September 1999

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
The FCC has granted a major move-in to the Twin Cities market. KARP/96.3 (Glencoe), currently operating with 50kW from a site west of Glencoe, will be allowed to upgrade to 100kW from a site located near Watertown. KARP's primary coverage area will include all but the eastern suburbs of St. Paul, but the signal will still be OK there. KARP is owned by Roosevelt Broadcasting, with a mailing address in Mankato, and currently programs a Country-based Farm format. To make room for the move, WJMC-FM/96.3 (Rice Lake) will downgrade from 100kW to 50kW, change frequency to 96.1, and move its transmitter north. (9/28/99)

IOWA:
WPW Broadcasting is buying KWPC/840 and KWCC/93.1 (Muscatine) from Muscatine Communications. (9/28/99)

IOWA:
Eric Wertheim has been named General Manager at KYOU/FOX15 (Ottumwa). (9/28/99)

NORTH DAKOTA:
In Bismarck, the Educational Media Foundation now has a full-power affiliate for its "K-LOVE" Christian AC network, KQDY/94.5, so the former K-LOVE translator has switched to the Foundation's other network. K207CA/89.3 airs Christian Hits from "Air 1." KLRD in Yucapia, CA is the feeder station for the Air1 network. (9/28/99)

IOWA:
The FCC has given KELR/105.5 (Chariton) a CP to move to 105.3 and upgrade to 50kW. (9/28/99)

MINNESOTA:
The nine Twin Cities FM stations transmitting from KMSP's Shoreview tower got back up to 100% power Sunday (9/26) after some damage that occured during DTV work was repaired. (9/27/99)

MINNESOTA:
KBAJ/105.5 (Deer River) has signed on, relaying 92.1 Kiss FM (WWAX Hermantown-Duluth). KAOD/106.7 (Babbitt) and WXXZ/95.3 (Grand Marais) also relay WWAX, and all are owned by Red River Broadcasting. (9/26/99)

WISCONSIN:
Ryan West joins WBAY/2 (Green Bay) as Weekend Sports Anchor. (9/25/99)

WISCONSIN:
WAQE-FM (Rice Lake) is apparently testing its new facility at 99.1. An unmodulated signal is on the frequency late Thursday night, while regular programming is heard on WAQE/97.7. Once WAQE makes the move to 99.1, WKFX/97.7 (Barron) will be able to sign on. Both stations are owned by Tom Koser. (9/24/99)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
Clear Channel is purchasing Thomas Ingstad's stations in the Grand Forks market: Star 1440 (KKXL), XL93 (KKXL-FM/92.9), Mix 96.1 (KQHT), Kool 100-3 (KSNR), and KJ108 (KJKJ/107.5). (9/22/99)

MINNESOTA:
KFTC/26 (Bemidji) will begin testing during the week of October 18, and regular programming will begin shortly after that. KFTC will knock Red River Broadcasting's K26AC off the air. Red River didn't know what I was talking about when I called them. (9/22/99)

IOWA:
KCCQ/105.1 (Ames) has become the Modern Rock-formatted Channel Q following Clear Channel's purchase of the station. The change is not entirely a surprise since KCCQ was playing Contemporary Hits, and Clear Channel just started up a CHR format on KKDM/107.5 (Des Moines). Interestingly enough, KKDM was Modern Rock before the change. The shift took place over the weekend. (9/21/99)

MINNESOTA:
Clear Channel's not-yet-on-the-air station in Bemidji, KAGR/26, has changed call letters to KFTC. Bemidji is in the Minneapolis TV market, where Clear Channel's WFTC/29 is the FOX affiliate. Gee, I wonder what they'll do with KFTC... (9/21/99)

MINNESOTA:
Southpoint Educational Radio's permit for a new station on 89.5 in Montevideo has been assigned the call letters KBPG. (9/21/99)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC says it intends to look closely at Brill Media's purchase of KUSZ/107.7 (Proctor-Duluth). If approved, Brill would not be over ownership caps, but the commission appears to be concerned about market/revenue share. Brill already owns B105, Kool 101.7, and WEBC/560 and operates KUSZ ("The New Point") under an LMA. (9/20/99)

WISCONSIN:
WHSM/910 (Hayward) has replaced its Sports format with Nostalgia from Jones Radio Networks. (9/19/99)

MINNESOTA:
WCCO/830 has been operating from its backup transmitter for the last few days while the tower of its primary site is being repainted. The backup is the old KANO/1470 site. (9/19/99)

MINNESOTA:
104-1 The Point is now being positioned as "Today's Alternative and Retro," which means that WXPT's playing a little more gold. Does this possibly have anything to do with Zone 105's modification to "20 Years of Alternative Classics"? What ever happened to new music? (9/17/99)

WISCONSIN:
Cumulus Media took over WDUZ/1400 and WQLH/98.5 (Green Bay) yesterday (9/16), and has a three year option to buy the stations. Green Bay Broadcasting, controlled by the Laird family, has owned WDUZ since it signed on in 1947 and WQLH since 1967. Cumulus, the nation's third largest radio group, also operates WOGB/103.1, WJLW/106.7, and WXWX/107.5 in the market. (9/17/99)

IOWA/MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
NBC is buying a 32% stake in Paxson Communications, owner of PAX TV, which owns and operates most of its affiliates. That means NBC will own 32% of KFPX/39 (Newton-Des Moines), KPXR/48 (Cedar Rapids), KPXM/41 (St. Cloud-Twin Cities), and WPXG/55 (Kenosha-Milwaukee). (9/17/99)

MINNESOTA:
KTCI-DT/16 will "officially" begin broadcasting today (9/16) at 7:30 p.m. Here's more information. (9/16/99)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio will sign on its new Door County stations, WHND/89.7 and WHDI/91.9 (Sister Bay) at 5 p.m. today (9/16). WHND will carry the NPR News and Classical Music network, and WHDI will carry the Ideas network (talk with NPR news). The Ideas network's talk hosts will then be broadcasting from Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay all day Friday. (9/16/99)

WISCONSIN:
Contessa Brewer is joining WTMJ-TV/4 (Milwaukee) as a weekend anchor. She's moving from another Journal Broadcasting station in California. TMJ also welcomes John Mercure, who moves from Green Bay's WLUK/11 to be a general assignment reporter. (9/16/99)

MINNESOTA:
Red River Broadcasting will take over operations of Duluth stations WWAX/92.1 and KZIO/104.3 on October 1. KQDS/94.9 will be moved into the current WWAX/KZIO facility in Canal Park, and the London Road building that KQ has been located in for a long time will be used for FOX 21. (9/13/99)

MINNESOTA:
WNCB/89.3 (Duluth) Has hired Al Gilbertson, formerly of KCGN/101.5 (Ortonville) as its Director of Engineering. Most of the staff of KCGN were let go in January after the station was donated to Praise FM out of Osakis. (9/13/99)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
(Not-so-latest news) Sioux Falls has a UPN affiliate in KCPO-LP/26. The 18.2kW station is owned by G.I.G. Inc. and has been on the air since January. It also carries Bloomberg Information Television. (9/12/99)

NORTH DAKOTA:
News/Talk 710 KXMR (Bismarck) started up yesterday (9/10). Programming includes Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Jim Rome, One-on-One Sports, the Vikings, and the Broncos. Rush and the Vikings move over from KLXX/1270 (both are Cumulus stations). (9/11/99)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN:
Red River Broadcasting's FOX21 (KQDS-TV Duluth) is seen on these translator stations: 31 Hayward, 45 Ashland, 32 Ironwood, K18AI Grand Rapids, 31 Hibbing, 47 Virginia, and 45 International Falls. The I Falls station is not yet on the air. K18AI used to rebroadcast Red River's KVRR and has been on the air since 1982. I can find no record of any of the other stations from the FCC website, but the FCC website is not exactly the most accurate resource. (9/10/99)

MINNESOTA:
KSTP-TV/5 has announced that Julie Nelson will officially be Colleen Needles' replacement on the 10 p.m. newscast. Nelson has been filling in for Needles since she left earlier this summer due to family medical problems. (9/9/99)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Jonathan Murray has joined KXMB/12 (Bismarck) as a reporter and Noon newscast anchor. (9/9/99)

WISCONSIN:
WKTT/98.1 (Cleveland) is being sold from Tri-County Radio to Radio K-T, Inc. (9/9/99)

MINNESOTA:
Disney has adjusted Zone 105's format into more of a "Classic Alternative" direction, but they still play some new tracks. They're also labeling many songs as "flashbacks," outside of the already-existing "Flashback Lunch" and "Flashbacks at Five." (9/9/99)

WISCONSIN:
All Access reports that the company buying WCSW/WGMO (Shell Lake) from Charles Lutz is Zoe Communications. Lutz, who is also the mayor of Shell Lake, has made many enemies in the area. Business owners in one town told him to get out of town when he tried to cover a parade earlier this summer, and sales representatives have gotten a similar reception in other places. Just about every broadcasting no-no was done at Lutz' WCSW/WGMO, and the stations' sale ends a very humorous listening experience for other broadcasters in the area. (9/9/99)

MINNESOTA:
Hubbard Broadcasting has opened a store at the Mall of America to sell the merchandise of its KSTP properties. (9/7/99)

WISCONSIN:
WGMO/95.3 (Shell Lake) has dropped ABC's "Stardust" Nostalgia format in favor of Classic Rock. The new format appears to be locally automated. Meanwhile, Stardust moves to sister WCSW/940, displacing ABC's "Real Country." WCSW is running WGMO's old liners with no ID's (WGMO never gave ID's during Stardust, either). Rumor has it that the stations are being sold. (9/6/99)

MICHIGAN:
WOBE/100.7 (Crystal Falls) recently received permission to go on the air with 315W at 17m, instead of the original 100kW at 149m. The station was expected to sign on this month with an Oldies format. (9/6/99)

MINNESOTA:
WNCB late-nighter Yehuda takes over the evening position at the station. Also, Paul Isaac is back to middays after a summer spent in Turkey. (9/4/99)

MINNESOTA:
Three Eagles Communications is buying Nobles Broadcasting's properties: KWOA/KWOA-FM/KITN (Worthington), KLGR/KLGR-FM (Redwood Falls), and the CP for 105.9 Belview. Three Eagles already owns KQAD/KLQL (Luverne) and recently bought three stations in the Albert Lea market. (9/2/99)

NORTH DAKOTA:
The target sign-on date for KXND/24 (Minot) and KNDX/26 (Bismarck) is October 31. They'll be FOX affiliates, and translators are planned for Dickinson and Williston. (9/2/99)

MINNESOTA:
KVBM/45 (Minneapolis) has dropped the Home Shopping Network for the Shop at Home network. Many cable systems are now carrying HSN on a different channel. (9/1/99)

MINNESOTA:
Today, Duluth got its first new TV station in more than three decades. FOX 21 (KQDS-TV) is officially on the air, and replaces FOXNet on cable systems in the area. (9/1/99)