The following are updates to stories previously reported here and smaller recent FCC filings and actions that do not merit a full story of their own at this time:
Iowa
Gray TV NBC affiliate KWQC/6.1 (Davenport) is back to full power of 1,000kW after transmitter problems that began in late November.
Family Radio’s KYFR/920 (Shenandoah) is operating at reduced power due to a transmitter problem. The station says it has been using 3.5kW daytime, instead of its usual 5kW, since Dec. 2. KYFR continues to use its licensed 2.5kW at night, with different directional antenna patterns for day and night.
Nebraska
After the FCC denied its attempt for a temporary channel-sharing arrangement with a low-power TV station, Gray TV CBS affiliate KOLN/10 (Lincoln) is trying a new method of preserving its license while it rebuilds its facility. The station’s tower collapsed during a winter storm and it faces a Jan. 18, 2021, deadline to return to the air. KOLN is now requesting a waiver of the federal law that says stations automatically forfeit their license if they are off the air for more than a year. The law gives the FCC discretion to issue waivers under limited circumstances “to promote equity and fairness.” KOLN argues that it is still serving the public with news, information, and entertainment because its programming is being distributed on subchannels of KLKN/8 (Lincoln) and KCWH-LD/18 (Lincoln), as well as cable and satellite providers. The station says installation of the new tower is expected to begin in May and it anticipates completion of the project by early August.
North Dakota
Richard B. Leavitt, the owner of KHRT/1320 and KHRT-FM/106.9 (Minot) through Faith Broadcasting, died in October, according to an application to transfer the stations’ licenses to his estate. A memorial on the stations’ website says Leavitt had owned the stations since 1982.
South Dakota
Homeslice Media Group’s KKLS/920 (Rapid City) requested an eighth extension of special temporary authority as it continues negotiations with its landlord to make changes at its transmitter site. The 2016 construction of a new power line affected the station’s directional pattern, and it has been operating at reduced power of 3.2kW day and 70 Watts night as an interim measure (it is licensed for 5kW day and 111 Watts night from a two-tower array). After several years of negotiations, the station’s latest filing says it anticipates reaching an agreement with the landlord in early 2021 and will then apply for a single-tower, non-directional facility. It also says the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the project.
Wisconsin
Magnum Communications low-power TV station WBOO-LP (Elk Mound-Eau Claire) requested extension of special temporary authority to remain silent. WBOO-LP previously broadcast in analog on channel 45 but was forced to leave that channel in July due to discontinuation of RF channels 38 and up. It has a construction permit to operate digitally on channel 18 but has not yet purchased a transmitter, according to the filing.
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