November 2008

IOWA:
KZWU/96.3 (Pleasantville) and KZWF/105.9 (Patterson) have been off the air since Oct. 14. In an application for special temporary authority to remain silent, owner Connoisseur Media states that it lost the stations' studio-to-transmitter link and has been unable to find a solution. The stations had signed on earlier this year simulcasting a Classic Country format. (11/29/2008)

MINNESOTA:
Twin Cities Public Television is planning major changes to its channel lineup coinciding with the nation's transition to digital television on Feb. 18, 2009. TPT's current offering of seven channels split among KTCA-DT and KTCI-DT will be reduced to four, and both stations will remap to channel 2 on digital receivers:
2-1 (KTCA-DT1) will offer high definition programming, combining the analog simulcast currently seen on 2-1 and the HD broadcast currently seen on 2-2. This will be the primary channel carried for KTCA on cable and satellite.
2-2 (KTCA-DT2) will carry the Minnesota Channel, currently seen on KTCI-DT2. TPT says DirecTV plans to add the channel at an unknown date.
2-3 (KTCI-DT1) will be known as TPT Life, carrying lifestyle programming along with some of the programs currently seen in the evenings on KTCI's analog channel. This will be the primary channel carried for KTCI on cable and satellite. TPT Life will be similar to the national Create channel, which TPT says it is dropping, in part, due to poor picture and sound quality.
2-4 (KTCI-DT2) will carry the weather programming that has been a fixture on KTCI for decades, although most analog cable and satellite customers will no longer be able to see it.
The remaining channel leaving the lineup is PBS Kids, which is shutting down nationally and will leave TPT's lineup on Dec. 15. The new lineup leaves room for future expansion, which TPT says could include new channels, mobile TV, or a lease of spectrum to commercial interests. (11/27/2008)

IOWA/MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
ION Media Networks and Urban Television, LLC, are proposing a novel way of getting mandatory cable and satellite coverage of a digital TV subchannel: splitting each of ION's 42 full-power TV licenses into a shared-time arrangement. Ion's stations include KFPX (Newton-Des Moines), KPXR (Cedar Rapids), KPXM (St. Cloud-Minneapolis, and WPXE (Kenosha-Milwaukee). The two companies argue that if the stations are licensed under shared-time arrangements, cable and satellite providers should be required to carry one channel for each of the licensees. Unlike other shared-time arrangements in which licensees split the broadcast day, the two licensees would broadcast simultaneously, sharing the same digital channel. Urban Television, of which ION owns 49%, is launching a new network aimed at African-Americans. The companies argue that cable and satellite coverage is an essential element of the success of the new network. (11/26/2008)

IOWA:
A car crash on Sunday, Nov. 23 killed Patrick Mormann, 31, who had worked at Radio Dubuque for the past decade. Mormann was the assistant program director and music director for 92.9 "KAT FM" (KATF) 101.1 "The River" (WVRE), and hosted afternoons on KATF and middays at WVRE. He was also producer/director for the Hawkeye Football Radio Network with Gary Dolphin. Here's more coverage from KCRG-TV9. (11/25/2008)

IOWA/ILLINOIS:
The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports that WDBQ-FM/107.5 (Galena, IL-Dubuque) has switched from Oldies to Classic Hits as "Q107.5". The change at the Cumulus station came on Friday, Nov. 14. (11/24/2008)

EARLY DIGITAL TV CONVERSIONS:
Although the deadline for full-power analog stations to end broadcating is Feb. 17, 2009, at least nine analog TV stations in the Upper Midwest have already left the air, and another three plan to end analog broadcasting before February:

Minnesota: KRII/11 (Chisholm) plans an early flash-cut to digital broadcasting on Jan. 6, 2009. The station has no digital companion channel since its initial construction permit was granted after allotments for digital channels were made. KRII is a satellite of NBC affiliate KBJR/6 (Superior, WI); owner Granite Broadcasting also controls the CBS, CW, and My Network TV affiliations in the Duluth market, but it's not known if any will be carried on KRII-DT subchannels.

Nebraska: PBS member network NET Nebraska has already ended analog broadcasting at KUON/12 (Lincoln), KPNE/9 (North Platte), KMNE/7 (Bassett), KRNE/12 (Merriman), and KTNE/13 (Alliance), while KXNE/19 (Norfolk) is off the air for digital conversion and is expected to return as digital-only within a few weeks. All of those stations are operating digitally on their former analog channel. Analog stations KYNE/26 (Omaha), KHNE/29 (Hastings), and KLNE/3 (Lexington) will remain on the air until 2/17/2009 since their digital broadcasts will continue on their current channels: KYNE/17, KHNE/28, and KLNE/26. FCC filings also indicate NET translators in Beatrice, Benkleman, Falls City, McCook, and Pawnee City have been flash-cut to digital; NET plans to convert all of its translators to digital by 2/17/2009, though the federal deadline only applies to full-power stations.

Nebraska: NBC affiliate KHAS-TV/5 (Hastings) plans an early conversion to digital-only broadcasting on Dec. 1. The station says the early switch is being made because of Nebraska's unpredictable winter weather. KHAS will be converting channel 5 from analog to digital broadcasting, and will be one of only four dozen stations in the country transmitting digitally on VHF Low (channels 2-6).

North Dakota: Prairie Public stations KWSE/4 (Williston) and KDSE/9 (Dickson) left the air on Sept. 1. Digital broadcasts continue on KWSE-DT/51 and KDSE-DT/20.

South Dakota: South Dakota Public Broadcasting station KPSD/13 (Eagle Butte) will convert to digital-only on Dec. 3. Other SDPB analog broadcasts will continue until February.

Wisconsin: WWAZ-TV/68 (Fond du Lac), which had carried FamilyNet, left the air in January 2008 for financial reasons and has received FCC permission to keep its analog transmitter silent permanently. However, WWAZ-DT/44 also left the air in January and had not returned at last report. It has proposed moving digital operations to channel 5 once WFRV (Green Bay) leaves the channel, but another filing indicates financial constraints will prevent construction of the full post-transition facility until at least 2010. WWAZ owner Pappas Telecasting filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. (11/24/2008)

WISCONSIN:
85-Watt Translator W225BF/92.9 (Mauston) is on the air relaying the Soft Oldies format of WRJC/1270 (Mauston). W225BF transmits from the same tower as WRJC-FM/92.1 west of Mauston. It's the second AM-on-FM translator in Wisconsin, the other being WISS/1100 translator W247AZ/97.3 (Berlin). The FCC has still not issued a permanent rulemaking on FM translators carrying AM stations, but is allowing the practice through special temporary authorities. Rebroadcasts of HD subchannels have also been reported in other areas of the country. (11/23/2008)

MINNESOTA:
KSTP-TV/5 (ABC) has decided to make the 11:05 p.m. Monday-Thursday newscast it added during the campaign season a permanent addition to the lineup, according to the Pioneer Press. Not only is it the only 11 p.m. newscast in the market, it may be the only 11 p.m. newscast in the central time zone. In the Eastern and Pacific time zones, "big three" network affiliates carry their late newscasts at 11 p.m. Between its newscasts and the "Twin Cities Live" magazine show, KSTP now has seven hours of live, local programming each weekday, the most of any station in Minnesota. (11/22/2008)

RADIO LAYOFFS:
Economic tough times have lead to job cuts at many radio groups nationwide. Here's a summary of some of the cuts over the past few months in the Upper Midwest: