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.
National
Connoisseur Media closed on its purchase of Alpha Media on Sept. 4, including 18 stations in Iowa, 12 in Minnesota, 11 in Nebraska, 13 in South Dakota, and two in Wisconsin. See the original report for a complete list of stations.
The FCC announced that will take applications for new low-power TV stations and TV translators beginning Jan. 21, 2026. Before then, there will be a series of windows to allow existing stations to apply for changes.
Iowa
The FCC has granted Climate March a construction permit for a new low-power FM station on 107.9 in Des Moines, which will transmit with 16 Watts. Earlier, the FCC had tentatively concluded that Climate March would have to share time with another applicant, CPC of the WMM USA-Des Moines, IA-One Inc., because they tied in the points-based system for judging competing applications. Now, the has FCC issued a memorandum opinion and order stating that CPC did not qualify for points for a Des Moines studio because it did not include the correct address on its initial application.
CSN International’s K206BW/89.1 (Adel) has applied to change frequency and move closer to Des Moines. It proposes moving to 89.7 and transmitting with 205 Watts from a tower in Waukee, improving its signal to the western metro. It would continue to carry “Effect Radio Network” from CSN’s KEFX (Twin Falls, ID) via satellite.
UPDATE: Ventana Television’s K32NM-D (Des Moines) reports in a Sept. 8 filing that it returned to the air Sept. 5, making a previous request for special temporary authority to remain silent no longer needed. The STA request said a lightning strike damaged equipment used to receive programming and repairs took longer than initially estimated.
Heritage Baptist Church has been granted the callsign KJLI for its future station on 88.1 in Burlington.
Michigan
The FCC has approved Michigan Civic Media Alliance’s purchase of five radio stations and two FM translators from J&J Broadcasting, SNRN Broadcasting, and Jerry and Sherry Hackman. The stations include WIMI/99.7 (Ironwood), WJMS/590 (Ironwood), WJMS translator W221ES/92.1 (Ironwood), WUPY/101.1 (Ontonagon), WKMJ-FM/93.5 (Hancock), WMPL/920 (Hancock), and WMPL translator W297CD/107.3 (Hancock). The FCC also approved Civic Media’s purchase of WIMI translator W272AY/102.3 (Park Falls, WI) from Tea-Visz Inc.
Minnesota
VCY America’s KVCS/89.1 (Spring Valley) reports that it returned to the air Aug. 23 after fixing a problem with its program feed.
As it continues work to resolve issues at its transmitter site, Leighton Radio’s KJJK/1020 (Fergus Falls) has applied to reduce its nighttime facilities and remove one tower from service. The station is currently licensed for 2kW non-directional daytime and 370 Watts directional nighttime but has been operating at 60 Watts day and night due to a problem with one of the towers. KJJK proposes 1.9kW day and 11 Watts night, non-directional.
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s K205GG/88.9 (Grand Rapids) has completed a move from a tower on the west side of town to the KDGR/88.1 site, which is more centrally-located. K205GG remains 250 Watts from the new site. It continues to carry Northwestern’s “Faith Radio” network via internet from KLBF (Lincoln, ND).
Nebraska
The FCC granted CSN International’s K209EV/89.7 (Hadar-Norfolk) an upgrade from 87 to 115 Watts.
Wisconsin
The FCC granted Edge Spectrum’s W19DP-D (La Crosse) a construction permit to upgrade from 200 Watts directional to 15kW non-directional, remaining at its presently-licensed site in Winona, Minn.
Edge Spectrum’s W36EI-D (Wausau) has applied to move from its current transmitter site northeast of town, where it’s licensed for 200 Watts directional, to Rib Mountain with 4kW directional.