September 2007

IOWA:
KSMA-FM/98.7 (Osage-Mason City) has dropped its "Kiss" Contemporary Hits format and is stunting with a variety of music. KSMA-FM, along with KLKK/103.7 (Clear Lake), was divested to Coloff Media as part of Three Eagles Broadcasting's purchase of the former Clear Channel Mason City group. Coloff is in the process of moving KSMA and KLKK from "Radio Park" (KGLO/1300 and KIAI/93.9) to new studios in downtown Mason City. Meanwhile, the market's original Three Eagles stations (KRIB/1490, KYTC/102.7, and KLSS/106.1) will be moving to Radio Park. (9/30/2007)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
Leighton Broadcasting's KNOX-FM/94.7 (Grand Forks) has flipped to Classic Rock as "Power 94.7." The station's former "Rooster" Classic Country format is now at KCNN/1590 (East Grand Forks), which had aired syndicated Talk and Sports, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and ESPN Radio. General Manager Jeff Hoberg tells the Grand Forks Herald it was "getting harder and harder to sell national political talk," but some of KCNN's syndicated programming may move to the nighttime lineup at sister station KNOX/1310. Meanwhile, the move puts 94.7 in competition with the Classic Hits format of "96.1 The Fox" (KQHT) and the Rock format of KJ108 (KJKJ/107.5), both owned by Clear Channel. Leighton still has KYCK/97.1 in the FM Country arena, competing with Clear Channel's "Cat Country 100.3" (KSNR). (9/28/2007)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The Rapid City Journal reports that KIMM/1150 has returned to the air with its Classic Country format after a brief silence, and is no longer being managed by Badlands Broadcasting. Instead, the paper reports Carson Aasen, owner of the Quik Quarter shopper, is running the station, which is owned by Duane D. Butt. (9/28/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Three Eagles has dropped "Eagle Country" at KQYK/95.7 (Lake Crystal-Mankato) in favor of Active Rock as "The Blaze." The flip follows two changes in the market: the Linder family's KATO-FM/93.1 (New Ulm-Mankato) launched a Country format on Monday, and Three Eagles purchased the market's heritage Country station, KYSM-FM/103.5, from Clear Channel. 95.7's new format could work with sister Classic Hits station 105.5 "The Buzzard" (KRBI-FM St. Peter) to compete with KXLP's Rock format, which moved from its longtime home at 93.1 to a new, weaker signal at 94.1 last Friday. (9/27/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio reports its parent company, American Public Media Group, has agreed to buy WMCU/89.7 (Miami, FL), and plans a Classical format for the station. Miami currently has no Classical outlet. APMG will pay Trinity International Foundation $20 million for WMCU. APMG also owns stations in California and Idaho, in addition to the MPR stations in Minnesota and bordering states. (9/27/2007)

NEBRASKA:
The price for Legacy Communications' purchase of Tracy Broadcasting's four stations in the Scottsbluff market is $1.775 million, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. Legacy began operating the stations on Sept. 1 under a time brokerage agreement. See the report from Sept. 6 for more information. (9/26/2007)

NEBRASKA:
KRKR/95.1 (Lincoln) has ended its nine-year-old "95 Rock" Classic Hits format and is telling listeners to tune to 92.9 "The Eagle" (KTGL Beatrice-Lincoln). Last week the FCC granted KRKR a move to the Omaha market, licensed to Valley, where it will operate on 94.9 with 6kW/100m from a tower west of Omaha. Chapin Enterprises is moving KRKR and KFRX/102.7 into the Omaha market as part of its role as qualified intermediary seeking a buyer for the former Three Eagles stations. (9/26/2007)

IOWA/NEBRASKA:
In action related to the previous item, the FCC has also approved a construction permit for KCSI/95.3 (Red Oak, IA) to move into the Omaha market. KCSI will change its community of license to Treynor, IA, using 22.5kW/105m from a tower east of Council Bluffs. Both 95.3 and KRKR/94.9 (Valley, NE) will have good signals to most of the metro area. (9/26/2007)

MINNESOTA:
After a weekend of stunting with "Tie Me Kangaroo Down," KATO-FM/93.1 (New Ulm-Mankato) has launched a Country format as "Minnesota 93." The change comes after Linder's Minnesota Valley Broadcasting bought the 100kW station, formerly KXLP, and moved its longtime Rock format to the new 94.1 (Eagle Lake-Mankato) last Friday. Three Eagles sold 93.1 to the Linders to comply with market ownership caps following its purchase of Clear Channel's Mankato group. The Linders also assumed Clear Channel's local marketing agreement with Radioactive LLC to operate 94.1, and later agreed to buy KYSM/1230 (Mankato) from Three Eagles as well. An asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC Monday lists the price for 1230 at $700,000. (9/25/2007)

NEBRASKA:
A week after the Contemporary Hits format of KFRX/102.7 (Lincoln) moved to KLMY/106.3, 102.7 has returned to the air as "The Breeze" with an Adult Contemporary format. 102.7 holds a construction permit to move to Papillion (Omaha market) and is ID'ing as "KLMY Lincoln and Papillion" but appears to still be transmitting from Lincoln. Meanwhile, the FCC database is still listing 102.7 as KFRX and 106.3 as KLMY, though the stations are using swapped callsigns on the air. (9/25/2007)

NEBRASKA:
Legacy Communications is adding two more stations to its new group in the Scottsbluff market. Legacy is buying the construction permits for KHYY/99.3 (Mitchell) and KETT/106.9 (Minatare) from College Creek Broadcasting for a yet-to-be-disclosed price. Jody McCoy of Media Services Group was the exclusive broker and represented the seller in the transaction. Legacy entered the market earlier this month with the purchase of Tracy Broadcasting's four stations. (9/24/2007)

MINNESOTA:
There's a shakeup coming to the Mankato radio dial Friday (9/21) at 5 p.m., with KXLP's Rock format slated to move from its decades-long home at 93.1 to the new KXRP/94.1 (Eagle Lake). It's not clear what the future holds for 93.1 -- its 100kW signal licensed to New Ulm has much wider coverage than KXRP, which will transmit with 3.8kW/127m from a tower in North Mankato. 94.1 is licensed to Radioactive, LLC, but a Mankato Free Press report suggests new 93.1 owner Minnesota Valley Broadcasting, owned by the Linder family, has an agreement to operate 94.1. The Linders picked up KXLP after Three Eagles Broadcasting bought Clear Channel's Mankato group, including KXLP, and needed to divest one FM station. The Free Press also reports that Three Eagles has since agreed to sell KYSM/1230 (Mankato) to the Linders as well, leaving KYSM-FM/103.5 (Mankato) as the only former Clear Channel station retained by Three Eagles. An application to transfer 1230's license has not yet been filed with the FCC. (9/21/2007)

NEBRASKA:
After the move of KFRX's longtime Contemporary Hits format from 102.7 to KLMY/106.3 (Lincoln) earlier this week, All Access reports a similar move is planned for KRKR/95.1 (Lincoln). In early October, the "95 Rock" format will move to KTGL/92.9 (Beatrice-Lincoln), which currently has a similar format as "The Eagle." The moves follow Three Eagles Broadcastings' purchase of Clear Channel's former Lincoln group and its subsequent divestiture of 95.1 and 102.7 to comply with market ownership caps. Chapin Enterprises, acting as a qualified intermediary, is in the process of moving both 95.1 and 102.7 into the Omaha market. (9/21/2007)

MINNESOTA/NORTH DAKOTA:
James Ingstad's "Bob 95 FM" (KBVB/95.1 Barnesville, MN-Fargo) has applied to move its transmitter from its longtime site east of Barnesville to the KVXR/1280 site south of Moorhead. The move would strengthen KBVB's signal in Fargo-Moorhead, but the station would also lose strong coverage to Detroit Lakes (its former community of license), Fergus Falls, and Breckenridge/Wahpeton. To allow for KBVB's move, Jose J. Garcia Jr. is proposing moving the allotment for 94.5 Enderlin, ND, to 107.3, and transmitting from the current KQLX AM-FM tower in Lisbon. (Both KQLX AM and FM have construction permits to move closer to Fargo.) Garcia won 94.5, a possible Fargo market station, in FCC Auction No. 62 with a $471,000 bid, but a construction permit for the station has not yet been issued. The proposed 107.3 facility would not deliver a strong signal to Fargo. Garcia and Ingstad signed a "memorandum of agreement" but any possible financial transaction between the two was not disclosed. (9/20/2007)

NEBRASKA:
Three Eagles Broadcasting has moved the longtime Contemporary Hits format of KFRX/102.7 (Lincoln) to KLMY/106.3, displacing a three-year-old Adult Contemporary format on 106.3. The move happened at 6 a.m. Tuesday (9/18) after a night of stunting. 102.7 is now broadcasting a repeating message telling listeners to tune to 106.3. The move was made because KFRX, now owned by Chapin Enterprises, has a construction permit to move into the Omaha market. Chapin is acting as a qualified intermediary looking for a buyer for 102.7 and KRKR/95.1 as part of Three Eagles' purchase of the former Clear Channel group in Lincoln. KRKR has also applied to move into the Omaha market. (9/19/2007)

MINNESOTA:
The saga over Cumulus Media's construction permit for a new station in the Rochester area continues. Cumulus initially won the CP for a new class A station on 103.9 in Lanesboro in FCC Auction No. 37 with a $3.5 million bid. Earlier this year, the FCC approved changing the CP's community of license to Chatfield, giving the CP a rimshot signal to Rochester from a tower near I-90 south of Eyota. Now, Cumulus has applied to change the community of license again, this time to Eyota, with a tower north of Eyota delivering a slightly different rimshot signal to Rochester. Cumulus also proposes changing the community of license of its KFIL-FM/103.1 from Preston to Chatfield, though KFIL-FM's facility would not have any substantial change. (9/18/2007)

MINNESOTA:
"REV" is back on the Minnesota airwaves at Regent Communications' KKSR/96.7 (Sartell-St. Cloud), which dropped its seven-year-old "Kiss" Contemporary Hits format for Modern Rock on Saturday (9/15). "REV 96-7" is streaming online. The rhythmic-leaning "Kiss" format and the Hot AC format of sister Regent station "Mix 94.9" (KMXK Cold Spring) had competed with Leighton Enterprises' CHR KCLD/104.7 from both sides of the musical spectrum. "REV" may work with Regent's Classic Rock "Z103.7" (KLZZ Waite Park) to target Herbert Hoppe's "Rockin' 101" (WHMH/101.7 Sauk Rapids). The previous "REV" enjoyed a cult following during its run in the Twin Cities market from 1994 to 1997. (9/17/2007)

MINNESOTA/NORTH DAKOTA:
KRJB/106.3 (Ada, MN) has completed its move to 106.5, upgrading from 6kW to 100kW. The upgrade puts Fargo-Moorhead in KRJB's main coverage area, though the station appears to be sticking with its format of Country and local information targeting the Ada area. KRJB celebrated its 20th anniversary serving Ada on Saturday (9/15), the day after the tower project was completed. Photos of the tower construction are posted at krjbradio.com. (9/17/2007)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
KKAG/740 (Fargo) has changed its callsign to KVOX, completing the move of the "Fan" sports format from the former KVOX/1280 (Moorhead) to the larger 50kW signal at 740. 5kW 1280 is now KVXR and is carrying Relevant Radio after James Ingstad donated the station to Voice of Reason Radio, a Catholic group, to stay under market ownership caps following the purchase of 740. (9/17/2007)

SOUTH DAKOTA/WYOMING:
"US99" is the latest entrant to the Rapid City market, carrying ABC's Real Country format. "US99" is KRKI/99.5 (Newcastle, WY), which upgraded from 400W to 100kW/224m (class C1) using a tower southwest of Hill City. The station also has a 550W booster in Rapid City. KIMM and KRKI are operated by Bad Lands Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Oregon Trail Broadcasting, which also owns Oldies "B102" (KFMH/101.9 Belle Fourche-Rapid City). KRKI's upgrade displaces translator K258AJ/99.5 (Rapid City), which had rebroadcast KRCS/93.1 (Sturgis). (9/17/2007)

WISCONSIN:
Longtime La Crosse radio host Brucie Bumchuckles has returned on 105.5 "The Zoo" (WFBZ Trempeleau) after leaving "Classic Rock 100.1" (WKBH Holmen) in January. "The Zoo" had been carrying Bob & Tom in mornings since debuting its Classic Rock format a year ago. In other La Crosse radio developments: Chris Collins has joined Debbie Brague for mornings on "Magic 105" (WLXR), Ric Franke has joined "Classic Rock 100.1" for afternoons, Jocko is the new night guy at "Z93" (WIZM-FM), and Lucy Lamar is no longer covering afternoons at "CC106" (WQCC/106.3). (9/17/2007)

IOWA:
KILR-FM/95.9 (Estherville) has received a construction permit to upgrade to 50kW/150m (class C2), moving its transmitter to the south. The move would give KILR-FM a strong signal to Spencer and improve its signal to the Lake Okoboji area. (9/14/2007)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Phasor Physics of Salt Lake City is buying K277BI/103.3 (Sturgis) from Edgewater Broadcasting for $1,000, and plans to use the 32W translator to rebroadcast KYDT/103.1 (Sundance, WY). K277BI applied for a license to cover earlier this year, but it's not clear of the station is actually on the air. (9/14/2007)

DIGITAL BROADCAST ON ANALOG CABLE THROUGH 2012:
The FCC has decided to require that cable TV systems continue offering local broadcast stations to all cable subscribers after the transition to digital broadcasting is completed on February 17, 2009. Cable TV is not part of the required analog shutoff, and about 35% of households nationwide are analog-only cable subscribers. To ensure that all cable customers can receive local stations, systems will be required to either downconvert digital broadcast signals to analog or provide digital receivers to all customers. The requirement will continue until at least February 2012. Click here for more information. (9/13/2007)

MICHIGAN:
The Estate of Lyle Robert Evans has been granted a construction permit for a new station on 820 in Escanaba. The station will use 2.5kW day and 750W night, directional. In granting the CP, the FCC rejected an informal objection from KMB Broadcasting, licensee of WDBC/680 and WYKX/104.7 (Escanaba), stating that the CP should not be granted because the applicant did not have reasonable assurance that the transmitter could be put at the proposed site. The FCC said the allegation, if true, would not have been serious enough to lead to dismissal of the application, and noted that the proposed site was changed in a later amendment. The Estate also holds a CP for a new station on 1220 in Escanaba. (9/13/2007)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has issued a $7,000 Notice of Apparent Liability to the owner of KRCQ/102.3 (Detroit Lakes) for failure to file a timely license renewal application and staying on the air after the license expired on April 1, 2005. The station remained on the air for more than two years until a special temporary authority was granted to continue broadcasting. The license has now been renewed. KRCQ is licensed to Detroit Lakes Broadcasting Company, of which Ken Buehler of Duluth is the sole owner. He has thirty days to pay the fine or ask for a reduction or cancellation. (9/13/2007)

MINNESOTA:
WJRF/89.5 (Duluth) has resubmitted its application to ugprade to 100kW/154m (class C1), using a directional antenna to limit the signal towards WHSA/89.9 (Brule, WI). A similar application was previously withdrawn. The upgrade would give the flagship of "The Refuge" Contemporary Christian network a city-grade signal to Cloquet and Two Harbors and also improve reception in Duluth, where severe intermodulation problems exist. (9/12/2007)

MINNESOTA:
KUMD/103.3 (Duluth) returned to the air over the weekend, but is still not back up to full power of 100kW. The station says it hopes to have its antenna repaired soon. (9/12/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Lakeland Public Television (KAWE Bemidji/KAWB Brainerd) has received a $398,436 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program to help pay for digital upgrades. The PBS member station provides the only local newscast for north-central Minnesota, and is also carried on satellite services throughout the Minneapolis market. (9/11/2007)

MICHIGAN:
WMKC/102.9 (St. Ignace) has applied to change its community of license to Indian River in the southern peninsula. WMKC's transmitter is already in the southern peninsula, and no actual facility change is being proposed at this point. (9/10/2007)

MANITOBA:
The CRTC has denied an application from Corus Entertainment's CJOB/680 (Winnipeg) to add a 100kW FM simulcaster on 106.3. The FM station would have been a secondary transmitter of CJOB, rather than a full move to FM. CJOB said the FM transmitter was needed because of "signal deficiencies encountered in the downtown core and outlying areas" and to reach out to younger audiences. CJOB contended that the application was similar to the CBC's recent addition of two 2.8kW FM rebroadcasters in Winnipeg. However, the CRTC noted that CJOB's proposed FM rebroadcaster would have exceeded its AM coverage area, while the CBC FM transmitters are "nested" within their AM counterparts' coverage areas. The CRTC also agreed with some who expressed concern that the addition of the FM transmitter would violate market cap rules, which prohibit one company from owning more than two stations in the same language on either AM or FM in a market the size of Winnipeg. Corus also owns CJKR/97.5 and CJZZ/99.1. Click here for the entire decision. (9/9/2007)

MINNESOTA:
FOX 9 (KMSP) announced Friday it has purchased 400 tickets to the Minnesota Vikings' Sunday (9/9) season opener, averting a TV blackout. The blackout would have affected KMSP along with KXLT/FOX47 (Rochester) and KEYC-DT2 (Mankato). The stations collectively serve 60 of Minnesota's 87 counties. The Star Tribune reports the blackout would've meant a loss of a quarter-million dollars in ad revenue for KMSP. (9/7/2007)

MINNESOTA:
KUMD/103.3 (Duluth) is temporarily off the air due to antenna damage. The station continues to stream some programming online. (9/7/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Lakeland Public Television reports that Troy Paskvan hopes to sign on WMIS/92.1 by September 24, and Lou Buron plans to sign on his new station on 104.5 this fall. Both stations will be licensed to Blackduck and will target the Bemidji market. Click here to watch the newscast (the story is in the second segment). 92.1 and 104.5 are among five commercial stations potentially coming to the area. Roger Paskvan holds a construction permit for 1300 (Bemidji), while Edward De La Hunt won the auction for 102.5 (Kelliher) and has also applied for 820 (Wilton). (9/6/2007)

NEBRASKA:
Hometown Family Radio, a subsidiary of Legacy Communications, has announced it's buying Tracy Broadcasting's group in the Scottsbluff market. The stations are Oldies KOAQ/690 (Terrytown), News/Talk KOLT/1320 (Scottsbluff), Classic Rock KOZY-FM/93.3 (Gering), and Adult Contemporary KMOR/101.3 (Bridgeport). KOZY-FM and KMOR recently traded formats, as KOZY-FM moved from 103.9 to 93.3, but the official FCC callsigns have not been changed. The purchase price was not immediately disclosed. The new owners are taking over operation of the stations through a local marketing agreement and have retained general manager Julie Marshall. Legacy, headed by congressional candidate and former Grand Island mayor Joseph Jay Vavricek, owns and/or operates four radio stations in the Grand Island/Kearney market and three in McCook, and holds construction permits for two stations in the North Platte/Ogallala market. (9/6/2007)

WISCONSIN:
Saga's "Smooth Jazz 106.9" (WJZX Brookfield-Milwaukee) has moved its transmitter from Menomonee Falls to Milwaukee, improving the station's signal to the core of the market. The station now uses a directional antenna limiting coverage to the south to prevent interference to WPPN/106.7 (Des Plaines, IL-Chicago). (9/6/2007)

NEBRASKA:
The price for NRG Media's purchase of Triad Broadcasting's five stations in the Lincoln area is $17.5 million, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. NRG is already operating KLIN/1400 (Lincoln), KFGE/98.1 (Milford-Lincoln), KLNC/105.3 (Lincoln), KBBK/107.3 (Lincoln), and KWBE/1450 (Beatrice) through a local marketing agreement. (9/4/2007)

WISCONSIN:
The price for Magnum Communications' purchase of NRG Media's three stations in Reedsburg, WI, is $1.1 million, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. The stations are WRDB/1400, WBDL/102.9, and WNFM/104.9. (9/4/2007)

TRANSLATOR/LPFM SIGN-ONS:
The following stations have applied for licenses to cover, indicating they have signed on or will soon:

WISCONSIN:
Radio/DX Information from Wisconsin reports that Christian WVCY-TV/30 (Milwaukee) is off the air due to an equipment problem and should return mid-week. (9/4/2007)

NEBRASKA/WISCONSIN:
Broker Kalil & Co. tells the national sites NRG Media is selling four radio stations in Nebraska and three in Wisconsin. In Nebraska, Armada Media is buying KODY/1240 and KXNP/103.5 (North Platte) and KUVR/1380 and KMTY/97.7 (Holdrege-Kearney) from NRG for $4.5 million. Armada's holdings include one station in Imperial and three in McCook, one of which has a construction permit to move to the North Platte market, as well as a CP for a new station in McCook. In Wisconsin, Magnum Radio is buying WRDB/1400, WBDL/102.9, and WNFM/104.9 (Reedsburg) from NRG for a yet-to-be-disclosed price. Magnum owns three other stations in the Wisconsin Dells/Portage area. (9/1/2007)