April 2006

RECENT NEW LPTV CONSTRUCTION PERMITS:

MINNESOTA:
Peter Xiong of Minneapolis is buying KZGX/1600 (Watertown) from WM Broadcasting for $670,000. WM bought the station for $600,000 in 2004 and changed its format to Regional Mexican. KZGX's 5kW, 24-hour directional signal is strong in the far western Twin Cities metro area. (4/20/2006)

WISCONSIN:
DX-midAMerica reports that WRGX/88.5 (Sturgeon Bay) has flipped to Southern Gospel positioned as "Faith, Family, and Country." Family Educational Broadcasting recently decided to drop WRGX's former Christian Rock format because it could not raise enough donations to support the operation. (4/20/2006)

PAPPAS SIGNS WITH "MY":
"My Network TV" will be the primary network on KDMI-DT (Des Moines), a new digital station with no analog counterpart. "My" will also be seen on digital subchannels on FOX affiliates KPTH-DT (Sioux City) and KPTM-DT (Omaha), and also in Omaha on low-power analog station KKAZ-CA/24. The Omaha deal leaves Gray's WOWT-DT2, which started up as a UPN affiliate last year, without a network, since CW has signed with Pappas' KXVO/15. (4/19/2006)

LEARFIELD BUYS WAITT FARM NETWORK:
Learfield Communications, which operates the Brownfield Network, is buying the Waitt Farm Network from NRG Media for an undisclosed price. The network has affiliates in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Learfield says Waitt Farm Network will continue to operate, but will have access to Brownfield's resources. Brownfield is the nation's largest farm network; Learfield also operates Radio Iowa and the Nebraska News Network. (4/19/2006)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Midwest Communications' KRBR/102.5 (Superior-Duluth) has added a significant amount of Classic Rock to its playlist, and has dropped the slogan "Rock 102.5 The Bear" in favor of just "102-5 KRBR." (4/17/2006)

MINNESOTA:
The new Classic Hits/Hot AC format of KDOG/96.7 (North Mankato), "The Dog," is also being simulcast on KRRW/101.5 (St. James) and KNSG/94.7 (Springfield). KRRW had carried a Country format, and KNSG had been Adult Contemporary. The combination of KNSG's class C2 signal and KDOG and KRRW's class C3 signals gives "The Dog" strong coverage of Mankato, New Ulm, St. Peter, St. James, Fairmont, Marshall, and Redwood Falls. The stations are owned by the Linder family. (4/15/2006)

IOWA:
American Family Radio's KWVI/88.9 (Waverly) has signed on. The 20kW class C3 station broadcasts from a tower near Tripoli and delivers a good signal to most of Waterloo and Cedar Falls. KWVI's sign-on should have forced Wartburg College's 38-Watt KWAR/89.1 (Waverly) to leave the air, but it was still broadcasting as of Saturday, April 15. (89.1 is a class D station, and class D stations can be forced off the air by new stations of any other class.) Wartburg has a construction permit for a new 100-Watt station on 89.9 to become the new home of KWAR. (4/15/2006)

IOWA:
Educational Media Foundation's KLRX/88.9 (Wapello) has changed callsign to KAIP and switched from the "K-Love" Christian AC network to the "Air1" Christian Rock network. The change follows EMF's purchase of what is now WLKU/98.9 (Rock Island, IL), which now carries K-Love and overlaps with 88.9's signal. (4/15/2006)

MINNESOTA:
Radioactive, LLC, which won the construction permit for a new station on 94.3 in Vernon Center in FCC Auction No. 37, is proposing changing the station's community of license to Eagle Lake. The change would allow the future 6kW station to provide a stronger signal to Mankato. More details are here. (4/15/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The sale price for Feller Broadcasting's three stations in the Sioux Falls market (details below) is $3.8 million. Backyard Broadcasting is buying the stations. (4/15/2006)

WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
WMIN/740 (Hudson, WI-Twin Cities) has dropped Sporting News Radio in favor of Scott Shannon's True Oldies format, syndicated by ABC Radio. The sports format had only been on the air since November. The format change is WMIN's fifth in as many years. The station is owned by Greg Borgen and broadcasts with 2.5kW daytime only, providing a good signal to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the eastern half of the metro area. (4/14/2006)

IOWA:
Quincy Newspapers will pay $63 million to buy NBC affiliate KWWL/7 (Waterloo-Cedar Rapids) from Raycom. The purchase price was disclosed in an FCC filing. (4/12/2006)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Television plans to make upgrades to all of its translator stations, as five of the eight stations are forced to change channel due to the digital transition:

NEW CW AFFILIATES:
Current WB affiliate KWKB/20 (Iowa City-Cedar Rapids-Waterloo) has signed on with the CW, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Also, CBS affiliate KDLH (Duluth) signed a deal to carry the CW 100+ channel on a digital subchannel. CW 100+ will be a mix of syndicated and CW programming, similar to the current cable-only WB 100+ channel seen in small markets. (4/11/2006)

MINNESOTA:
"K-Love" station KMKL/90.3 (North Branch) has applied for an upgrade from the current 500W/112m to 15kW/121m directional, changing from class A to C3. The new facility would use a directional antenna to prevent more interference to KFAI/90.3 (Minneapolis). KMKL's signal to the southwest would remain about the same, but its signal would improve in Lindstrom, Cambridge, Pine City, and Grantsburg and St. Croix Falls, WI. (4/10/2006)

DAN KIELEY DIES:
All Access reports that Dan Kieley died Sunday of sudden cardiac arrest at age 51. Keiley's career included programming jobs at KDWB, KQKQ, and Ingstad Broadcasting. (4/10/2006)

IOWA:
Bahakel's KOKZ/105.7 (Waterloo-Cedar Rapids) has transitioned from Oldies to Classic Hits, but still uses the slogan "Cool 105.7" and the positioner "Iowa's Greatest Hits." (4/9/2006)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
North Dakota Public Radio has dropped midday Classical music programming on KDSU/91.9 (Fargo) in favor of a simulcast of Adult Alternative programming with KFJM/90.7 (Grand Forks) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. KDSU continues to carry NPR news programming in morning and afternoon drive and syndicated jazz programming at night. KDSU had begun carrying the Classical music in 1999 when it joined with other stations to form NDPR. Classical music is also heard on Minnesota Public Radio's KCCM/91.1 (Moorhead-Fargo). (4/9/2006)

WISCONSIN:
The FCC has approved Magnum Radio's proposal to move the allotment for WBKY/95.9 from Portage to Stoughton, which will put the station in the Madison market. WBKY must still apply for and receive a construction permit before making the move. Here's more. (4/7/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The Sioux Falls market will soon be down to two owners with eight stations each. The Argus Leader reports that Feller Broadcasting is selling KSQB/1520, KSQB-FM/95.7, and KWSF/107.9 to Backyard Broadcasting, which owns five other stations in the market. No purchase price was immediately disclosed. Cumulus Media owns the other six stations in the market and is building two others won in recent FCC auctions. (4/7/2006)

IOWA/MINNESOTA:
Media General has put KIMT/3 (Mason City-Austin-Rochester) and other CBS affiliates in Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Wichita up for sale as part of its plan to purchase owned-and-operated NBC affiliates in Raleigh, Providence, Columbus, and Birmingham. The purchase will be paid for, in part, by the sale of the existing stations. The station in Birmingham must be sold because FCC rules prohibit direct ownership of more than one of the top four stations in a market. (4/7/2006)

NEBRASKA:
KWPN/107.9 (West Point) has switched from AC to Country as "The Bull." The station is owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association. (4/5/2006)

IOWA:
Jerry West is the program director for Cumulus' new Oldies KRQN/107.1 (Vinton-Cedar Rapids). Bobby Hansen, who does weekends at sister station KHAK/98.1, is doing middays, and Mark Anthony hosts afternoons. Anthony is also the chief meteorologist for CBS2 and FOX28. (4/5/2006)

MANITOBA:
Services are Thursday, April 6, for longtime Winnipeg radio broadcaster, actor, and impressionist Robert Rahn, known as Ron Robertson on the air at his most recent on-air job with the NCI-FM network. His baritone voice will live on in audio books and other recordings made through his voiceover company, "A Masterfulvoice Productions." More details are here. (4/5/2006)

WISCONSIN:
Starboard Media's WOVM/91.1 (Appleton) has applied to upgrade from 500W/114m to 100kW/65m. WOVM would transmit with a directional antenna from one of WJOK/1050's towers south of Kaukana, expanding the station's main coverage area to include Oskhosh. WOVM carries the Relevant Radio network. (4/5/2006)

WISCONSIN:
Rich Kirchen of the Milwaukee Business Journal reports that WYMS/88.9 will adopt a new format of Alternative and Hip-Hop in July. (4/5/2006)

MINNESOTA:
All Access reports that KDOG/96.7 (North Mankato) has flipped from Hot AC to Classic Hits after a weekend of stunting with "Chinese Classic Hits." KDOG is owned by the Linder family. The new format goes head-to-head with Three Eagles "105.5 The River" (KRBI-FM St. Peter). There's also a Classic Rock format in the market on Clear Channel's KXLP/93.1 (New Ulm). (4/4/2006)

NORTH DAKOTA:
KDKT/1410 (Beulah) has switched from Adult Contemporary to FOX Sports Radio after being sold to Digital Syndicate Network. The format includes a live morning show hosted by KDKT general manager Michael DeRose and a live feed of Jim Rome. (4/3/2006)

NORTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has fined Oakes Community Christian Broadcasting $1500 for failing to apply for license renewal for K240CJ/95.9 (Oakes) by the deadline. The FCC says the application was due by December 1, 2004, but not filed until January 27, 2005. The application for renewal was granted. (4/1/2006)