IOWA:
New FM translator K243CO/96.5 (Boone-Des Moines) has signed on, relaying the Spanish-language format of "La Reina" (KDLF/1260 Boone-Des Moines). K243CO broadcasts with 250 Watts from the Alleman antenna farm north of Ankeny, rimshotting the capital city. KDLF owner Latin World Broadcasting moved the translator license from western Iowa as a result of last year's AM revitalization filing window. K243CO is the third Spanish-language FM signal in Des Moines, competing with Latin Broadcasting Corporation's "La Ley" (KDLS-FM/105.5 Perry-Des Moines) and the recently-launched "La Patrona" on Youngers Colorado Broadcasting's K295CB/106.9. The 96.5 frequency in Des Moines had briefly been occupied by iHeartMedia's "96.5 Country," a translator/HD2 format which moved to 96.9 as "The Bull" (K245CO Millman-Des Moines) earlier this year to get an upgrade. (8/29/2017)
MINNESOTA:
FOX's KMSP/WFTC (Minneapolis) has announced plans to add a 7 p.m. newscast starting Sept. 18. "FOX 9+ News at 7" will air on FOX 9+, which is a rebranding of WFTC, formerly My29, that was first reported here earlier this month. The half-hour newscast will be anchored by Naomi Pescovitz, who worked at ABC affiliate KSTP-TV/5 before taking a job in Indianapolis a few years ago. Minneapolis has not had a 7 p.m. newscast since the end of Twin Cities Public Television's "NewsNight Minnesota" in the early 2000's, and WFTC has not aired a newscast since 2006. FOX 9+ will also repeat the 10 p.m. newscast from FOX 9 (KMSP) at 11 p.m. FOX 9+ (WFTC) is seen on broadcast channel 9.2, cable channel 10 on major systems, and satellite channel 29. (8/28/2017)
IOWA/MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Several stations have recently told the FCC that they're operating at reduced power for various reasons:
MINNESOTA:
The FCC has approved an upgrade for W235CT/94.9 (St. Paul). The translator signed on last fall relaying the "Radio Rey" format of WREY/630 with 250 Watts from Wells Fargo Place in downtown St. Paul. It now has a construction permit to use 99 Watts from Wells Fargo Center in downtown Minneapolis, increasing its antenna height. As previously reported, the move will improve 94.9's signal to Minneapolis and the western suburbs while retaining most coverage of St. Paul, but the signal to eastern suburbs will be weakened. (8/18/2017)
NEBRASKA:
Gospel Music Omaha's KCUG-LP/100.3 (Omaha) has signed on with a 24-hour Urban Gospel format. The station transmits with 20 Watts from a location in North Omaha used in the past by two other stations. Its website indicates KCUG-LP officially launched August 1. (8/17/2017)
IOWA:
Classical Iowa Public Radio station KICL/96.3 (Pleasantville) tells the FCC it has completed a move of its transmitter to Knoxville, putting Pella within the station's city-grade coverage area and improving its fringe coverage of Oskaloosa. KICL remains class A, now using 5.4kW at 100m. The move from a site west of Knoxville reduces KICL's fringe signal to Des Moines, but the network has other signals in the capital city. (8/17/2017)
WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network morning host Joy Cardin has announced plans to retire from the network on Sept. 29. Cardin has been with the network since 1986 and has hosted the 6 to 9 a.m. timeslot since Tom Clark retired 14 years ago. She writes in a farewell note that she will miss the morning conversation with listeners, but not the 1 a.m. alarm. Cardin's departure will come months after Kathleen Dunn retired, leaving Larry Meiller as the only long-running daily host on the Ideas Network. WPR says Kate Archer Kent will take over the Ideas Network morning show on an interim basis, but says it is conducting a national search for a new host and "is exploring ideas for a new Wisconsin-based show to be launched next year." (8/16/2017)
MINNESOTA:
There's no longer a station identifying as "channel 29" in the Twin Cities, though WFTC-TV continues to exist. The FOX-owned station has switched its identity from My29 to FOX 9+, tagging onto the identity of sister station KMSP/FOX 9. FOX has recently made similar moves in other markets. WFTC's programming, including the My Network TV prime time lineup, apparently remains unchanged. WFTC's over-the-air signal is on RF channel 29 but has actually been remapped to virtual channel 9 for several years, mixing with channels originating from KMSP's RF9 signal. The station is only seen on channel 29 on satellite TV lineups.
Twin Cities Public Television made a similar change during the 2009 digital transition, dropping the "channel 17" identity of KTCI-TV in favor of "TPT Life" and remapping it to channel 2, mixing with channels from KTCA. Hubbard Broadcasting's Independent KSTC-TV has maintained its 45TV identity after moving to virtual channel 5.2 several years ago, mixing with KSTP-TV's channels. Satellite providers carry TPT Life on channel 17 and 45TV on channel 45. (8/11/2017)
WISCONSIN:
The syndicated "1A" will replace retiring Ideas Network host Kathleen Dunn, Wisconsin Public Radio announced this week. Dunn is retiring after a 44-year radio career, the last 24 years of which were at WPR, and will host her last show in the 1 to 3 p.m. weekday timeslot on Thursday (8/10). The Ideas Network will continue to carry "Science Friday" in the timeslot on Fridays, and "1A" will debut Monday (8/14). The network retains state-produced morning, midday, and afternoon drive programs. The Ideas Network will also adjust its evening lineup, with CBC's "As It Happens" and "Q" moving up an hour to 7 and 8, respectively. The BBC's "Newsday" will debut at 9, followed by a rotation of shows at 10. "Political Junkie with Ken Rudin" and "The Dinner Party Download," which had aired Fridays, are leaving the lineup. The full schedule is posted here. (8/9/2017)
AM-ON-FM TRANSLATOR APPLICATIONS:
110 Upper Midwest AM stations filed for FM translators during the most recent filing window, according to FCC records made public Tuesday (8/8). A complete list is here. 110 is a pretty large number considering that only class C and D AM stations were eligible, and many stations already have translators. (Class C stations are the 1,000-Watt stations operating on "graveyard" frequencies and Class D stations are those that use less than 250 Watts at night.)
There were several applications in the Twin Cities area:
WISCONSIN:
The owner of a future Milwaukee FM signal is making another attempt at getting FCC approval to change the station to be rebroadcast on the translator. Frank McCoy's W277CV/103.3 has a construction permit to move from its present site along the Wisconsin-Illinois border to a tower in Milwaukee, relaying Liberal Talker WRRD/1510 (Waukesha-Milwaukee). As previously reported here, McCoy had dropped an attempt to amend the construction permit to switch to Conservative Talker WTMJ/620 (Milwaukee) after WRRD pointed out that the input station could not be amended since the permit was granted based on a "Mattoon waiver." Now, McCoy has filed a new application, rather than an amendment, to move the translator to Milwaukee as a WTMJ translator, again using a "Mattoon Waiver." The legal distinction may be small, but it may be enough to get FCC approval. (The filing of the new application was delayed because of an FCC freeze during a filing window for new translators, for which WTMJ did not qualify.) WRRD co-owner Michael Crute wrote on Facebook last month that McCoy told him he was making the change because Scripps Broadcasting, WTMJ's owner, offered more money. (8/7/2017)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Townsquare Media has shuffled formats on three stations in Sioux Falls, swapping two decades-old AM formats and dropping one FM format in favor of a simulcast with AM. The KXRB Classic Country format and callsign have moved from AM 1000 to AM 1140, formerly KSOO, with a simulcast on the new KXRB-FM/100.1 (Brandon-Sioux Falls). 100.1 was formerly Adult Contemporary outlet "Easy 100.1" KDEZ. Meanwhile, the KSOO callsign and News/Talk format have moved from 1140 to 1000. The changes took place at 6 a.m. Monday (8/7) according to KSOO's Facebook page. The new KXRB-FM could help sister Townsquare Country outlet KIKN-FM/100.5 (Salem-Sioux Falls) in its battle with Midwest Country outlet KTWB/92.5 (Sioux Falls), and could perhaps also dissuade Midwest from bringing its "Duke FM" Classic Country format to the market. The swap also improves KXRB's AM nighttime coverage -- both 1000 and 1140 use 10kW during the day, but 1000 drops to 100 Watts at night while 1140 is 5kW at night. Meanwhile, a post on the old "Easy 100.1" website is telling listeners to tune to the Hot Adult Contemporary format on sister station "Mix 97.3" (KMXC Sioux Falls).
Historical footnote: FCC history cards indicate that the current 1140 license had used the KSOO callsign since its 1920's sign-on; the station was on different frequencies before being moved to 1140 as part of the NARBA reallocation in 1941. The history cards for AM 1000 indicate the KXRB callsign had been on that frequency since its 1969 sign-on. (8/7/2017)
MINNESOTA:
KKIN/930 (Aitkin) has dropped NBC Sports Radio in favor of Soft Oldies, restoring a format that had aired on the station for decades before the 2014 switch to Sports. The locally-automated "Adult Standards 930" features light hits from the 1950's to 1980's and is positioned as "America's Best Music." The change follows R&J Broadcasting's purchase of the station, and five others in the area, from Red Rock Radio last year. (8/1/2017)
SOUTH DAKOTA:
Robert J. Ingstad is buying back two Aberdeen-area AM stations that one of his companies sold to a non-commercial Christian broadcaster 13 years ago. Ingstad's KKAA, Inc. will buy KKAA/1560 (Aberdeen) and KQKD/1380 (Redfield) from Family Stations for $85,000, which is $10,000 more than Family Stations had paid for KKAA/KQKD in 2004. That divestiture had come as Ingstad's Radio Ranch merged its other stations with Clear Channel's former group in the Aberdeen market, but the former Ingstad group is now owned by Prairie Winds Broadcasting. The asset purchase agreement states that the buyer has the right to apply for FM translators for the stations under the current filing window. (8/1/2017)
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