The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
In its latest request for an extension of special temporary authority for KIMI/107.7 (Malvern, IA), the Educational Media Foundation says it is “hopeful that the Air Force and the Omaha Airport will permit EMF to pay for the re-channeling of their ILS.” Complaints of interference to an air navigation frequency at Offutt Air Force Base have prevented KIMI from upgrading. The station has been operating under special temporary authority since 2013 and is requesting another six-month extension to use 110 Watts while it works to resolve the issue. It has a pending application to upgrade to 50kW/124m, rimshotting Omaha.
Weigel Broadcasting/TV-49 Inc. informed the FCC that new Class A TV station KDIT-LD/17 (Fort Dodge) has been constructed, and the FCC granted a license to cover on Dec. 10. Though licensed to Fort Dodge, the station actually transmits from a tower near Algona. A similar callsign is used by Weigel’s KDIT-CD (Marshalltown), which transmits on the same channel.
Minnesota
The FCC deleted all of Minnesota Valley TV Improvement Corporation’s low-power TV/translator licenses in Granite Falls. The system went off the air in January 2020 for financial reasons, according to an FCC filing. It had been mostly encrypted until 2018.
My Central Valley, LLC was changed the callsign of future low-power TV station K32OH-D (Duluth) to KMYN-LD and applied to modify the permit from 15kW to 7.5kW, with moving its specified transmitter site to the KCWV tower in Duluth’s antenna farm.
South Dakota
The FCC granted Real Presence Radio a construction permit to move K235DE/94.9 (Brookings) to 94.7 as K234DI, remaining 250W.
Wisconsin
The FCC granted a construction permit for new full-power FM station on 100.9 in Tomahawk to the Salvation Poem Foundation, which won the frequency in the recent FCC auction. The station, which does not yet have a callsign, will transmit with 8.5kW/173m (class C3) from a site midway between Tomahawk and Merrill. It will likely force W264CH/100.7 (Tomahawk) to move to a different frequency. Salvation Poem, a Christian broadcaster, owns four stations in western Wisconsin and was also the winning bidder for a new station on 103.1 in Crandon; a permit for the Crandon station has not yet been finalized.
Magnum Communications told the FCC that new FM translator W266DX/101.1 (Fort Atkinson-Edgerton) is operating pursuant to program test authority. It was granted during the AM Revitalization effort to relay WFAW/940 (Fort Atkinson). Though licensed to Fort Atkinson, the 250-Watt transmitter broadcasts from a site near Edgerton, rimshotting Janesville. The station’s application for license to cover also included a request to change the community of license to Janesville. The FCC approved the license to cover on Dec. 10.
NRG Media told the FCC that new FM translator W289CT/105.7 (Minocqua) is operating pursuant to program test authority. It was granted during the AM Revitalization effort to relay WLKD/1570.
My Central Valley, LLC changed the callsigns of future low-power TV stations W33DG-D/26 (La Crosse) to WZEO-LD and W34EO-D/34 (Wausau) to WRJT-LD. It applied to move WZEO-LD’s planned transmitter site from Trempeleau to a tower near La Crescent. Meanwhile, WRJT-LD applied to drop its planned power level from 15kW to 7.5kW, remaining at a site near Milladore.