February 2017

MINNESOTA:
KKAQ/1460 (Thief River Falls) has switched from Classic Rock to the Real Country network. It's not clear when the change happened, but it was reported recently by DX-midAMerica. KKAQ carried a Country format starting with its 1979 sign-on, simulcasting with KKDQ/99.3 (Thief River Falls), and the AM side had switched to Classic Rock in 2011. The stations are owned by Tor Ingstad's Iowa City Broadcasting, which also owns KTRF/1230 (Thief River Falls) and KTRF-FM/94.1 (Red Lake Falls-Thief River Falls). (2/28/2017)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio is adding a third full-power station in the Duluth area as it buys one of Red Rock Radio's remaining stations. The asset purchase agreement calls for MPR to pay $300,000 for KZIO/104.3 (Two Harbors) and translator K231BI/94.1 (Duluth), which currently carry a Hard Rock format as "94X." The application to transfer the license states that MPR will convert KZIO's license to non-commercial. MPR currently has two full-power stations in Duluth carrying its News and Classical networks and a translator carrying its "Current" Adult Alternative service. KZIO will be the seventh full-power public radio station in the Twin Ports area, which already had far more public radio stations than most cities its size. KZIO is the 22nd station to be sold by Red Rock Radio in the past year, leaving the company with KQDS/1490 (Duluth), WWAX/92.1 (Hermantown-Duluth), and KRBT/1340 (Eveleth). (2/27/2017)

MINNESOTA:
A belated note that another new FM signal has signed on in the Twin Cities: K239CJ/95.7 (St. Paul) is on the air relaying the Regional Mexican/Tropical format of "La Raza" (KMNV/1400). It appears the FM translator signed on about a month ago, and KMNV is now primarily identifying by the FM frequency. The 250-Watt FM signal transmits from KMNV's tower on Frontenac Place, a longtime radio site between I-94 and the Mississippi River, delivering a good signal to most of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and some first-ring suburbs. The translator was moved up from Des Moines under last year's AM revitalization filing window. KMNV is also rebroadcast on KMNQ/1470 (Brooklyn Park), and the stations are owned by Santamaria Broadcasting. They compete with "Radio Rey" (WREY/630), which recently launched its own FM translator, W235CT/94.9 (St. Paul). (2/27/2017)

NEBRASKA:
NET Nebraska has set March 1 as the launch date for PBS Kids. The new network will be seen on the DT4 channels of NET's nine stations. They carry PBS on DT1, World Channel on DT2, and Create on DT3. (2/23/2017)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Bott Radio Network is poised to get its first station in South Dakota with the purchase of KASD/90.3 (Rapid City) from the American Family Association. The $460,000 deal also includes a station in Arkansas. The 1kW KASD signed on in 2006 and carries American Family Radio's Talk network. Bott had a construction permit for a new station on AM 860 licensed to Black Hawk, near Rapid City, that would've used 50kW day and 350W night, but told the FCC earlier this month that it would not be building the station. (2/23/2017)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has approved a tribal allotment for the Red Lake Nation. The new station on 105.3 will be licensed to Red Lake and alloted as class C1. Red Lake Nation has applied to use the allotment with 100kW/192m from a new tower north of Clearbrook, which would deliver a strong signal to most of the Red Lake Reservation and a rimshot signal to both Bemidji and Thief River Falls. (2/22/2017)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN:
DISH Network has resumed carrying the "My9" channel from KBJR (Superior-Duluth). "My9" had been dropped when KBJR moved it from DT2 to DT3 last August as KBJR-DT2 became the market's CBS affiliate. Carriage of a DT3 channel on satellite is rare; there are apparently only a couple of markets nationwide with a DT3 channel on DISH. DirecTV does not carry the channel. The "My9" lineup includes college and high school sports, syndicated shows, and 18 hours per weekday of Decades network. (2/21/2017)

WISCONSIN:
WLUK (Green Bay) has added TBD TV on channel 11.3. The new network is operated by WLUK owner Sinclair Broadcast Group. (2/21/2017)

WISCONSIN:
WHSM/910 (Hayward) has segued from Adult Gold to Adult Contemporary as "96-9 The Cabin" following the launch of FM translator W245CT/96.9, which was moved to Hayward under the AM revitalization filing window. The new format includes gold going back to the `70s and is music-intensive, taking on Vacationland Broadcasting's heritage AC outlet WRLS/92.3 (Hayward). However, W245CT's signal is weaker than WRLS in rural areas surrounding Hayward where many vacation cabins are located. WHSM and "Muskie Country 101" (WHSM-FM/101.1) are owned by Zoe Communications, which bought the stations last year. The Adult Gold format had launched five months ago. (2/19/2017)

MANITOBA:
Evanov Communications has dropped its "Jewel" Light Adult Contemporary format from CFJL-FM/100.5 (Winnipeg) and launched "Hot 100.5, `90s and More." The station's press release describes it as "the perfect blend of Pop, Rock, R&B and Dance classics that the city is yearning to hear once again." The move from "Jewel" to "Hot" marks more fragmentation of different eras of pop music on the Winnipeg dial. Corus Entertainment's recently-launched "Peggy @ 99.1" (CJGV-FM) plays `80s hits and current Adult Contemporary songs but very little `90s or 2000's, while Rogers Communications' "102.3 Kiss FM" (CKY-FM) focuses mostly on recent Hot AC hits with some `90s and 2000's. Bell Media's "103.1 Virgin Radio" (CKMM-FM) and Evanov's "Energy 106" (CHWE-FM) play Contemporary Hits. Four other stations play different mixes of Rock hits from the `70s to 2000's. (2/18/2017)

ONTARIO:
TV Ontario has decided to keep transmitters in Thunder Bay and seven other communities on the air after public outcry led to increased funding. The taxpayer-funded network, which has programming similar to PBS in the United States, had previously announced plans to shut down all of its transmitters outside of Toronto in cost-cutting move that would have saved about $1 million per year. According to a new blog post from TVO's CEO, the network was able to get additional provincial government funding after complaints from viewers and donors. The network had already silenced more than 100 transmitters five years ago, ending broadcast service to other areas of northwestern Ontario. TVO repeater CICO-TV9 is one of three channels available over the air in Thunder Bay; the others are CTV and Global affiliates. (2/17/2017)

MINNESOTA:
Catholic broadcaster Real Presence Radio is buying KBPG/89.5 (Montevideo) from the American Family Assocation for $13,000. The 500-Watt station has carried American Family Radio since its 2002 sign-on. Real Presence Radio, based in Grand Forks, owns nine other full-power stations in the Upper Midwest. (2/16/2017)

MINNESOTA:
The core Twin Cities signal for Educational Media Foundation's "Air 1" Christian Rock network is off the air due to interference complaints from another Christian broadcaster. A notification of suspension of operations filed with the FCC says W225AP/92.9 (St. Paul-Minneapolis) left the air on Jan. 17 due to complaints from Gabriel Communications' "Spirit 92.9" (KKJM St. Joseph-St. Cloud). KKJM says the interference began when W225AP moved its transmitter from St. Paul to the Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis two years ago. An interference complaint sent to the FCC in December cites complaints from four listeners at eleven locations in the northwestern metro and Wright County. Since translators are considered a secondary class, they are required to resolve interference complaints from any listener to a full-power station. EMF's filing says it is working to resolve the interference problem and hopes to have W225AP "back on the air before too long." "Air 1" can also be heard in the north metro on K249ED/97.7, which transmits from Oak Grove. (2/15/2017)

NEBRASKA:
Legacy Communications is buying a third FM translator in the Grand Island area. Legacy will pay Community Broadcasting $40,000 for K278BR/103.5 (Grand Island), which the seller no longer needs after signing on KCVG/89.9 (Hastings) to carry its Bott Radio Network. The application to transfer the license states that K278BR will relay the HD4 channel of Legacy's KRGI-FM/96.5. Legacy also owns K227BQ/93.3 (Grand Island) and the company is in the process of moving K260BK/99.9 from Hastings to Grand Island. (2/15/2017)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
South Dakota Public Broadcasting is adding simulcasts of its two radio services on its TV stations, expanding the availability of Classical music to those who don't have HD radios. The 15 TV transmitters (9 full-power) are carrying SDPB Radio on their DT5 channels and SDPB Classical on DT6. SDPB Radio has one network of 20 transmitters (11 full-power) carrying News/Talk programming and evening Jazz and Adult Alternative programs on its analog and HD1 signals. The 24-hour Classical service is available on the HD2 channels of most of the radio stations. (2/12/2017)

IOWA:
Kirkwood Community College, the owner of KCCK/88.3 (Cedar Rapids), has filed an informal objection to a proposed upgrade by a future station that's only two notches up the dial. As previously reported here, Plus Charities' KMMK/88.7 (Coggon) is seeking a "Raleigh waiver" to upgrade to 25kW/94m (class C3), adding most of Cedar Rapids to its 60 dbu contour. Normal rules would prohibit the upgrade due to KMMK's proximity to KCCK and KXGM-FM/89.1 (Hiawatha-Cedar Rapids), but a "Raleigh waiver" allows an upgrade for non-commercial FM stations when the actual interference to other non-commercial stations would be minimal. However, KCCK says KMMK's application is flawed because FCC precedent says the waiver can only be used to upgrade existing stations, not new stations. KMMK is not yet on the air. (2/11/2017)

NEBRASKA:
Several new low-power FM stations are on the air carrying Christian radio network Radio 74 Internationale in Nebraska. They are KAQQ-LP/99.9 (Alliance), KBDP-LP/99.9 (Bridgeport), KQQO-LP/97.7 (Ogallala), and KQSI-LP/89.5 (Sidney). All are owned by local groups caled Adventist Learning Center of (community name). Additionally, the network's website lists two LPFM stations that recently signed on in Crete: Crete Progressive Educational Broadcasting's KCPJ-LP/105.7 and Greater Crete Commercial Free Radio's KGCO-LP/107.9. The extent of the Crete stations' carriage of Radio 74 is unclear. (2/9/2017)

MICHIGAN:
Sovereign Communications is expanding to Escanaba with the purchase of WDBC/680 and WYKX/104.7 from KMB Broadcasting. The asset purchase agreement says the $866,000 purchase price is subject to adjustment and includes approximately $246,000 that the buyer has spent, or will spend, improving the stations' tower and transmission facilities. WDBC carries Soft Oldies and WYKX is "Kix Country." They primarily compete with five Radio Results Network stations owned by AMC Partners Escanaba, LLC. Sovereign Communications owns 15 other radio stations in the Upper Peninsula. (2/8/2017)

WISCONSIN:
The sale price for WRRD/1510 (Waukesha-Milwaukee) is $760,000, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. New WRRD LLC, headed by talk show host Michael Crute, is buying the station from Craig Karmazin's Good Karma Broadcasting, which retains WAUK/540 (Jackson-Milwaukee). The new owner flipped the station to a Liberal Talk format on Feb. 1 under a time brokerage agreement. The sale agreement gives the buyer the option of leasing studio space from the seller. (2/7/2017)

MINNESOTA:
W221BS/92.1 (St. Paul) is now relaying the `60s and `70s Oldies format of WDGY/740 (Hudson-St. Paul) following the translator's transfer to WDGY owner Gregory Borgen/630 Radio Inc. Borgen moved the translator to Wells Fargo Place in downtown St. Paul and upgraded it to 80 Watts, delivering a strong signal to St. Paul and some suburbs and fringe coverage of Minneapolis. WDGY is also relayed on W279DD/103.7 (Hudson) in the far east metro, a translator which was moved in during last year's AM revitalization filing window. Borgen got W221BS in a trade with the Educational Media Foundation for K288GR/105.5 (Bayport-Hudson); EMF no longer needed W221BS after upgrading another translator. (2/6/2017)

WISCONSIN:
Jubilation Ministries, owner of WJUB/1420 (Plymouth) and WSTM/91.3 (Kiel-Plymouth), is merging into Evangel Ministries, which owns several other stations in Wisconsin. Both are non-profit corporations. No cash is trading hands, but Evangel will assume all of Jubilation's assets and liabilities. WSTM carries Praise and Worship music, while WJUB airs Adult Standards with Christian features. They join existing Evangel stations WEMY/91.5 (Green Bay), WEMI/91.9 (Appleton), and WGNV/88.5 (Milladore-Wausau). (2/6/2017)

WISCONSIN:
The price for the latest sale of WJMT/730 (Merrill) is $75,000, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. WRVM, Inc. is flipping the station to Steven Resnick's Sunrise Broadcasting LLC, after buying it from Quicksilver Broadcasting along with WMZK/104.1 (Merrill-Wausau) in a $260,000 deal. WRVM is retaining WMZK and flipping it to its Christian network. WJMT is being operated by its new owners under a local marketing agreement and flipped the music elements of its format from Classic Country to Oldies as "Bluejay 730." Sunrise Broadcasting also owns an AM-FM combo in the Wausau market. (2/6/2017)

MINNESOTA:
Sinclair Broadcast Group's WUCW/23 (Minneapolis) has announced plans to change programming on two of its subchannels on March 1. 23.3 will switch from Grit to Charge!, a new action/adventure network. 23.4 will drop getTV for TBD TV, a network of web-based and short-form programming. Sinclair has ownership interest in both new networks along with Comet, which is carried on 23.2. WUCW is a primary CW affiliate. (2/3/2017)