TCT, Gray, BEK, Weigel Among Full-Power TV Auction Winners

Posted on by Jon Ellis

Tri-State Christian Television, Gray TV, BEK Sports Network, and Weigel Broadcasting will be getting new full-power TV stations in the Upper Midwest as a result of FCC Auction 112.

Of the 18 allotments sold nationwide, the one bringing in the most money was channel 27 in Grand Forks, ND, which went to BEK Sports Network with a $6,411,000 winning bid. BEK already owns two stations in western North Dakota and its new station will have the potential to reach Fargo.

The second-largest winning bid nationally was Radiant Life Ministries’ $4,955,000 bid for channel 7 in Alexandria, MN, which became vacant when the FCC paid CBS nearly $10 million to take KCCO-TV off the air. Radiant Life Ministries currently runs Tri-State Christian Television stations in Duluth, Sioux Falls, and Des Moines.

Alexandria is in the western part of the Minneapolis TV market. Though it would not be possible for one transmitter to provide a usable signal to both Alexandria and the Twin Cities, the full-power license will give TCT must-carry rights on cable and satellite providers across the Minneapolis market.

Gray TV won five allotments nationwide, including two in and near the Upper Midwest.

Gray will pay $4,480,000 for channel 9 in Freeport, IL, west of Rockford. As noted earlier, Freeport was the community of license of now-deleted WIFR/23, which Gray surrendered in the spectrum auction, moving its callsign and CBS affiliation to WIFR-LD/23.1. It pledged to bid for channel 9 when it proposed the allotment.

In northern Wisconsin, Gray will pay $182,000 for channel 26 in Eagle River. Gray first proposed adding the allotment before buying WYOW/34 (Eagle River) as part of its purchase of Quincy Media. Eagle River is in the Wausau market, where Gray owns full-power CBS affiliate WSAW and low-power FOX affiliate WZAW-LD.

Weigel Broadcasting’s TV-49, Inc. was the winning bidder for six allotments, including a $2,770,000 bid for channel 31 in Wittenberg, WI. Wittenberg is in the western part of the Green Bay market but the previous occupant of the channel, WFXS, had opted to run it as a Wausau-market station. Weigel owns several national networks including MeTV and H&I.

Marquee Broadcasting won channel 7 in Sheridan, WY, with a $150,000 bid, which was the opening amount. Sheridan is within the Rapid City market. Marquee does not own any other stations in Wyoming or South Dakota.

There were no bidders for channel 9 in Aberdeen, SD. The channel is the former home of KABY-TV; Gray TV returned that station’s license five years ago due to tower problems and now serves the city via translators.

Winning bidders must now go through the formalities of making their payments and receiving construction permits. Once permits are issued, they will have three years to build the stations.