Data Dump: The Largest Upper Midwest Cities Without Full-Power Licenses

We all know that large cities and metro areas have many radio and TV stations, but it’s surprising when you realize that there are many highly-populated cities that have no full-power licenses.

While acknowledging the fact that “community of license” is largely symbolic due to the lack of any requirement that stations provide any specific service to said community, here is a look at the largest communities in each Upper Midwest state that have no full-power licenses:

Iowa

Community	Population	Rank in state
Urbandale	43,879	12
Marion	39,910	14
Waukee	22,598	23
Johnston	22,077	24
Coralville	21,630	25

Minnesota

Bloomington	85,226	5
Plymouth	78,879	7
Maple Grove	71,569	8
Woodbury	71,298	9
Eagan	66,377	11

Nebraska

Chalco	10,092	16
Schuyler	6,269	29
Offutt AFB	5,280	33
Wahoo	4,520	36
Gothenburg	3,469	44

North Dakota

Watford City	7,146	12
Minot AFB	5,974	14
Grand Forks AFB	2,785	19
Stanley	2,697	21
Hazen	2,448	24

South Dakota

Rapid Valley	8,553	14
Harrisburg	6,420	17
Tea	5,714	18
Dakota Dunes	3,231	25
Blackhawk	3,029	27

Wisconsin

Oak Creek	36,321	22
Franklin	36,013	23
Fitchburg	30,032	27
Mount Pleasant	27,008	28
Caledonia	25,182	32

Populations are from the 2020 American Community Survey

What is the most common theme? Suburbs. Most communities without licenses are in or near metro areas that have a lot of stations licensed to neighboring communities. The numbers stand out the most in Minnesota, where four of the state’s ten most populated cities have no full-power licenses.

This is largely symbolic, though, since regulations do not require stations to target programming at their community of license or do anything special to serve them, other than maintenance of a public file and a toll-free phone number. Radio and TV stations licensed to suburbs generally target their programming to the entire metro area in the same way as stations licensed to the core city.