The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
The FCC granted a construction permit for Saga Broadcasting’s K255CV/98.9 (Spirit Lake) to move to 98.5 as K253CV, remaining 250 Watts.
The FCC granted Weigel Broadcasting/TV-49’s future low-power TV station KPWT-LD (Fort Dodge) a modification placing its transmitter in Algona with 500 Watts.
VCY America applied to convert the license of recently-acquired KTIA/99.3 (Huxley-Des Moines) from commercial to non-commercial.
The FCC approved a transaction that will see longtime majority owner Greg Wennes exit Wennes Communications. The company owns four full-power radio stations and two FM translators in Decorah and Waukon.
Minnesota
Endurance Broadcasting requested an extension of special temporary authority for KLBB/1220 (Stillwater) to continue transmitting with 20 Watts from a longwire antenna in downtown Stillwater after its longtime transmitter site was sold in 2018. The latest filing says there is a potential buyer of the station who would like to find a permanent transmitter location. It also says discussions continued about possibly relocating to one of two sites owned by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as previously reported, but that negotiations were moving slowly. A construction permit for KLBB translator K298DD/107.5, which specifies the demolished tower site, is due to expire Nov. 27. KLBB has been relaying NOAA Weather Radio station KEC65.
Gabriel Media informed the FCC that new FM translator K267CU/101.3 (Verndale) is operating pursuant to construction permit program test authority. K267CU was granted during the AM Revitalization effort to relay KSKK/1070, which switched to Catholic programming in October after Gabriel closed on its purchase of the station. As previously noted, former KSKK translator K234CQ/94.7 switched its primary station to KPRM/870 (Park Rapids), which adopted elements of KSKK’s former format.
South Dakota
Prairie Winds Broadcasting says KGIM/1420 (Aberdeen) continues to broadcast with reduced power from the KSDN/930 transmitter site, as it has since losing access to its previous site in 2017. KSDN itself is still working to recover from a 2011 lightning strike and recently requested another extension of special temporary authority to transmit at reduced power. KGIM’s latest filing says its permanent relocation is “intertwined” with KSDN’s repairs and that KGIM won’t apply for a construction permit to permanently move its licensed facility to the KSDN site until the KSDN project is complete.
Wisconsin
Call Communications Group submitted an application for a new station on 89.5 in Ixonia. Though the filing window for new non-commercial FM stations closed at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 9, the applicant’s engineer states that he attempted to submit the application three to five minutes prior to the deadline but encountered an error on the FCC’s Licensing and Management System. REC Networks has identified a half-dozen other applications for the frequency.
Zoe Communications reports that WXCE/1260 (Amery) and its associated FM translator, W297CU/107.3, went off the air Nov. 11. A notification of suspension of operations reports that Zoe is exploring options for removing several of WXCE’s towers and going non-directional at reduced power. The station is currently licensed for 5kW day and night with different day and night directional patterns, which use three towers during the day and four at night. WXCE had dropped its Classic Hits format last year and rebroadcast two sister stations in the interim.
The FCC approved iHeartMedia’s plan to move WIBA/1310 (Madison) to sister WTSO/1070’s tower site. WIBA currently uses 5kW non-directional day and directional night and will use 4.8kW non-directional day and 1.4kW directional at night from the WTSO site. The site is south of Madison in the Town of Dunn.