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
The FCC continues to propose fines over late license renewal applications but cancelled one in Iowa after just a few days. On March 9, it issued notice of apparent liability proposing a $3,000 fine against licensee Fairfield Educational Radio Station, saying the license renewal application for KHOE/90.5 (Fairfield) was due Oct. 1 but not filed until Nov. 2. However, three days later the FCC issued an order noting that Media Bureau staff had told the licensee that they could file an application until Nov. 2 with no adverse action taken, so the fine was cancelled.
Minnesota
The FCC posted notice that the licenses of three Minnesota radio stations will expire April 1 if they don’t apply for license renewal before then. They are Self Retire Inc.’s KPNP/1600 (Watertown-Minneapolis), New Culture Center in the Midwest’s KQEP-LP/97.9 (St. Paul), and Range Paging’s K280AT/103.9 (Ely). License renewal applications for Minnesota radio stations were due Dec. 1.
Minnesota Public Radio reported that KNSR/88.9 (Collegeville-St. Cloud) and KSJR-FM/90.1 (Collegeville-St. Cloud) are operating at 15% of their usual 100kW due fire damage to the stations’ equipment on March 8. The requests do not specify the nature of the fire damage, and say MPR will make repairs as soon as possible. The stations transmit from separate antennas on the same tower about 15 miles west of St. Cloud.
Educational Media Foundation filed license modifications to convert KZGO/95.3 (St. Paul) and KQGO/96.3 (Edina-Minneapolis) to non-commercial status, a move which was expected since all of EMF’s stations operate non-commercially. EMF has not yet closed on the purchase of the stations first reported last year.
KTRF/1230 (Thief River Falls) tells the FCC that the pandemic has made it difficult to move forward with reconstruction of its tower, which was damaged in a 2015 storm. The station has requested a ninth extension of special temporary authority to operate at half of its usual 1kW.
North Dakota
Radio Bismarck-Mandan’s KKBO/105.9 (Flasher-Bismarck) and KXRV/107.5 (Cannon Ball-Bismarck) are operating at reduced power due to a transmission line failure. Filings say the problems began about Feb. 14 when icing on the stations’ shared antenna resulted in water getting into the transmission line, causing burnout. After a series of changes, the stations are now operating at about 10kW ERP. They normally transmit with 100kW.
HC2 Broadcasting’s K40NO-D (Grand Forks) received a construction permit to move to channel 33 as K33QM-D, with 15kW.
South Dakota
The FCC posted notice that the licenses of two South Dakota radio stations will expire April 1 if they don’t apply for license renewal before then. They are Juan Diego Radio’s KSTJ-LP/104.3 (Sioux Falls) and Seventh Generation Media Services’ KLND/89.5 (Little Eagle). License renewal applications for South Dakota radio stations were due Dec. 1.
Rapid Broadcasting and J.F. Broadcasting were granted construction permits to convert their analog low-power TV stations in Rapid City and Sioux Falls to digital operations and then immediately requested extensions until Jan. 10, 2022 to complete the work. KWBH-LP/27 (Rapid City), KAUN-LP/25 (Sioux Falls), and KCWS-LP/27 (Sioux Falls) will flash-cut to digital on their existing channels, while KKRA-LP/24 (Rapid City) was granted a construction permit for a digital companion channel on channel 25. The Rapid City stations will use 2.6kW and the Sioux Falls stations will use 720 Watts. The licensees say their efforts to convert the stations to digital were slowed by the spectrum auction repack and then the COVID-19 pandemic, and they do not believe they can complete construction by the current July 13 deadline.
Wisconsin
Baraboo Broadcasting requested extensions of the construction permits for new low-power TV stations W43DD-D (Baraboo), W45EA-D (Baraboo), and W47EA-D (Baraboo). Though licensed to Baraboo, the construction permits specify coverage areas near Tomah. The stations will also need to seek new channel numbers before they can sign on because of the discontinuation of channels 38 and up. The licensee cites a recent FCC notice allowing low-power TV stations to seek extensions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes a new deadline of Jan. 13, 2022.
Magnum Broadcasting also requested an extension of the deadline for low-power TV station WEZY-LP (Tomah) to begin digital broadcasts on channel 35. WEZY-LP had previously transmitted in analog on channel 51, a channel which was discontinued as a result of the FCC spectrum repack. Magnum seeks an extension to Jan. 13, 2022.
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