The following are updates to previously-reported items and other recent regulatory filings and actions concerning Upper Midwest broadcast stations. This report is created by the author and is not an official report of the FCC.
Iowa
Following the death of Donald L. Rabbitt, his shares in Radio Dubuque are being transferred to his children Brian Rabbitt, Lynne Schibbelhut, and Ann R. Woods. The three will each see their share of the company rise from 14.1% to 33.3%. Radio Dubuque owns KDTH/1370 (Dubuque), KATF/92.9 (Dubuque), KGRR/97.3 (Epworth-Dubuque), and WVRE/101.1 (Dickeyville, WI-Dubuque).
Following up on last week’s report, the FCC has granted program test authority for Iowa Catholic Radio’s KIHS/88.5 (Adel) to complete its upgrade from 560 Watts to 12.5kW, changing to class C3. The station is switching to a directional antenna that increases coverage to the west.
Minnesota
KSJM/89.1 (St. James), owned by Texas-based Christian Ministries of the Valley, reports that it went off the air Nov. 15. “Christian has been experiencing financial difficulties as support is down due to the recent surge in inflation,” the station’s engineer wrote in an application for special temporary authority to remain silent. “The increased economic hardships of those businesses and individuals that have always donated to KSJM to support its broadcasting, have caused our support to dwindle and all but disappear.”
After its earlier reduced power notification, Central Baptist Theological Seminary’s WCTS/1030 (Maplewood-Minneapolis) has now requested special temporary authority to operate at 10kW daytime while it makes repairs. WCTS normally transmits with 50kW daytime. The latest filing says a new transformer arrived broken and is not usable, with a six-week shipping lead time for a replacement. WCTS continues to use its licensed 4kW at night.
The FCC has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to West Central Minnesota Educational TV’s KWCM/10.1 (Appleton) for alleged public file violations. The NAL alleges that KWCM was late in uploading its quarterly issues/program lists 12 times, including nine times when they were more than a month late. The NAL proposes a $10,000 payment; the licensee must either make payment or seek a reduction or cancellation within 30 days.
Bridge News’ K26PF-D (St. Cloud) reports that it left the air Nov. 2 while it works to implement a construction permit to upgrade from 250W to 15kW.
Gray TV’s KTTC/10.1 (Rochester) has been granted a construction permit to increase power from 43.1kW to 94kW. It previously had a construction permit to upgrade to 80kW.
See also a southeastern Minnesota callsign change reported under Wisconsin
Nebraska
Community Public Media’s KKNL/89.3 (Valentine) reports that it went silent Nov. 7 due to an apparent transmitter failure.
Bible Broadcasting Network closed on its sale of K208CK/89.5 (Scottsbluff), K211GG/90.1 (Kearney), and three FM translators in other states to CSN International on Nov. 17.
North Dakota
Frank Digital Broadcasting’s K31MP-D (Grand Forks) reports that it returned to the air Aug. 8.
South Dakota
Nexstar’s KDLO-TV/3.1 (Florence-Watertown) has returned to the air on Nov. 14. KDLO-TV, a satellite of KELO-TV (Sioux Falls), went off the air last year due to a tower collapse. Construction of the new 1800-foot tower about one-third complete and the station is seeking special temporary authority to operate with an a directional antenna mounted 555 feet off ground level, using 2.8kW ERP. Filings say completion of the tower and a return to full power is expected for April 2024.
Bridge News’ K06QJ-D (Sioux Falls) reports that it left the air Nov. 1 while it works to implement a construction permit to upgrade from 100W to 3kW.
Wisconsin
Following the earlier-reported sale of WWIS-FM/99.7 (Black River Falls), WWIS/1260 (Black River Falls), and WWIS translator W287CT/105.3, the formal application to assign the licenses has been filed with the FCC. The asset purchase agreement indicates that Dan Smith’s WWIS Radio Inc. is selling the stations to G&G Media Services LLC for $465,000. G&G is owned by Bob Gabrielson, Cheryl Gabrielson, Mary J. Gerdes, and Thomas Gerdes, each of whom owns 25%. The buyer has been operating the stations under a time brokerage agreement since Sept. 28.
The Salvation Poem Foundation, owner of the Prayz Network, is standardizing many of its callsigns with a change of WGSL/104.9 (La Crosse) to WEQL and callsigns granted for new stations WEQH/88.3 (Harmony, MN), WEQE/91.5 (Melrose), and WEQW/90.5 (Westfield). The group’s first station was WEQS/89.3 (Sparta).
VCY America notified the FCC that W216BL/91.1 (McFarland), which serves the Madison area, left the air Oct. 20 for transmitter equipment replacement and testing.
Disclosure: Jon Ellis is an employee of Gray Media Group. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.