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
For the second time, the FCC has changed the tentative selectee for a new station on 88.1 in Burlington after additional claims from one of the applicants. Using its points-based system to resolve competing non-commercial applications, the FCC had first selected Heritage Baptist Church based on three points as being an established local applicant and two points for diversity of ownership. However, Sound in Spirit Broadcasting successfully argued that Heritage didn’t qualify as an established local applicant under FCC rules and Spirit was then named the tentative selectee based on two points for diversity of ownership and one for having the best technical proposal. Heritage then argued that Spirit did not actually qualify as having the best technical proposal because its proposed facility would not reach at least 10% more people than Heritage’s. The FCC now says its analysis confirms that Spirit does not qualify for the best technical proposal point, meaning each applicant now has two points. Heritage won on a tiebreaker because it has no existing licenses, while Sound in Spirit has three.
The FCC granted Grace Baptist Church of Marion a construction permit for a new low-power FM station using 100 Watts on 98.7 in Marion.
The FCC granted Calvary Baptist Church a construction permit for a new low-power FM station using 100 Watts on 95.7 in Waterloo.
Educational Media Foundation’s KAIP/88.9 (Wapello) reported that it returned to full power on Jan. 27. It had been at an unspecified reduced power since Jan. 9 due to a power supply module failure.
Minnesota
The FCC granted a construction permit for Zoe Communications’ WELY-FM/94.5 (Ely), which is currently off the air, to upgrade from 6kW to 35kW, maintaining its 100m antenna height.
After several years of silence, Edge Spectrum’s K38MM-D (International Falls) filed a license to cover application for its new facility on channel 35, a filing which indicates construction is complete and the new channel may be on the air. The new facility uses 600 Watts under the new callsign K35OT-D.
The FCC extended the deadline for Edge Spectrum’s K44GH-D (Alexandria) to return to the air until Aug. 1. K44GH-D has a construction permit to resume operations on channel 28 but the station’s recent filings indicate that translator system Selective TV is concerned about the new facility interfering with its off-air reception of KAWB/22.1 (Brainerd), which transmits on RF 28. The filings state that the Edge station may temporarily relay KAWB or seek a move to a new channel.
Nebraska
Legacy Communications’ KRGI/1430 (Grand Island) has applied to switch to non-directional operation 24 hours per day, replacing the current 1kW nighttime directional pattern with 21 Watts non-directional. The switch would allow two towers to be removed from service. The station would remain 5kW non-directional during the day. Due to the drop in nighttime power, the station’s class would change from B to D.
North Dakota
The FCC has upheld its earlier decision to grant a construction permit to Bible Broadcasting Network for a new station on 88.3 in Grand Forks. Using its points-based system for resolving competing non-commercial applications, the FCC had initially named Grand Forks Bible Study Group as the tentative selectee. It later switched to BBN after BBN argued that Bible Study Group had not properly certified that it qualified for points in its initial application. The grant of the CP prompted an application for review from Bible Study Group, which contends that it should have been allowed points because, even though its initial application said that it did not qualify, information showing that it did qualify was contained in an attached exhibit. In its latest decision, the FCC included a strongly-worded response saying that it it had made clear the importance of properly certifying eligibility:
“Certifications of point claims are not merely a cursory practice, as GFBS suggests. Rather, reliance on certifications is essential to the Commission’s licensing process, and streamlines application review. Further, we reiterate the Commission’s previous finding that an applicant that fails to timely certify that it qualified for points, despite submission of related exhibits, cannot amend its application to certify eligibility after the filing deadline. Any such amendment would constitute a prohibited enhancement to its comparative position. We also note GFBS had ample notice of the need to certify its eligibility for points prior to the close of the filing window. The Bureau’s NCE Filing Procedures Public Notice explicitly stated that ‘if an applicant certifies that it does not qualify for one of the point factors, it cannot later amend its application to claim such points. This is the case even if the applicant actually would have qualified for the point it is seeking at the time it filed the application.'”
FCC 24-12
South Dakota
The FCC granted Hermosa Life Style Radio Corporation a construction permit for a new low-power FM radio station using 100 Watts on 94.5 in Hermosa. The application stated that Christian religious training programming is planned.
Wisconsin
The FCC approved an application from Weigel Broadcasting/TV-49 Inc. to move a future TV station on channel 31 from Wittenberg to Shawano. No comments, other than the permittee’s, were filed in the proceeding to the amend to the table of allotments. The construction permit now calls for the new station to transmit with 65kW/168m from Shawano, rimshotting Green Bay. It does not yet have a callsign.
Civic Media’s WLAK/1260 (Amery) reports that it resumed full power of 5kW on Jan. 29.
The FCC granted Civic Media’s WPFP/980 (Park Falls) special temporary authority to transmit at reduced daytime power of 750 Watts while it continues work to resolve a problem with the antenna. It had previously been using a temporary daytime power of 500 Watts, while it’s licensed for 1kW daytime. It continues to use 105 Watts at night.
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.