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
Good News Radio is buying KMDY/90.9 (Keokuk) from Sound in Spirit Broadcasting for $50,000. The buyer owns ten full-power stations in Illinois operating as “Great News Radio.”
St. Gabriel Communications’ KIHS/88.5 (Adel) requested a callsign change to KQBV effective March 18.
Minnesota
A new application from Northwestern Media’s K201IX/88.1 (Grand Rapids) indicates that the station, which plans to move to 88.9 as K205GG, no longer plans to use a combined antenna with newly-launched KDGR/88.1 (Grand Rapids). Instead, K201IX/K205GG has applied to move to a tower west of Grand Rapids, using 250 Watts on 88.9.
Nebraska
Nebraska Public Media’s KNNE-FM/90.7 (McCook), which just signed on Feb. 7, has gone off the air due to an antenna issue. In a request for special temporary authority to remain silent, the station explains that it first had to reduce power on Feb. 28 and then went completely off the air March 11 when a tower crew determined that the antenna needed to be sent back to the factory. The filing says that KNNE expects to return to the air by April 4 and that service continues on K224CH/92.7 (Culbertson), which transmits from the same tower.
North Dakota
The FCC approved RadioDifferently’s request to change the callsign of KHRT-FM/106.9 (Minot) to KHTZ effective March 26.
Wisconsin
Audacy’s WSSP/1250 (Milwaukee) was granted special temporary authority to operate at 25% of its usual 5kW. The request explained that the station is waiting for a tower crew to resolve a technical issue.
The FCC formally dismissed Community Public Radio’s application for a new station on 91.5 in Waukesha. As previously noted, Community Public Radio’s January request to withdraw the application prompted another applicant to file an informal objection asserting that it should now be declared the winner of the frequency rather than have to enter into a time-sharing agreement with a third applicant.
Disclosure: Jon Ellis was an employee of Gray Media Group at the time this item was posted. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.