February 2014

NORTH DAKOTA:
Forum Communications ABC affiliate KBMY/17.1 (Bismarck) is simulcasting a new 5:30 p.m. Sunday newscast from sister station WDAY-TV/6.1 (Fargo), which began Feb. 23. The move marks the first time KBMY, which has no news department, will carry news from WDAY. The newscast will also be simulcast on WDAZ/8.1 (Devils Lake-Grand Forks), which already relays other WDAY weekend and morning newscasts. KBMY is rebroadcast on satellite KMCY/14.1 (Minot) and subchannels of other stations in Dickinson and Williston, giving the Sunday 5:30 broadcast statewide coverage. (2/23/2014)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Active Rocker "K-Sky" (KSQY/95.1 Deadwood-Rapid City) tells the FCC it's operating at reduced power due to antenna damage from a storm around Feb. 12. KSQY normally uses 100kW/521m from a tower on Terry Peak but is temporarily using 19.73kW. The station says tells the FCC in a request for special temporary authority that it anticipates having the damage repaired within 45 days. Listeners in Rapid City may not notice a difference because KSQY operates a 17kW on-frequency booster in the city. (2/22/2014)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Jan Charles Gray's Mount Rushmore Broadcasting tells the FCC its four stations on the southern end of the Black Hills have gone silent again. Filings indicate KFCR/1490 (Custer), KAWK/105.1 (Custer), KZMX/580 (Hot Springs), and KZMX-FM/96.7 (Hot Springs) went silent Feb. 13 after "personnel quit...without advance notice." The stations have all had repeated special temporary authorities to remain silent over the past decade for staffing and technical reasons. (2/22/2014)

NEBRASKA:
Three Angels Broadcasting Network's K25MM-D (channel 25, Omaha) has gone off the air. 3ABN tells the FCC the station's transmitter failed and it doesn't intend to return it to the air until rules for the spectrum repacking are released. The repacking of TV bands could force some low-power TV stations to leave the air. (2/22/2014)

NEBRASKA:
An alleged lack of a main studio and public file violation at KOMJ/1490 (Omaha) has netted Cochise Broadcasting a proposed $17,000 fine from the FCC. The Notice of Apparent Liability stems from an FCC agent's unsuccessful attempts to inspect KOMJ's main studio and public file last August. Cochise contended KOMJ's main studio is at Journal Broadcasting's facility on Mockingbird Drive and said it had paid rent to Journal, but the FCC says the facility does not qualify as a main studio because Cochise has no staff or equipment at the location. The NAL gives Cochise 30 days to establish a main studio and tell the FCC how it is equipped and staffed. The company also has 30 days to either pay the fine or seek a reduction or cancellation. KOMJ, which carries a Soft Oldies format, is Cochise's only station in the market. Cochise recently withdrew an application to transfer the license to Kona Coast Radio, LLC, for $450,000, a deal that was signed two days before the FCC's original Notice of Violation resulting from the August inspection attempt. (2/20/2014)

WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS:
The FCC has issued two $20,000 forfeiture orders against KM LPTV for alleged public file and reporting violations at WMKE-CA/7 (Milwaukee) and WOCK-CD/13.1 (Chicago). The stations transmit at the same levels as low-power TV stations but are licensed as Class A, meaning they get some of the same protections as full-power TV stations in exchange for additional requirements, including the public file. The FCC alleges both stations repeatedly failed to place issues and program lists in their public file, failed to upload children's television reports to the FCC website, and failed to report these problems on their license renewal applications. The FCC did leave KM LPTV one option to skip paying the fines: Revert each station to low-power status, which means they would not be protected in upcoming incentive auctions that could displace LPTV stations. (2/20/2014)

IOWA:
The FCC has approved an FM translator's move to Des Moines, where it's expected to relay Clear Channel News/Talker WHO/1040. K230AT/93.9 (Winterset) now has a construction permit to move its transmitter to a tower owned by WHO-TV in downtown Des Moines as K229CC/93.7. It will use the maximum translator power of 250 Watts, delivering a strong signal to most of the Des Moines area. First Ventures Capital Partners owns the translator and listed WHO as the station to be rebroadcast on its application. (2/20/2014)

IOWA:
Saga Broadcasting's "Lite 104.1" (KLTI-FM Ames-Des Moines) officially changed its callsign to KMYR on Monday (2/17), according to the FCC database. The station continues its longrunning Adult Contemporary format with the "Lite" name. (Callsign nerd note: The KLTI callsign continues on 1560 in Macon, MO, which is unrelated to the former KLTI-FM and has used the callsign for decades.) (2/20/2014)

WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
A belated note that True Oldies Channel affiliate WDGY/740 (Hudson, WI-St. Paul-Minneapolis) has upgraded its daytime power from 2.5kW to 5kW, improving the signal across the Twin Cities metro area. WDGY transmits from a site just east of Hudson and remains daytime-only, but continues programming online after sign-off. The station also recently upgraded to HD Radio. (2/19/2014)

WISCONSIN:
Barracuda Broadcasting's "Z104" (WMZK/104.1 Merrill-Wausau) has shifted to Classic Rock, bring the station back to where it was before a transition to Active Rock in the mid-2000's. "Z104" primarily competes with NRG Media Classic Rocker WGLX/103.3 (Wisconsin Rapids-Wausau) and Midwest Communications' "Rock 94.7" (WOZZ Mosinee-Wausau). (2/19/2014)

WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
Wisconsin Public Radio station KUWS/91.3 (Superior) is operating at reduced power due to an antenna system failure. The station tells the FCC in a request for special temporary authority that it's using 10 percent of the 83kW normally used and seeks up to six months to make repairs. KUWS transmits from the Duluth hillside and carries WPR's Ideas Network with local news inserts and UW-Superior student Jazz and Alternative programming in the evening. (2/19/2014)

MINNESOTA:
Midwest Communications' KDAL-FM/95.7 (Duluth) has reverted to Adult Contemporary, the format the station carried from its sign-on in the 1980s until 2006, dropping the "96 Rock On" format that had run for several years. KDAL-FM is going simply by "FM 95.7" rather than the "Lite" and "Magic" monikers that had been used in the previous incarnations of the format. The switch back to AC restores a format that hadn't been heard in the Twin Ports since 2010, when WWAX/92.1 (Hermantown-Duluth) ended a short-lived "Lite" format in favor of Hot AC as "Nu92." Townsquare Media Classic Hits station "Kool 101.7" (KLDJ Duluth) has also been playing much of the gold normally heard on an AC outlet. 95.7's switch to AC marks the end of 17 years of efforts by Midwest and its predecessors to take out Red Rock Radio's heritage Classic Rock outlet KQDS-FM/94.9 (Duluth), with efforts first on KRBR/102.5 (Superior-Duluth, now KDWZ) and then KDAL-FM. (2/18/2014)

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS FOR NEW LOW-POWER FM (100-WATT) STATIONS:

MINNESOTA:
Another applicant for a low-power FM station says the FCC rejected its application based on incorrect information. The FCC denied Rochester Civic Media's application for an LPFM station on 88.1 in Rochester in December, saying it was too close to a radio reading service supposedly carried on an analog subcarrier of Minnesota Public Radio's KMSE/88.7 (Rochester). However, Rochester Civic Media submitted a copy of an email from an MPR official saying the service is actually carried on KLSE/91.7 (Rochester). A similar error happened in the Twin Cities, where four groups are seeking to get their applications for 98.9 reinstated. (2/13/2014)

WISCONSIN:
A simple error has cost Carroll University the chance to upgrade its radio station, for now. Carroll operates 10-Watt WCCX/104.5 (Waukesha), which has a grandfathered class D license. It had applied to replace WCCX with a 100-Watt low-power FM station on the same frequency, but the FCC dismissed it last week because of an error in coordinates for the proposed station. The transmitter site was indicated with an eastern hemisphere longitude, which would have put the transmitter in China. In dismissing the application, the FCC said the defect was too great to be corrected with a minor amendment. (2/13/2014)

MICHIGAN:
VCY America station WVCN/104.3 (Baraga) tells the FCC it's operating at reduced power of 1.82kW due to transmitter failure. The station says in a request for special temporary authority that a new transmitter is on order and hopes to return to full power of 100kW ERP within 90 days. (2/13/2014)

MICHIGAN:
The FCC has proposed a $6,000 fine against Lake Superior Community Broadcasting for alleged public inspection file violations at ABC affiliate WBUP/10.1 (Ishpeming-Marquette) and CW+ affiliate WBKP/5.1 (Calumet). According to the FCC, the stations admitted to multiple late filings of children's television reports on their license renewal applications. Lake Superior Community Broadcasting has 30 days to either pay the fine or seek a reduction or cancellation. (2/12/2014)

NEBRASKA:
NET Radio's translator in Columbus has returned to the air after moving to 89.7 as K209FS. The 39-Watt translator had been bumped off 90.3 by the sign-on of KGKD/90.5 (Columbus). (2/12/2014)

ONTARIO:
The CRTC has approved a rebroadcasting transmitter in Beardmore for CFNO-FM/93.1 (Marathon), which will be the station's seventh rebroadcaster in the region. CFNO-FM-3 will use 260 Watts on 107.1 and, according to the application, will reach an estimated 246 people at a construction cost of $22,500. (2/12/2014)

IOWA:
Youngers Colorado Broadcasting is buying the construction permit for translator K295CB/106.9 (Des Moines) from Starboard Media Foundation for $5,000. The application lists Educational Media Foundation's KLOV-FM as the station to be rebroadcast. K295CB's CP calls for 115 Watts serving the northeastern part of Des Moines, but it's right next door to on the dial to KNWI/107.1 (Osceola-Des Moines) and would be subject to interference complaints from KNWI listeners. (2/12/2014)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Quincy Newspapers is expanding to another Upper Midwest market with the purchase of NBC affiliate KBJR/6.1 (Superior-Duluth) and satellite KRII/11 (Chisholm) from Granite Broadcasting. KBJR also operates CBS affiliate KDLH/3.1 (Duluth), which will be sold from Malara Broadcasting to SagamoreHill Broadcasting and continue to be operated by KBJR through a shared services agreement. Sale prices were not immediately announced but will likely be revealed when documents are filed with the FCC. The stations also carry MyNetworkTV and CW+ on subchannels. Quincy is also buying Granite stations in Peoria, IL and Binghamton, NY and a Malara station in Fort Wayne, IN; Granite is also in the process of selling its Detroit and Buffalo stations to Scripps and its Fort Wayne station to SagamoreHill, leaving it with stations in San Francisco and Syracuse, NY. Quincy will have operations in 14 TV markets when the deal closes, including Quincy, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Sioux City, Rochester (MN), La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wausau, Madison, and Rockford. (2/11/2014)

IOWA:
The FCC has proposed a $6,000 fine against Capital Communications for alleged public inspection file violations at ABC affiliate WOI-DT/5 (Ames-Des Moines). The station was allegedly late in uploading four quarterly children's television reports to the FCC website and allegedly failed to report the late filings on its license renewal application. Capital has 30 days to either pay the fine or seek a reduction or cancellation. The company is awaiting FCC approval to sell WOI-DT and two other stations to Nexstar; the FCC approved WOI-DT's license renewal Monday. (2/10/2014)

WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS:
The sale price for WTJK/1380 (South Beloit-Rockford, IL) and WWHG/105.9 (Evansville, WI) is $1.45 million, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. As earlier reported, Scott Thompson's Big Radio is buying "1380AM ESPN" and Classic Rocker "105.9 The Hog" from Good Karma Broadcasting and has been operating the stations under a local marketing agreement since Feb. 1. (2/10/2014)

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS FOR NEW LOW-POWER FM (100-WATT) STATIONS:

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS FOR NEW FM TRANSLATORS:

NEBRASKA:
Wayne Radio Works has moved the longtime information-based Country format of KTCH/1590 (Wayne) to the former KCTY/104.9 (Emerson-Wayne), displacing a broad mix of music that had aired on the FM station. 104.9's new "Big Red Country" format includes local news, agricultural information, and CBS News on the hour. 1590 is now carrying Hot Adult Contemporary with plans to add an FM translator (K255CK/98.9) pending FCC approval to move the translator from West Point. The changes happened Feb. 1. The station cites increased interference on AM and 1590's weak 47-Watt nighttime signal as the reason for the switch. 104.9 had received FCC approval to move into the Sioux City, Iowa, market in 2010 but told the FCC last year it had decided not to make the move due to financial considerations; it kept its existing facilities but changed its community of license from Wayne to Emerson. The stations' former owner, NRG Media, moved the KCTY callsign in Wayne in 2007 after dropping it in Omaha. (2/9/2014)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
KKSD/104.3 (Milbank-Watertown) tells the FCC it's operating at reduced power due to antenna damage. In a request for special temporary authority, KKSD says it's using 30kW instead of the 100kW it normally uses. The station is owned by Three Eagles Broadcasting and carries "Hippie Radio." (2/6/2014)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio has upgraded its two stations in Sister Bay. NPR News & Classical Music network station WHND/89.7 now uses 22kW/163m while Ideas Network station WHDI/91.9 uses 11kW/166m. Both stations changed from class C3 to C2. The upgrades improve the stations' signals to Marinette and far northeastern Wisconsin, where WPR has no other stations. (2/5/2014)

WISCONSIN:
ESPN Radio affiliate WJJQ/810 (Tomahawk) has added FM translator W264CH/100.7, which WJJQ owner Albert Broadcasting recently bought from Christian broadcaster WRVM, Inc. The translator moved from 100.9 and upgraded to 250 Watts, but has applied to move to 96.9, remaining 250 Watts, because a future Results Broadcasting station on 100.9 (Tomahawk) will displace the translator. Meanwhile, WJJQ-FM/92.5 recently completed an upgrade from 25kW/79m (class C3) to 19kW/136m (C2), improving its signal to Rhinelander and Merrill. WJJQ-FM carries a mix of News, Adult Contemporary, Oldies, and Country. (2/5/2014)

NEBRASKA:
The sale of Omaha's KOMJ/1490 may be off: KOMJ's current owner, Cochise Broadcasting LLC, has filed a motion to withdraw the FCC application to assign the license to Kona Coast Radio, LLC, which is also building an FM station in the region. No other information on the withdrawal is available in the FCC database. Last summer, Kona Coast Radio had reached a deal to buy KOMJ, which carries a Soft Oldies format, from Cochise for $450,000. Two days after the parties signed an asset purchase agreement, the FCC issued Notice of Violation asking Cochise to explain why an agent could not locate KOMJ's main studio on an inspection attempt. Kona Coast Radio is in the process of building KIMI/107.7 (Sidney, IA), which applied for a downgrade last month after determining that air navigation interference concerns would prevent KIMI from being operated as originally planned. (2/4/2014)

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS FOR NEW LOW-POWER FM (100-WATT) STATIONS:

IOWA:
The FCC has granted Decorah's Luther College a new low-power FM station on 96.9 to take over the student-run programming currently heard on KWLC/1240. Besides the move to FM, the change will also allow Luther to have a full-time radio station since KWLC is in a rare shared-time arrangement with commercial station KDEC, one of the last such arrangements in the country. KWLC broadcasts 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays and all weekend. Luther has pledged to divest itself of the AM station, which has been on the air since 1926. divestiture could mean selling the AM license or returning it to the FCC. KWLC carries a broad variety of Rock, R&B, Hip-Hop, Classical, Christian music, and news and sports programming. (2/3/2014)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Two FM translators in the eastern Twin Cities metro area are apparently for sale. William Cornwall, who owns the two translators, is also president of Capital FM Radio Limited, which was recently granted a construction permit for a new low-power FM station in Hudson. On the application for the LPFM station, Cornwall pledged to divest himself of the translators before the LPFM station goes on the air. Neither translator is currently on the air -- W244CS/96.7 was originally licensed on 95.7 in Hudson as a translator of Easy Listening-formatted KNXR/97.5 (Rochester), but was forced off that frequency by the sign-on of WDMO/95.7 (Baldwin). W244CS is currently licensed to transmit from Woodbury but is off the air; it has a construction permit to move to a tower in West St. Paul. The move would give W244CS a strong signal to parts of St. Paul. Meanwhile, Cornwall was recently granted a CP for new translator K288GR/105.5 (Bayport), which would reach Stillwater and Hudson. (2/3/2014)

WISCONSIN:
WLWB/1530 (New Holstein), which had just returned to the air in August from newly constructed facilities, is off the air due to damage to its ground system. Owner Mark Heller says a tow truck travelling to an adjacent field damaged about 34 of the station's 120 ground radials. WLWB had been carrying Spanish-language programming but is expected to carry a different format once it returns. Meanwhile, sister station WGBW/1590 (Denmark-Green Bay) has been operating on a limited schedule due to staffing. (2/3/2014)