The following are updates to previously-reported items and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
The FCC has approved the transfer of radio licenses from Iowa’s Regents universities to Iowa Public Radio, which has already operated the stations for more than a decade. The network’s flagship stations include WOI/640 (Ames-Des Moines), WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames-Des Moines), KUNI/90.9 (Cedar Falls-Waterloo-Cedar Rapids), WSUI/910 (Iowa City-Cedar Rapids), and KSUI/91.7 (Iowa City-Cedar Rapids).
The FCC granted another extension of special temporary authority for the Educational Media Foundation’s KIMI/107.7 (Malvern), which is transmitting with 110 Watts as it awaits resolution to a years-long saga over interference to airplane navigation at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The station’s latest filing says the runway in question is currently shut down and “EMF is hopeful that it can re-channel the Air Force’s ILS during the shutdown. It has been difficult to get all the parties together to complete the solution but EMF will continue to push aggressively to complete a resolution during the shutdown of the runway.” KIMI has a construction permit for 50kW/124m (class C2), rimshotting Omaha.
Edge Spectrum applied to downgrade future low-power TV station K22LJ-D (Mason City) from 5kW to 400W and K35PA-D (Mason City) from 15kW to 600W. The permits face Sept. 6 construction deadlines.
Minnesota
EICB-TV East applied to reduce the power of future low-power TV stations K14QM-D (Duluth) and K28QJ-D (Duluth) to 100 Watts each, down from 5kW and 15kW, respectively. The permits face Sept. 6 construction deadlines.
Nebraska
KROR/101.5 (Hastings-Tri Cities) is operating at reduced power due to “major renovations” on the KHGI-TV tower, which is KROR’s licensed transmission site. KROR normally broadcasts with 100kW ERP but is instead using 2kW from a nearby tower. The FM station’s filing says work on the KHGI-TV tower is expected to last 90 to 120 days.
The FCC approved a modification to the Theatre Organ Preservation of Nebraska’s construction permit for new non-commercial FM station KEZL (Culbertson-McCook) changing its frequency from 89.5 to 89.7 with 6kW/102m.
Edge Spectrum applied to reduce the power of future low-power TV station K36MO-D (Lincoln) from 15kW to 100 Watts, continuing to specify a transmitter site near Seward that would not reach the capital itself. The station faces a Sept. 6 construction deadline.
North Dakota
Red River Broadcast Corp. reported that KNRR/12 (Pembina) left the air on or about June 7. The station’s notification of suspension of operations says Red River “is investigating the cause of this loss of service and it is making its best efforts to resolve the situation and return KNRR to service.” KNRR relays FOX affiliate KVRR (Fargo) to an area along the North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba borders.
EICB-TV East and FideliTV applied to reduce the power of future low-power TV stations K34LO-D (Bismarck), K09AAC-D (Fargo), K10RQ-D (Fargo), and K18NP-D (Fargo) to 100 Watts each and K35MM-D/K42IM-D (Minot) to 900 Watts. The permits face Sept. 6 construction deadlines.
The FCC approved Townsquare Media’s purchase of most of Cherry Creek Media’s stations, including KEYZ/660 (Williston), KTHC/95.1 (Sidney, MT-Williston), and KYYZ/96.1 (Williston).
South Dakota
Northwestern Media’s KNWC/1270 (Sioux Falls) has temporarily switched to daytime-only broadcasting due to damage to its nighttime array. In its request for special temporary authority, KNWC explains that its antenna monitor suffered apparently suffered some lightning damage on May 29 and the nighttime array may have also been affected. It continues to use its licensed 5kW daytime directional facility that utilizes two of the four towers at the site.
Wisconsin
Gray TV applied to move W31EV-D (Wausau), which is currently licensed to transmit from a site northwest of Stevens Point, six miles closer to Point and upgrade from 1.2kW directional to 15kW non-directional.
Edge Spectrum applied to downgrade future low-power TV stations W26FD-D (Eau Claire) and W19DP-D (La Crosse) from 15kW to 100 Watts. The stations face Sept. 6 construction deadlines.