August 2006

IOWA:
KDMI-DT/56 (Des Moines) signed on Monday, the Des Moines Register indirectly reports. The full-power digital station will be a My Network TV affiliate and is carrying the AmericaOne network at other times. KDMI-DT has no analog counterpart and is co-owned by Pappas Telecasting with KPWB/23 (Ames), a CW-affiliate-to-be which has no digital counterpart. TitanTV listings indicate KDMI-DT will carry KPWB on a subchannel. (This DX'er has been checking but has not yet been able to receive the station in Cedar Rapids when other full-power Des Moines DTV stations are coming in.) The Register brings up an interesting point: not only did Des Moines never have a primary UPN affiliate, it's one of the few markets where cable systems never carried a primary UPN affiliate during the network's eleven-year run. (8/30/2006)

IOWA:
Drake University's KDRA-LP/94.1 (Des Moines) has signed on. The 80-Watt station will share time with Grand View College's 100-Watt KGVC-LP. FCC douments indicate KGVC will use the frequency from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by KDRA from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. (8/30/2006)

MANITOBA:
Q94 (CHIQ/94.3 Winnipeg) has abandoned its Hot Adult Contemporary format and says a "new station" will launch Tuesday, September 5, at 7:45 a.m. Stay tuned. (8/29/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
A possible sign of changes to come in Sioux Falls: Backyard Broadcasting has changed the callsign of KWSF/107.9 (Flandreau) to KXQL. The FCC database indicates the change was effective August 17. KWSF has carried a Country format as "The Wolf," and was sold (along with KSQB/1520 and KSQB-FM/95.7) to Backyard earlier this year. Backyard also owns Country KTWB/101.9. (8/29/2006)

WISCONSIN:
9 p.m. newscasts in the La Crosse-Eau Claire market are going from none to two in the next week. "FOX25/48 News at 9," produced by NBC affiliate WEAU/13, launches tonight (8/28). Meanwhile, CBS affiliate WKBT will launch "My News at Nine" on WKBT-DT2 September 4, replacing a repeat of WKBT's 6 p.m. newscast that currently airs in the timeslot. (8/28/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has approved Armada Media's purchase of six Aberdeen-market stations after Nicholas Hurtgen sold his interest in the company to other members. Members of the Media Access Project had filed an informal objection questioning whether Armada was a qualified licensee because Hurtgen is accused of seven felonies. He has not been convicted. Armada is also awaiting FCC approval for the purchase of seven stations in the Ironwood and Marinette-Menominee markets. The company is owned by Jim Coursolle, John R. Larson, Chris Bernier, Terry Shockley, John Lynch, and Tommy Thompson. (8/28/2006)

NORTH DAKOTA:
KQLX/890 (Lisbon) has applied to move its transmitter 27 miles closer to Fargo. The station just upgraded from 1kW to 1.8kW nondirectional last year and would keep that power at the new site, and would continue to be daytime-only. Here's a comparison of coverage maps. Terry and Rita Loomis own KQLX and KQLX-FM/106.1, which already has a construction permit to improve its signal to Fargo. (8/28/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Longtime anchor Doug Lund announced his retirement from KELO-TV/11 (Sioux Falls) last week. Lund has worked at the station since 1974 and will anchor his last newscast on December 29. (8/27/2006)

WISCONSIN:
Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting is apparently planning to flip WFBZ/105.5 (Trempeleau-La Crosse) to "The Zoo" and move ESPN Radio to its WKLJ/1290 (Sparta), which currently carries a News/Talk format with some FOX Sports programming. The company has reserved the domain names 1055thezoo.com and espn1290.com. Bob & Tom's website is also listing WFBZ as an affiliate. Sparta-Tomah also owns Country WCOW/97.1 (Sparta) and takes over WFBZ through a time brokerage agreement on September 1. (8/26/2006)

TV MARKET RANKINGS:
Bismarck and Marquette are the only two Upper Midwest TV markets to move up in Nielsen Media Research's local market rankings for 2006-2007. Bismarck moved up two positions to market #158, while Marquette moved up to to #178. Meanwhile, La Crosse-Eau Claire dropped four positions to #127 and Quincy dropped two to #171. Milwaukee, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Lincoln, Sioux Falls, Fargo, and Rochester all dropped one position. Other Upper Midwest markets remain at last year's ranking. (8/25/2006)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Three Grand Forks stations have moved their transmitters off the University of North Dakota campus to make way for new construction. KWTL/1370 and KFJM/90.7 stayed close to town, and their coverage areas remain substantially the same, but KUND/89.3 moved its transmitter about 20 miles to the north, resulting in a weaker signal for Grand Forks listeners. North Dakota Public Radio says WDAY-TV/6 (Fargo) forced the move north (channel 6 is just below the FM spectrum). North Dakota Public Radio has set up a page on its website about the move. (8/24/2006)

WISCONSIN:
Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting is expanding its group to three stations with the purchase of "ESPN Radio 105" (WFBZ/105.5 Trempeleau-La Crosse) from S&S Broadcasting for $850,000. The deal also includes WFBZ translator K270AG/101.9 (La Crescent). Here's the asset purchase agreement. Sparta-Tomah also owns WKLJ/1290 and WCOW/97.1 (Sparta-La Crosse). The new owners will take over operations on September 1 through a time brokerage agreement. WFBZ had been operated as part of the La Crosse Radio Group along with Mississippi Valley Broadcasters' five stations. That group is moving Badgers football from WFBZ to KQEG/102.7 (La Crescent, MN) and high school football to WLFN/1490 (La Crosse). S&S is owned by Mike Schmitz and Ed Sullivan and owns no other stations. Here's a La Crosse market profile submitted with the application. (8/23/2006)

IOWA/NEBRASKA:
Connoisseur Media plans to have the construction permit for a new Omaha-market station on 107.7, licensed to Pacific Junction, IA, on the air in early 2007, according to All Access and Radio and Records. The new station will displace an Omaha translator on 107.7, which relays Waitt Radio's KBLR/97.3 (Blair). (8/23/2006)

MICHIGAN:
WNBY-FM/93.9 (Newberry-Sault Ste. Marie), which moved from 93.7 and upgraded earlier this year, has now applied for another upgrade. The station proposes moving its transmitter to the north, to a state-owned tower near Paradise, and increasing from 50kW/135m (class C2) to 100kW/143m (C1), remaining on 93.9. WNBY-FM would lose some coverage to the south, but could slightly improve the signal to its target market of Sault Ste. Marie. Here's a map. (8/22/2006)

WISCONSIN:
WisconsinBroadcasting.com reports that WISS/1090 (Berlin) moved to 1100 on Monday (8/21), increasing power from 500W to 1kW, daytime-only. WISS has also switched from a mix of Classic Country and Oldies to Jones Radio Networks' "True Country" format. (8/22/2006)

IOWA:
KCRG-DT (Cedar Rapids) has launched a digital subchannel using "Channel Builder" software developed by sister company Decisionmark. The main window shows a wheel of local news, weather updates, and feature stories, with program listings, weather conditions, and rotating weather images on other parts of the screen. 9.2 also repeats Oprah at 9 p.m. The channel is also carried on Mediacom digital cable. (8/16/2006)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio is making some more changes to its weekend lineup. Beginning Saturday, September 9, "Higher Ground" with Jonathan Overby will move from the Ideas Network to the NPR News and Classical Music network from 7-10 p.m., displacing a repeat of "Whad'Ya Know?" and an hour of Jazz. The "Whad'Ya Know?" repeat moves to Sunday from 8-10 p.m., displacing "Thistle and Shamrock" and an hour of Classical music. Meanwhile, the Ideas Network will move "Tent Show Radio" from 9 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and add a second night of Old Time Radio (also heard Sunday) from 8-11 p.m., displacing an hour of "World Cafe." (8/15/2006)

WISCONSIN:
WYMS/88.9 (Milwaukee) now plans to launch its new format November 1, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal's Rich Kirchen. Musician and philanthropist Peter Buffet is spearheading development of the new format to replace the syndicated jazz programming currently on WYMS. (8/12/2006)

IOWA:
The FCC has fined two Bettendorf men who contended the War Powers Act gave them the right to broadcast without a license. Matthew H. Britcher was fined $17,000 for operating an unlicensed radio transmitter and refusing to allow inspection of the station, and Jason L. Duncan was fined $10,000 for operating an unlicensed radio transmitter. Britcher and Duncan had operated "Power Hits 103.3" in Bettendorf earlier this year. Read more about their arguments and the FCC's response by clicking on the names. (8/11/2006) 8/12 update: On Friday a federal judge threw out Britcher and Duncan's lawsuit against the FCC, but the two plan to re-file, according to the Quad City Times.

MINNESOTA:
"K-Love" station KMKL/90.3 (North Branch) has received a construction permit to upgrade from 500W/112m (class A) to 15kW/121m (C3). The station will use a directional antenna, limiting the signal to the south-southwest to prevent increased interference to KFAI/90.3 (Minneapolis). The upgrade will extend KMKL's main coverage area to include Cambridge, Pine City, and Lindstrom, MN, and Grantsburg and St. Croix Falls, WI. (8/9/2006)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Cumulus Media has applied for a facility change to the construction permit for 99.1 Lennox which would improve its future signal to Sioux Falls. The CP would change from 50kW/62m (class C2) to 25kW/100m (class C3), but the downgrade would allow 99.1 to move ten miles closer to Sioux Falls, improving the signal from this to this. Cumulus won the CP in FCC Auction No. 37 and has until 2008 to get it on the air. It does not yet have a callsign. (8/8/2006)

IOWA:
Longtime KCRG-TV/9 (Cedar Rapids) meteorologist Denny Frary announced his retirement on Wednesday. He will continue to work until November. Frary has worked at KCRG since 1974, and before that, spent a few years at KDUB/40 (Dubuque), which is now non-commercial KFXB. (8/3/2006)

IOWA:
Media General has reached a deal to sell KIMT/3 (CBS, Mason City) and a station in Alabama to New Vision Television for $35 million. Media General purchased KIMT in 2000 from Spartan Communications. The station has about 60 employees. (8/3/2006)

IOWA:
Non-profit St. Gabriel Communications is picking up a majority interest in Christian KWKY/1150 (Des Moines). St. Gabriel subsidiary Trinity Communications will pay $2.04 million to buy 85% of the shares in KWKY licensee Putbrese Communications. The Putbrese family will retain the remaining 15%. Here's the agreement. (8/3/2006)

WISCONSIN:
The FCC has approved an application from Relevant Radio's WOVM/91.1 (Appleton) to upgrade from 500W/113m to 100kW/65m. The change will extend WOVM's main coverage area to include Oshkosh, Seymour, and Brillion. Meanwhile, Relevant Radio's WJOK/1050 (Kaukana) has applied to increase power from 1kW day/500W night to 5kW/1kW, adding two towers to its existing three. The upgrade would improve WJOK's signal to Green Bay. (8/3/2006)

MINNESOTA:
After 46 seasons on CBS' WCCO/830, the Twins are moving to Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP/1500 next year. The team announced a four-year deal with KSTP on Tuesday. The Twins will take over production the broadcast, but MNN will continue to distribute it and plans to add affiliates. The Star Tribune reports KSTP will not get any commercial time during the games, but will be able to sell ads in the pre- and post-game shows. (8/2/2006)