand Island] in central Nebraska.) KSNB will be carried on cable and satellite providers across the Lincoln-Tri Cities market. (2/25/2013)

IOWA/ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
Grant Media's stations in the Quad Cities and La Crosse-Eau Claire have returned to DISH Network after a weeklong outage amid a retransmission consent dispute. Quad Cities FOX affiliate KLJB/18 (Davenport) and CW affiliate KCGW/26 (Burlington) and La Crosse FOX affiliate WLAX/25 had been affected. (2/25/2013)

MINNESOTA/NEBRASKA/WISCONSIN:
The FCC has cancelled the licenses of a half dozen Upper Midwest low-power TV stations which formerly operated in the discontinued portion of the TV band (channels 52 to 69) but have not yet returned to the air on different channels. The stations were required to vacate their old channels by the end of 2011, and since none has constructed facilities on new channels, the FCC says they've run afoul of a federal law that says licenses must be deleted when stations are silent for more than a year. The affected stations include Regal Media's K58CM (Duluth) and K56HW (Rochester), TV Americas de Omaha's KAZO-LP/57 (Omaha), Hall County's K56FC (Grand Island), and Western Family Television's WIJC-LP/58 (La Crosse), all of which had not activated construction permits to move to new channels. Redwood TV Improvement's K52GU (Redwood Falls, MN), which never had a CP to move to a new channel, was also deleted. In the case of K58CM, the analog channel 58 transmitter was reactivated with test pattern for a couple of weeks in late 2012, but that apparently wasn't enough to preserve the license. (2/22/2013)

WISCONSIN:
The FCC has denied an application by John M. Torres' W277AC/103.3 (Watertown) to change frequency and move north to Clyman, where it would've relayed WBEV/1430 (Beaver Dam). W277AC sought a waiver of FCC rules which normally require a translator's new 60 dbu coverage area to overlap with the old one. In the past, the FCC has granted waivers when the translator's new facility is mutually exclusive with the old facility, but in this case, the FCC says the two are not mutually exclusive because of the proposed frequency change. (2/22/2013)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio's KNSW/91.7 (Worthington) is operating at reduced power of about 20kW, according to a filing with the FCC. The request for special temporary authority states that there was a failure in either the antenna or transmission line and the station has been at reduced power since Feb. 15. KNSW carries MPR's News network and normally uses 99kW/243m. (2/21/2013)

NEBRASKA:
KNEB-FM/94.1 (Scottsbluff) is at reduced power of 9kW due to an antenna failure. The station tells the FCC in a request for special temporary authority that it has ordered a new antenna and, weather-permitting, hopes to install it within the next 90 days. KNEB-FM is owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association and normally uses 100kW/207m, carrying a Farm/Country format. (2/21/2013)

ONTARIO:
Christian station CJIV-FM/97.3 (Dryden) will leave the air by Aug. 31. The low-power station, owned by Way of Life Broadcasting, tells the CRTC that it does not have the listenership to justify operating the station and requested that its license be revoked at the end of its current two-year license period. In 2011, the CRTC had only renewed the station's license for two years amid concerns about the station's lack of local programming and compliance with other regulations. (2/20/2013)

MANITOBA:
Regulators have approved an upgrade and frequency change for CJNU-FM/107.9 (Winnipeg). CJNU carries a broad Nostalgia format and is currently licensed as a 50-Watt special events station, requiring it to leave the air every 28 days with each broadcast period dedicated to a specific non-profit group. The station will move to 93.7 and upgrade to 460W/112m (class A). (2/20/2013)

MINNESOTA:
Translator K280AT/103.9 (Ely) is now relaying "Northern Community Radio" station KAXE/91.7 (Grand Rapids). K280AT, owned by Range Paging, had previously relayed commercial Country outlet KGPZ/96.1 (Coleraine-Grand Rapids). "Northern Community Radio" is also heard on KBXE/90.5 (Bagley-Bemidji) and a translator in Brainerd. (2/19/2013)

WISCONSIN:
Albert Broadcasting's WJJQ-FM/92.5 (Tomahawk) has applied for an upgrade that would improve its signal to Rhinelander and Merrill. WJJQ-FM would keep its current Tomahawk transmitter site but upgrade from the present 25kW/79m (class C3) to 19kW/136m (C2). The station runs an information-intensive mix of Adult Contemporary, Oldies, and Country. (2/19/2013)

IOWA/NEBRASKA:
New Omaha rimshot KIMI/107.7 (Sidney, IA) is on the air testing with Classic Rock. Station owner Victor Michael posted a video on YouTube with audio of one of the test broadcasts as heard on a clock radio in Council Bluffs. KIMI uses 50kW/124m from a tower south of Pacific Junction, IA, delivering a good signal to Omaha and Council Bluffs. The station was originally licensed to Humboldt, NE on 107.9 but was never on the air there for more than a few days, according to FCC filings. It was able to move to 107.7 Sidney after the FCC's unusual move to delete the allotment and construction permit for KGGG/107.7 (Pacific Junction), which was plagued by complaints about interference to navigation equipment at Eppley Airfield and Offutt Air Force Base. The FCC refunded Connoisseur Media the money it spent at auction for the frequency. (2/18/2013)

IOWA/ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
Grant Media's stations in the Quad Cities and La Crosse-Eau Claire left DISH Network Saturday (Feb. 16) amid a retransmission consent dispute. The affected stations are Quad Cities FOX affiliate KLJB/18 (Davenport) and CW affiliate KCGW/26 (Burlington) and La Crosse FOX affiliate WLAX/25. KLJB says it has "no idea" why DISH removed its signal, saying they thought they had granted DISH an extension. DISH says KLJB and KGCW, operated by Grant Media, are seeking a three-fold increase in the amount of money it receives and says it had to pull the stations because its agreement to carry them expired. (2/18/2013, updated 2/19)

NEBRASKA:
The FCC has approved a TV duopoly in the Lincon-Tri Cities market. Gray Communications, which owns CBS affiliate KOLN/10 (Lincoln), is buying KSNB-TV/4 (Superior) from Collins Broadcasting for $1.25 million. The sale required a "failing station" waiver because the market does not have enough stations to allow duopolies. The FCC agreed that KSNB qualifies as a failing station, which has criteria including low audience share, negative cash flow, and benefits to the public interest.

KSNB currently carries Antenna TV and FCC filings suggested that Gray plans to use KSNB as a home for KOLN's "MyTV" subchannel, which offers a 30-minute weeknight newscast targeting central Nebraska and local sports programming. KSNB's status as a full-power station gives it must-carry rights across the vast Lincoln/Tri-Cities market, which is essentially two separate viewing regions joined together by KOLN and its satellite KGIN/11 (Grand Island).

Until 2009, KSNB was a satellite of former FOX affiliate KTVG/17 (Grand Island) with a coverage area along the Nebraska-Kansas border. The sale to Gray comes after KSNB moved its transmitter to a site near York, about ten miles west of KOLN's tower, with theoretical rooftop antenna coverage extending from Grand Island to Lincoln and beyond. (2/15/2013)

IOWA:
Community First Broadcasting is buying translator K207EV/89.3 (Storm Lake) to relay its KAYL/990 (Storm Lake). The buyer will pay Edgewater Broadcasting $25,000 for the license; no equipment is included in the sale. The sale is contingent upon the FCC approving a move for K207EV from 89.3 to 99.9, since the translator would not legally be allowed to relay a commercial station on 89.3. No waiver is needed for the move since 99.9 is an IF frequency in relation to 89.3. KAYL carries the syndicated "Juan" Spanish Variety Hits format. (2/15/2013)

WISCONSIN:
Ladysmith's AM-FM combo, WLDY/1340 and WJBL/93.1, is going back to its previous owner. Flambeau Broadcasting is buying the stations from Roth Broadcasting for $664,000 after a years-long court battle. Flambeau, owned by Randy Hudzinski, sold the stations to Roth in 2003 and provided financing to the buyers. In a letter filed with the FCC as part of the application, Flambeau's attorney says Roth failed to make payments, Flambeau was granted a judgement in 2011, and Hudzinski was eventually appointed as receiver for the company. (2/15/2013)

EAS 'ZOMBIE' INCIDENTS:
A prank Emergency Alert System message about zombies in Montana has generated plenty of national attention, and engineers in Michigan and Wisconsin are also investigating how similar messages ended up on their stations. The Mining Journal of Marquette reports that two stations -- ABC affiliate WBUP/10 (Ishpeming) and PBS station WNMU/13 (Marquette) -- aired a message about zombies Monday (Feb. 10) more than four hours apart. The paper reports that WNMU believes overseas hackers got into its EAS unit. Meanwhile, CBS affiliate WKBT/8 reports that it carried an alert about zombies Tuesday morning. WKBT says the message arrived in its EAS unit when the morning show at WIZM-FM/93.3 rebroadcast Monday's Montana message. Stations should never rebroadcast EAS "chirps" manually. Some EAS unit manufacturers sent out an advisory from the FCC ordering stations to change EAS passwords and ensure that EAS units are secure. (2/12/2013)

FM TRANSLATOR APPLICATIONS:
Hundreds of FM translator applications remain pending in the Upper Midwest after the FCC formally dismissed about 3,000 applications nationwide this week. Long story short, the FCC thinned the backlog of ten-year-old translator applications so it can figure out which ones to approve and then take applications for new low-power FM stations on whatever frequencies are left over. So which translator applications remain pending? There are a half-dozen in the Twin Cities metro area, including competing applications for 94.1 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota (KUOM) and Fresh Air, Inc. (KFAI). Clear Channel subsidiary AMFM Radio Licenses has two applications in the east metro, while Refuge Radio has an application for 98.9 in St. Paul. Here's a list of FM translator applications which appear to remain active in the Upper Midwest. (For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a translator is a station of up to 250 Watts that can only be used to rebroadcast another station.) (2/7/2013)

MINNESOTA:
A new format is apparently in the works for KQSP/1530 (Shakopee-Minneapolis), which most recently carried an R&B format as "Magic 1530." The station has been reported off the air and says on its Facebook page, "The owners of KQSP have decided to go in a different direction. Look for a format change very soon." KQSP is owned by Yong W. Kim's Broadcast One, Inc. "Magic" had launched in June 2011, replacing "La Picosa," a Tropical format which ran for five years. Prior to Broadcast One's purchase of the station in 2006, 1530 carried seven formats in an eight-year period. The station's 8.6kW daytime signal is strong in the western half of the metro, but it must drop to 10 Watts at night, limiting coverage to the Chaska/Chanhassen area. (2/6/2013)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Three years after its tower collapsed, the FCC has approved a plan for KPLO-TV/6.1 (Reliance-Pierre, RF channel 13) to move to a new tower nearby. The CBS/My Network TV affiliate, which relays KELO-TV/11 (Sioux Falls), has been broadcasting from a temporary, shorter tower since its 53-year-old tower on Medicine Butte collapsed during an ice storm in January 2010. The station, owned by Young Broadcasting, decided to build a permanent facility elsewhere after the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe objected to a new tower on Medicine Butte due to its sacred status. The FCC has now approved an application to move KPLO-TV to a site six miles to the southwest, slightly increasing power from 40kW to 46.9kW but lowering the antenna height from 318m to 306m. The station also recently signed on a fill-in translator on channel 29 in Pierre, using 115 Watts. The 2010 tower collapse also affected James River Broadcasting's KPLO-FM/94.5 (Reliance-Pierre), which is at reduced power from the temporary tower and has not yet applied for a permanent move to another site. (2/5/2013)

MINNESOTA:
Minn-Iowa Christian Broadcasting is slated to expand "Kinship Christian Radio" to the Rochester area with the purchase of translator K289BO/105.7 (St. Charles). Minn-Iowa is buying the translator from World Radio Link for $20,000 and plans to use it to relay KJCY/95.5 (St. Ansgar, Iowa), one of several full-power stations owned by Minn-Iowa. K289BO has been moved towards Rochester in a series of hops; it's currently licensed to transmit from a site northwest of Eyota and has a construction permit to move to a tower west of Rochester, covering the city. (2/4/2013)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio says its new Classical station serving the Ames area, KICG/91.7 (Perry), is now on the air. Ames listeners without HD radios haven't been able to receive Classical music over the air since IPR flipped WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames-Des Moines) to its News and Adult Alternative service in September. The new station uses 10kW/110m (class C3) from a tower near Boone, delivering a rimshot signal to Ames and fringe coverage of Fort Dodge, which also lacks Classical service. (2/1/2013)