MINNESOTA:
Longtime central Minnesota radio station owner Herbert Hoppe, known for constructing the only directional AM quadplex radio tower field in the U.S., has died. An obituary says says Hoppe died Wednesday at the age of 83.
Hoppe founded Tri-County Broadcasting and signed on WVAL/800 (Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud), named for his wife Val, in 1963. WHMH/101.7 was added in 1979 and WVAL moved to 660 and upgraded in the 1980's. But Hoppe wasn't done with AM, adding a new WVAL/800 in 1999 (with 660 becoming WBHR), followed by WMIN/1010 in 2008 and WXYG/540 in 2010 (here's an article Mark Persons and Mark Mueller wrote for Radio World about the unique project).
More recently, WXYG increased its daytime power, the group added two FM translators, and applied for four more translators in the most recent AM revitalization filing window.
Outside of broadcasting, Hoppe raised seven children, hunted, and was sometimes called "Father Arbor Day." Services are set for Tuesday, April 3. (3/29/2018)
WISCONSIN:
Two Wisconsin AM stations recently indicated in FCC filings that they have completed some significant facility changes.
In the Milwaukee market, Joel Kinlow's WGLB/1560 (Elm Grove) upgraded its daytime power from 185 Watts to 2.5kW. It retains its 250-Watt nighttime signal and drops to 700 Watts during critical hours (the two hours after sunrise and before sunset). In an unique situation, WGLB uses different daytime and nighttime directional patterns and is non-directional during critical hours. The station carries a Gospel format.
In Eau Claire, Mid-West Management's WAYY/790 has dropped its nighttime power from 5kW directional to 123 Watts non-directional. The station continues to run 5kW non-directional during the daytime. The change allows WAYY to drop two aging towers that had been required for the nighttime signal while still retaining an interference-free signal to Eau Claire (page 10). WAYY is relayed on an FM translator and identifies as "Sports Talk 105.1." (3/28/2018)
WISCONSIN: (UPDATED)
Cumulus Media is divesting Country-formatted "Nash FM 104.9" (WPCK Denmark-Green Bay) as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. According to the company's FCC application to transfer its licenses to a reorganized group of shareholders, Green Bay is one of four markets nationwide where Cumulus has more stations than allowed by ownership caps. The company's filing says it can only have four FM stations in a market the size of Green Bay but currently has five. WPCK and the three other stations are being transferred to the Mainstay Station Trust, headed by Elliot Evers, who also heads a few other divestiture trusts. Cumulus previously had WKRU/106.7 (Allouez-Green Bay) in a different trust from 2009 to 2011 but took it out of trust after changing the community of license of WOGB/103.1 from Kaukauna to Reedsville, which is outside the boundaries of the Green Bay market. However, WOGB is was re-designated as being "home" to the Green Bay market in 2014 and counts towards the ownership cap. (3/27/2018, added new trust info 3/28)
MINNESOTA:
Lucas Carpenter's Crystal Media Group LLC is buying the Albany radio stations from Dennis Carpenter's StarCom LLC for $2.925 million. The stations include Country-formatted KDDG/105.5, Farm/Country/Old Time station KASM/1150, and KASM translator K299BT/107.7. KDDG simulcasts "Bob FM" with KLCI/106.1 (Elk River-Minneapolis) and KBGY/107.5 (Faribault). (3/27/2018)
NEBRASKA:
KNEN/94.7 (Norfolk) has reverted to Classic Rock as "94 Rock," restoring a format the station had run up until three years ago. Flood Communications had flipped the 100kW station to Classic Hits as "News Channel Nebraska" in 2015 around the same time it launched a low-power TV station of the same name in Norfolk. NCN reports that "94 Rock" relaunched Monday at 3 p.m. after a nine hours of repeating REO Speedwagon's "Roll With the Changes," a stunt which reportedly prompted calls to local police. Flood's Norfolk group also includes Country outlet "US92" (KUSO/92.7 Albion). (3/26/2018)
NEW FM TRANSLATORS GRANTED (2/5-3/23):
The FCC grants of new translators following last year's AM revitalization window have slowed to a trickle, as most applications have now been acted upon. The following translators have been granted since the last update here:
The full list of applications is posted on the 2017 AM Revitalization Translator Applications page. Additional aplications filed this year are listed on the 2018 AM Revitalization Translator Applications page. (3/25/2018)
MINNESOTA:
One partner in a Hmong-language Twin Cities AM station has bought out the other. Kongsue Xiong paid Xeng Xiong $135,000 for his half of Asian American Broadcasting LLC, which is the licensee of KFXN/690 (Minneapolis). An FCC filing says the transaction is part of an agreement settling a lawsuit about "disputes over business operations." KFXN is one of three Hmong-language stations in the Twin Cities area but the only one with a core metro signal; it has a construction permit for a new 100-Watt FM translator on 104.9 from its tower site in New Hope. (3/22/2018)
WISCONSIN:
Woodward Communications is buying WBJZ/104.7 (Berlin) from Caxambas Corporation for $720,000. WBJZ carries a Contemporary Hits format as "B104.7" and has a rimshot signal to Oshkosh. Woodward owns several other FM stations serving the Appleton/Oshkosh market. The deal does not include WBJZ's "programming materials" or advertising agreements and says, "There are no employees of seller available for buyer to hire." The deal does include a non-competition agreement with Caxambas' Steven J. Peterson. (3/22/2018)
NEBRASKA/IOWA:
It turns out the saga over 107.7 in the Omaha area isn't over after all, as the Educational Media Foundation has applied to move KIMI/107.7 (Malvern, IA) into the immediate Omaha metro.
Under the new proposal, KIMI would be licensed to Ralston, NE, using 300 Watts at 310 meters (class A) from Omaha's Crown Point antenna farm. EMF's KMLV/88.1 (Ralston, NE-Omaha) would change its community of license to Malvern to backfill for KIMI but keep its current 59kW/390m facility at Crown Point. EMF also operates 70-Watt K285GP/104.9 (Millard, NE) from Crown Point with K285GP carrying the Air1 network and KMLV carrying K-Love.
The new application comes a few months after the FCC granted a license to cover KIMI on 107.9 in Humboldt, NE. The station also has special temporary authority to transmit from the Malvern site on 107.7.
As documented here over the years, two previous attempts to launch stations on 107.7 rimshotting Omaha from the south have been thwarted by complaints of interference to airplane navigation communications at Offutt Air Force Base, which is on the southern side of the Omaha metro. This time, KIMI is proposing to transmit from the northern metro with only rimshot coverage of Offutt. (3/19/2018)
NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
Leighton Enterprises' K239BG/95.7 (Grand Forks) and its AM originating station, KGFK/1590 (East Grand Forks), have segued from Variety Hits to "Classic Rock that Really Rocks," retaining the slogan "The Forks." Leighton also recently launched "Classic Rock that Really Rocks" in St. Cloud. The format competes primarily with iHeartMedia Classic Rocker "KJ108" (KJKJ/107.5 Grand Forks). (3/12/2018)
MINNESOTA:
A few new FM signals are on the air in the Twin Cities area:
K298CO/107.5 is on the air relaying the Conservative Talk format of "The Patriot" (WWTC/1280). Salem Media moved the translator license in from Wisconsin as a result of one of the AM revitalization filing windows. K298CO broadcasts with 250 Watts from the KYCR/1440 transmitter site in Golden Valley, delivering a strong signal to most of Minneapolis and the northwestern suburbs. However, coverage of the southern metro is limited by KBGY/107.5 (Faribault), which has historically sought audiences in the metro area. Another translator also occupies 107.5 in the far northern exurb of Princeton, and there's an application for a translator on the frequency in the northeast metro.
Meanwhile, 40-Watt KPJT-LP/99.1 is on the air in the northwestern suburb of Maple Grove carrying the We Have This Hope Christian Radio network. KPJT transmits from southeastern Maple Grove with a strong signal to parts of Plymouth, Brooklyn Park, and New Hope. KPJT is the farthest south signal of We Have This Hope Christian Radio, which includes four full-power stations, two other low-power stations, and one translator in northern Minnesota carrying Seventh-day Adventist programming from Lifetalk Radio.
A full list of translators and low-power FM stations in the Twin Cities area is available on the Twin Cities Class D/LPFM Stations page. (3/11/2018)
WISCONSIN:
Scripps' WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) is now carrying Grit on channel 4.4, which is a new additional channel for the station. Grit had previously seen on the DT3 subchannel of Sinclair's WCGV before the station left the air as a result of the spectrum auction earlier this year. WTMJ also carries NBC on 4.1, Laff on 4.2, and Escape on 4.3. (3/11/2018)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has denied a petition for reconsideration of its decision to delete the license of KAWK/105.1 (Custer) in the southern Black Hills. In a letter to former licensee Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting, Audio Division Chief Albert Shuldiner says that FCC staff properly determined that KAWK's license had expired in 2009.
The saga began in 2002 when KAWK told the FCC it had been forced to vacate its licensed tower site on Mount Coolidge. The station was granted special temporary authorizations to use an alternate site for several years. The FCC says KAWK neglected to reapply for use of the alternate site when it returned from a period of silence in 2009 and incorrectly stated on a resumption notice that it was using its licensed facility. FCC staff determined that because of this, KAWK's license expired as a matter of law on Oct. 22, 2009.
Shuldiner's letter says Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting's petition fails to show material error or provide new facts that would change the outcome. It also rejects the licensee's argument that the cancellation conflicts with a statute of limitations, saying that the licensee doesn't indicate the source or duration of the statute of limitations and that the issue took so long to resolve because of the licensee's own 2009 "misrepresentation."
Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting continues to own KFCR/1490 (Custer), which carries a Classic Rock format as "The Hawk." It has a construction permit to add FM translator K256DD/99.1. (3/7/2018)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
After decades carrying music formats, Homeslice Media's KKLS/920 (Rapid City) and its FM translator, K284BA/104.7, have flipped to News/Talk. The former `80s and `90s "Smash Hits" outlet is now "KKLS News Corp" with local morning and afternoon news blocks, ABC News on the hour, and syndicated talkers including Chris Plante, Dave Ramsey, and Mark Levin. Ramsey and Levin had previously been heard on KIMM/1150 and K294BT/106.7 until its flip to Sports last fall. KKLS' new lineup competes with the longtime News/Talk format at Duhamel Broadcasting's KOTA/1380, which also runs local news blocks in the morning and afternoon and a schedule of more established syndicated talkers. Homeslice also runs regional Farm/Country outlet KBHB/810 (Rapid City) and several FM music formats. (3/6/2018)
MINNESOTA:
After a month of stunting on social media, "Z-Rock 103.3" has launched on K277BS/103.3 (St. Cloud) and the HD3 signal of KZPK/98.9 (Paynesville-St. Cloud). The "Classic Rock that Really Rocks" format fits musically between the Hard Rock format of Tri-County Broadcasting's "Rockin' 101" (WHMH/101.7 Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud) and the Classic Rock format of Townsquare Media's "103.7 The Loon" (KLZZ Waite Park-St. Cloud), the latter of which used a "Z103" slogan in the `90s. K277BS had previously relayed the News/Talk format of KNSI/1450 (St. Cloud), which is now instead heard on K257GK/99.3 (St. Cloud). (3/5/2018)
IOWA/MINNESOTA:
KIMT (Mason City-Austin-Rochester) has added Antenna TV on channel 3.4. The Heartland Media station also carries CBS on 3.1, MyNetworkTV on 3.2, and Ion on 3.3. Antenna TV is the 11th full-power commercial channel available in the market. (3/5/2018)
WISCONSIN:
The "Resistance Radio" Liberal Talk format of WRRD/1510 (Waukesha-Milwaukee) is now being rebroadcast on WTTN/1580 (Columbus), giving the format a stronger signal in Madison and the potential for future FM coverage in the capital city.
WRRD majority owner Michale Crute announced on Friday afternoon that WRRD is operating WTTN through an agreement with its owner, Good Karma Broadcasting. Good Karma is the same company that sold WRRD to Crute's New WRRD, LLC last year.
WTTN had previously carried ESPN Deportes Radio (which was also carried on WRRD prior to its sale last year). It delivers a rimshot signal to Madison with a 5kW directional daytime signal but drops to just 4 Watts at night. It has a pending application for a 75-Watt FM translator on 92.7 transmitting from the Mendota area in northern Madison, which would deliver a good signal to most of the city.
WRRD also has a construction permit for its own 250-Watt FM translator on 101.7 in Milwaukee. (3/4/2018)
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