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
Edge Spectrum was granted upgrades for K22LJ-D (Mason City) to 15kW and K35PA-D (Mason City) to 10kW directional.
Sinclair Broadcast Group closed on its purchase of KMEG/14.1 (Sioux City) from Waitt Broadcasting on Aug. 1. The sale also included KMEG translators K18KG-D (Spencer) and K23PU-D (Norfolk, NE).
McGee Management Services closed on its purchase of KGRA/98.9 (Jefferson), KKRF/107.9 (Stuart), KDLS/1310 (Perry), and KDLS translators K232FX/94.3 (Dallas Center) and K259AT/99.7 (Boone-Perry) from M&H Broadcasting on July 31.
Minnesota
Educational Media Foundation submitted filings indicating that its four “K-Love” translators in the Twin Cities area are now being fed by the HD3 signal if iHeartMedia’s KFXN-FM/100.3 (Minneapolis) rather than their previous source, the HD2 channel of iHeart’s KTCZ/97.1 (Minneapolis). Specifically, K260BA/99.9 (Coon Rapids-Minneapolis) is fed via microwave link and is rebroadcast by K288GR/105.5 (Bayport) while K249ED/97.7 (Albertville-Nowthen) receives KFXN-FM-HD3 over the air and is relayed by K221ES/92.1 (Albertville).
The FCC granted Gray Media’s KMNF-LD/7.1 (Mankato) a conversion to Class A status. The switch to KMNF-CD does not result in any facility change, but it will give the station more protections along with more requirements. (CD is the suffix for Class A Digital.)
R&J Broadcasting closed on its purchase of KKWQ/92.5 (Warroad), KRWB/1410 (Roseau), and KRWB translator K275BB/102.9 (Roseau) from Borderland Broadcasting on July 31.
The FCC granted R&J Broadcasting’s W242DB/96.3 (Baxter-Brainerd) a construction permit to move from its present site south of Brainerd to the WWWI/1270 (Baxter) site south of Baxter. It will remain 250 Watts and continue to relay WWWI.
North Dakota
Central Dakota Enterprises’ KXRP/91.3 (Bismarck) has applied to increase power from 4.2kW to 5.5kW, maintaining its current transmitter site south of the capital city with its 199m antenna height above average terrain. The application requests a continued waiver for prohibited overlap with KPHA/91.7 (Mandan), noting that the proposed upgrade would result in potential new interference for just 26 residents and that actual interference is unlikely given that the stations’ transmitters are very close together.
South Dakota
Educational Media Foundation’s KLRJ/94.9 (Aberdeen) returned to full power of 100kW on July 29. KLRJ had previously reported that it had been at reduced power since July 8 due to transmitter failure.
Townsquare Media’s KXRB/1140 (Sioux Falls) tells the FCC it is operating at 25% of its licensed 5kW at night, or 1.25kW, due to an issue with the station’s directional antenna system. It continues to transmit with 10kW non-directional during the day.
Wisconsin
Vanguard Association of Sunbelt Colleges Corporation was granted a license to cover for new station WBWY/91.9 (Janesville). Programming is not immediately known. The station has reduced power from the planned 450 Watts to 300 Watts to comply with the FCC guidelines for human exposure to RF fields.
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s WDNW/91.9 (Ashland) reports that it’s operating at about 1kW ERP, rather than its licensed 4.5kW, due to an air conditioning failure at the transmitter site. The reduced-power operation began July 20.
The Salvation Poem Foundation’s WEQR/100.9 (Tomahawk) has applied to switch to a non-directional antenna, reducing power slightly to 8.2kW. The change would improve WEQR’s signal to the southeast, but it’s also short-spaced with the existing class C allotment for Midwest Communications’ WIXX/101.1 (Green Bay). WEQR proposes a downgrade on paper for WIXX to class C0; WIXX would remain 100kW/329m.
The FCC granted W250BN/97.9 (Milwaukee) a construction permit to switch to 180 Watts directional, limiting its signal to be contained within the coverage area of Bustos Media’s WDDW/104.7 (Sturtevant-Milwaukee). The application indicated W250BN will switch its originating station to WDDW-HD3. Bustos is in the process of buying W250BN from El Sol Broadcasting.
Edge Spectrum’s W30BU-D (Green Bay) reports that it went of the air July 19 due to a severed transmission line. The station has a construction permit to move to a new site.