October 2011

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio reports longtime radio performer Tom Keith has died at the age of 64. Keith was known nationally as the sound effects man on iconic public radio program "A Prairie Home Companion." He got his start as a board operator at MPR in the early 1970's and, besides his APHC duties, soon began playing the role of "Jim Ed Poole," a character who co-hosted MPR's "The Morning Show" for 25 years. Garrison Keillor writes on APHC's website that Keith died Sunday, Oct. 30, of a heart attack, eight days after his final performance on the show. (10/31/2011)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC continues to approve FM translator "hops" after a September decision calling such applications an "abuse of process" that attempt to "evade" or "subvert" the rules. Since that decision was issued, the FCC has approved applications for K289BO/105.7 (St. Charles) to move closer to Rochester and for W274BL/102.7 (Brainerd) to move to St. Cloud (The St. Cloud translator plans to relay KNSI/1450). At the same time, two other translators are seeking a waiver as specified in that same decision to move to St. Cloud (see report from a few days back). (10/31/2011)

WISCONSIN:
A translator that's been on the move from Beloit appears poised to make its final move into Milwaukee. Radio Power, Inc. has applied to move translator W250BN/97.9 (West Allis-Muskego) to Milwaukee, where it would use 250 Watts from a tower in Milwaukee's antenna farm. It would be enough to provide a strong signal to Milwaukee and some of its eastern and northern suburbs. The application lists Wisconsin Public Radio's WHAD/90.7 (Delafield) as the station to be rebroadcast; FCC rules would allow WPR's HD2 Classical service to be rebroadcast on the translator. Milwaukee currently does not have any analog station carrying Classical music. (10/31/2011)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
KAJF/88.5 (Ipswich) has applied for an upgrade that would give it a city-grade signal to Aberdeen. The station, owned by Church Planters of America, is currently licensed for just 100 Watts and was off the air at last report. It's applied to move to 88.9 and upgrade to 100kW/128m from a tower near Mina owned by Dakota Broadcasting. (10/31/2011)

IOWA:
Saga Broadcasting has launched "Hits 99.9" on translator K260AM/99.9 (Des Moines) with KIOA-HD2/93.3-2 serving as the primary station. The Rhythmic Hits format competes primarily with Clear Channel's "Kiss 107" (KKDM/107.5) and bears a similar name to Connoisseur Media's "Hits 105-9" (KZHZ Patterson), which will soon change formats after being sold to Iowa Public Radio. Saga bought K260AM from Horizon Christian Fellowship in 2009 and moved it from Ames to Des Moines. It uses 250 Watts from a Saga tower near Altoona with a directional antenna pointed at Des Moines. Saga already runs HD2 translators in many other markets, but this is the first one in Iowa. (10/27/2011)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
FCC filings indicate Saga Broadcasting has turned on translator K260BO/99.9 (Yankton), relaying WNAX/570. WNAX carries News and Farm programming in the morning and early afternoon and syndicated talk most of the rest of the time. Its 5kW signal is listenable on car radios in portions of seven states during the day. The FM translator serves the immediate Yankton area with 250 Watts. (10/27/2011)

WISCONSIN:
WPDR/1350 (Portage) has dropped News/Talk for `60s-`80s Oldies following the station's sale to Magnum Radio Group. The format includes live personalities, news from the Wisconsin Radio Network, and FOX Sports updates. WPDR had carried an Oldies format before switching to News/Talk. Magnum, which owns six other stations in the Portage/Wisconsin Dells/Reedsburg/Baraboo area, bought WPDR and WDDC/100.1 (Portage) from Zoe Communications earlier this year for $750,000. WDDC/100.1 and Magnum's existing WBKY/95.9 (Portage) both carry Country formats, but WBKY has a construction permit to move into the Madison market. (10/27/2011)

MINNESOTA:
Two former Minnesota Public Radio translators in Hinckley have applied to move to the St. Cloud area to relay AM stations on FM. W293AV/106.5 would relay WXYG/540's Album Rock format with 250 Watts while the former K283AN, having moved from 104.5 to 107.1, would use 225 Watts and relay the Swing/Big Band format of WMIN/1010. The translators would change their communities of license to Sauk Rapids, which is also the community of license for WXYG and WMIN. The translators are owned by Blue Wing, Inc., which shares some common ownership with WXYG/WMIN owner Tri-County Broadcasting. The move may be possible in light of a recent FCC decision that translators which might have otherwise "hopped" to a new location can instead seek a waiver for a new facility that doesn't have an overlapping coverage area with their old one. (10/25/2011)

MANITOBA:
Canadian regulators have approved Evanov Communications' purchase of two additional stations in Winnipeg and also approved a less restrictive musical format for one of the stations. Evanov, which owns recently-launched "Energy 106" (CFJL-FM/106.1), is buying CKJS/810 and CHNK-FM/100.7 from Newcap. Besides approving the sale, the CRTC approved a change to CHNK's license to allow up to 70 percent popular music selections. CHNK carries a Classic Rock format, while CKJS runs Ethnic and Christian programming and CFJL carries Rhythmic Hits. (10/24/2011)

WISCONSIN:
Metro North Communications is buying WMBE/1530 (New Holstein) from Maszka-Pacer Radio for $60,000. Metro North is owned by Mark Heller, who also runs WGBW/1590 (Denmark-Green Bay). Heller said he plans to seek a power increase for WMBE and said it would fill the null in WGBW's coverage area. WMBE, a 250-Watt daytimer, currently carries a Classic Country format and has been operated by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media under a time brokerage agreement. (10/24/2011)

NEBRASKA:
A future FM station slated to serve southeastern Nebraska instead wants to move to southwestern Iowa. Kona Coast Radio's KIMI/107.9 (Humboldt, NE) has applied to move to Sidney, IA, where it would broadcast on 107.7 with 3.8kW/134m (class C3). KIMI would have rimshot coverage of Nebraska City and Plattsmouth and possible fringe coverage of Omaha and Lincoln from a tower northwest of Sidney. KIMI received the license for its Humboldt transmitter last week but told the FCC the station went silent three days later. Humboldt has no other licensed stations, but Cedar Cove Broadcasting has a CP for new non-commercial station KNHU/90.1 and KIMI states it would not move to Sidney until KNHU signs on. Victor A. Michael is the head of both organizations. KIMI's proposed move north is only possible because of the deletion of the allotment of 107.7 to Pacific Junction, IA, which was dropped after concerns about interference to airplane navigation/communication systems came to light. (10/21/2011)

IOWA:
The "My Network TV" affiliation in the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo market has changed, but the service's programming is still not being seen in pattern with the rest of the country. The MNT lineup is now airing on KCRG-TV/9.2 (Cedar Rapids) from 12:05 to 2:05 a.m. MNT had been seen from 9 to 11 p.m. on CW affiliate KWKB/20.1 (Iowa City) since MNT's launch in 2006. "Local 9.2" carries locally-produced content in prime time with syndicated programming and repeats of newscasts from 9.1 (an ABC affiliate) at other times. (10/20/2011)

MICHIGAN:
WQXO/1400 (Munising) is operating at reduced power of 100 Watts with a temporary wire antenna after its tower collapsed. There was no word why the tower collapsed in the station's FCC filing, but they did include pictures of the collapsed tower and temporary antenna. WQXO normally uses 1,000 Watts nondirectional, which is the standard for stations operating on 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, and 1490. It carries the syndicated True Oldies Channel format with local church services and football games. (10/19/2011)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
There's about to be a shift on the upper end of the Black Hills' FM dial. KSLT/107.3 (Spearfish-Rapid City) says it'll move to 107.1 at the end of October. Booster station KSLT-FM1 (Rapid City) will also move to 107.1. The move makes way for the sign-on of new station KXZT/107.9 (Newell), owned by JER Licenses, though there's no word exactly when it will sign on -- the construction permit doesn't expire until next August. KXZT will be the tenth FM station to transmit from Terry Peak near Lead and will use 90kW/490m (class C0). JER Licenses also holds the construction permit for new station KXZS/107.5 (Wall). KXZS was originally planned to be a Rapid City rimshot but was recently granted a modification to use 8.4kW/75m from a tower southeast of Wall; the station applied for its license this week but it's not clear whether its currently on the air. (10/19/2011)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
Longtime KVLY-TV/11.1 (Fargo) anchor Robin Huebner has resigned and is considering an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against the station, The Forum reports. Huebner had been with the station since 1985 but was recently removed from the anchor chair at 10 p.m. She had continued to co-anchor on KVLY at 6:00 and on the 5:30 newscast on KXJB-TV/4.1 (Valley City-Fargo), which KVLY operates. (10/18/2011)

NEBRASKA:
VSS Catholic Communications is expanding westward with the purchase of future station KWNP/90.1 (North Platte) from Hispanic Christian Family Network for $16,000. The current construction permit for KWNP calls for 6kW/16m from a tower east of town, but the asset purchase agreement says VSS will have to find a new site. The CP is due to expire on August 3, 2012. VSS is based at KVSS/102.7 (Papillion-Omaha-Lincoln) and also has full-power stations licensed to Grand Island and Hartington. (10/18/2011)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio could have three signals in Ely under an application to move a silent translator to a new frequency. K208CR/89.5 left the air when MPR signed on WIRC/89.3 last month. Now, K208CR has applied to move to 90.1 and upgrade to full translator power of 250 Watts. The application listed WIRC as the station to be rebroadcast, though FCC rules would allow it to carry an HD subchannel. The Ely application is a different strategy than MPR used in International Falls, where it returned the license for a translator displaced by its new full-power station. (10/18/2011)

IOWA:
The Educational Media Foundation has turned on 170-Watt translator K265EH/100.9 (Waverly) carrying the "Air-1" Christian Rock network. (10/17/2011)

NORTH DAKOTA:
The "Rock 107.9" format in Grand Forks is now being heard on a third frequency, translator K239BG/95.7. Though it remains licensed to Grafton, K239BG recently completed a move of its transmitter to Grand Forks. "Rock 107.9" originates on KGFK/1590 (East Grand Forks) and is also heard on translator K300BG/107.9. Carrying KGFK on K239BG is a change of plans from Leighton Enterprise's application, which specified KNOX/1310 as the primary station. Both translators use 250 Watts but 95.7 is more centrally-located while 107.9 transmits from the KWTL/1370 tower southwest of town. (10/17/2011)

IOWA:
KZIA, Inc. has applied to move translator K292FZ/106.3 (Mount Vernon) to Iowa City, where it would use 175 Watts. The application states K292FZ would relay KZIA/102.9 (Cedar Rapids). FCC rules would allow the translator to relay one of KZIA's HD subchannels, which carry Classic Rock and a simulcast of "1600 ESPN" (KGYM Cedar Rapids). KZIA bought the translator from Educational Media Foundation earlier this year for $35,000; EMF had picked up the translator as part of its purchase of KXGM-FM/89.1 (Hiawatha) and its translators. (10/14/2011)

MINNESOTA:
KWLM/1340 (Willmar) is poised to get an FM translator. KWLM owner Lakeland Broadcasting is buying 170-Watt translator K240CU/95.9 from Refuge Media for $100,000, plus up to $10,000 to compensate Refuge for moving its Prinsburg translator to Willmar to replace K240CU in carrying the "Refuge" Christian Hits format. The application to transfer the license states K240CU will switch to KWLM's News/Talk format. Refuge also recently sold its Mankato translator (K274AL/102.7) to a commercial broadcaster, which is now using it to relay KTOE/1420. (10/13/2011)

NORTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has granted what could eventually be a new station in the Devils Lake market. Edward Paul De La Hunt received a construction permit for a new station on 95.3 in Crary, using just 200 Watts at 15 meters for now. It could eventually be upgraded to cover Devils Lake. De La Hunt won the frequency, which was originally alloted to Rugby, in a 2006 FCC auction with a $67,000 bid. Two previous construction permits for the allotment in Rugby went unbuilt in the 1980's and 1990's. (10/13/2011)

NEBRASKA:
The FCC has granted an FM station's move-in to the Kearney market. Armada Media's KMTY/97.7 (Holdrege) will change its community of license to Gibbon and transmit with 100kW/42m from a tower south of Kearney. KMTY currently carries a "Jack FM" Classic Hits/Hot AC format. (10/13/2011)

NEBRASKA:
Agnus Dei Communications is buying K252EG/98.3 (Norfolk) from VSS Catholic Communications for $12,640. VSS no longer needs the translator due to the sign-on of KOLB/88.3 (Hartington). The application to transfer the K252EG license stated that Agnus Dei plans to use the translator to relay the Catholic Chancery Office's KSTJ/91.3 (Hartford, SD), which is not yet on the air. (10/13/2011)

WISCONSIN/NEBRASKA:
Daystar's WGBD-LP/49 (Green Bay) has converted to digital. WGBD remains on channel 49 and uses 15kW, the maximum allowed for low-power digital TV. The change expands the station's theoretical coverage area to include Appleton and Manitowoc.

Meanwhile, the FCC has granted Daystar's plan to flash-cut KOHA-LP/48 (Omaha) from analog to digital on its current channel. KOHA, which is off the air, had a construction permit for digital on channel 47, but it has expired. (10/13/2011)

MINNESOTA:
Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP-TV/5.1 (St. Paul) and KSTC-TV/45.1 (Minneapolis) made some channel changes Wednesday (Oct. 12), centralizing the operation's stations under the channel 5 umbrella. Regular ABC programming continues on 5.1, but KSTC's independent lineup now remaps to 5.45. Meanwhile, This TV moved from 45.2 to 5.4 and a promotional loop of Me-TV is showing on 5.3. KSTP broadcasts on channel 35 while KSTC is on 45, both remapping to 5. (10/12/2011)

MINNESOTA:
Longtime KTOE/1420 (Mankato) personality Red Lewis (Rubin Lewis Shonbom) died Oct. 11 with his wife and other family members at his side. He was 46. "Red" spent half his life working on the air at KTOE and developed a reputation for punctuality and attention to detail, according to a tribute posted on the station's website. Services are planned for Oct. 14 in North Mankato. (10/11/2011)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio is poised to regain some of the coverage of far northeastern Wisconsin it lost nearly four decades ago when its predecessor turned off a transmitter in the region. The FCC has granted the Board of Regents of the UW System, one of the organizations which runs WPR, a new station on 89.5 licensed to Niagara. The new station will use 22kW/104m from a tower near Pembine. The new station will cover some of the area that had been served by WHMD/91.5 (Marinette, later Suring) decades ago. According to Randall Davidson's "9XM talking: WHA Radio and the Wisconsin idea," the "State FM Network" signed on WHMD in 1965 in Marinette and moved it to Suring a few years later, only to turn it off in 1973 when WPNE/89.3 moved from Chilton to Green Bay. A consultant's recommendation to move WHMD northwest to Lakewood was never implemented. The new Niagara-licensed station will not have a strong signal in Marinette, but the city is due to get better service from WPR's decade-old Sister Bay stations once they're upgraded. (10/11/2011)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio's new station in Superior has adopted a familiar callsign: WSSU. The callsign, originally standing for "Superior State University," was used on present-day KUWS/91.3 from 1966 to 1988. (KUWS is also part of WPR.) The new WSSU/88.5 will use 1kW from the Duluth hillside. (10/11/2011)

WISCONSIN:
New station WHJL/88.1 (Merrill) has signed on rebroadcasting the Christian programming of WRVM/102.7 (Suring). WHJL uses 63kW/189m (class C1) from a tower between Merrill and Tomahawk, with a main coverage area stretching from Wausau to Rhinelander. WRVM is also rebroadcast on WMVM/90.7 (Goodman) and numerous translators in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. WHJL displaced a WRVM translator in Merrill, which moved to 98.7. (10/10/2011)

IOWA:
The FCC has granted Iowa State University's purchase of KZHZ/105.9 (Patterson-Des Moines) and KZHC/96.3 (Pleasantville) from Connoisseur Communications. Iowa Public Radio announced earlier this year that KZHZ's rimshot signal will carry its Classical music service 24 hours. KZHC returned to the air a few weeks ago after upgrading to 6kW. The stations currently simulcast a Rhythmic Hits format. Here's a map comparing the KZHZ and KZHC coverage areas with IPR's existing WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames). (10/10/2011)

MANITOBA:
Bell Media rebranded CFRW/1290 (Winnipeg) as "TSN Radio 1290" at the start of the NHL season on Oct. 5, matching the branding of Bell's well-known sports TV network. Bell also made the change at a Montreal station. CFRW dropped Oldies for "Sports Radio 1290" last year. It's the radio home of the new Winnipeg Jets. (10/10/2011)

IOWA:
KSFF/1160 (Waukon) plans to switch to a Sports format on Monday, Oct. 10. The "K-FOX" lineup will include FOX Sports Radio, Dan Patrick, and Jim Rome with the planned new callsign KFXE. The station had carried a sports format before switching to the True Oldies Channel as KHPP in 2005 and then to Adult Contemporary "K-Soft" just over a year ago. (10/8/2011)

MANITOBA:
The CRTC has granted Golden West Broadcasting's CFEQ-FM/107.1 (Winnipeg) a major upgrade. It'll increase its power from 920 Watts to 100kW and its antenna height from 92m to 223m, moving to the tower used by sister CHVN-FM/95.1. CFEQ carries a Christian Rock format as "Ignite 107." Several individuals filed interventions in opposition to the application stating that the upgrade would put CFEQ in competition with other commercial broadcasters and questioning whether the station had provided sufficient proof that the upgrade was needed. The CRTC found CFEQ had submitted enough proof to show that it was not able to adequately serve Winnipeg with its existing signal and that the upgrade will not have an undue negative impact on other stations in the market, given CFEQ's specialized format. (10/8/2011)

NEBRASKA:
The FCC has denied a unique request from the Network of Glory, which owns KEIS/90.3 (York) and four other stations in other parts of the country. Network of Glory sought a waiver to carry commercials on the non-commercial stations, stating that the rural, low socioeconomic populations in its stations' coverage areas cannot provide funding to keep them on the air and that it had not been able to obtain grants. The FCC denied the waiver request for several reasons, most notably that federal law prohibits commercials on stations licensed as non-commercial. It should be noted that non-commercial stations are allowed to air paid underwriting announcements that are sometimes similar to commercials but cannot contain calls to action or comparative statements about competing products. (10/8/2011)

ONTARIO:
Radio offerings in the isolated town of Atikokan are about to increase by 50 percent. The CRTC has approved a secondary transmitter for CKPR-FM/91.5 (Thunder Bay) in Atikokan. It'll rebroadcast CKPR's Hot Adult Contemporary format on 93.5 with 180 Watts. The town of about 3,300 people receives reliable signals from only two other stations -- an FM CBC Radio One transmitter and an AM rebroadcaster of CFOB-FM/93.1 (Fort Frances). CFOB filed an intervention to the application stating that Atikokan isn't large enough to support a second commercial radio service. However, the CRTC noted that neither CFOB nor CKPR is authorized to solicit radio advertising in Atikokan and said the addition of the CKPR transmitter would bring diversity to the town. (10/5/2011)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Radio Bismarck Mandan, LLC is coming back to life, buying KXRV/107.5 (Cannon Ball-Bismarck) from World Radio Link for $625,000. The price may be reduced depending when the sale is completed. Radio Bismarck Mandan has not owned any stations since 2004 when it sold three stations to Clear Channel. The company is now 100 percent owned by Larry Schmidt, a former minority owner. KXRV carries an Adult Contemporary format as "The River." (10/3/2011)