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
Gray Media has completed a move of K30QY-D (Oakland, MN) to a tower near Mason City with 15kW, and has also requested to change the station’s community of license to Mason City in its license to cover application.
Western Iowa Tech Community College requested program test authority to begin operations of new low-power FM station KWSR-LP/94.3 (Sioux City).
Minnesota
R&J Broadcasting’s KRWB/1410 (Roseau) has applied to switch its nighttime facility from its present 1kW directional to 72 Watts non-directional. It would remain 1kW non-directional during the day. Separately, KRWB translator K275BB/102.9 (Roseau) has applied to move from its present site southwest of town to the AM tower, which is east of town, remaining 250 Watts and widening its coverage area due to a taller tower.
North Dakota
The FCC has granted special temporary authority to Midwest Communications’ KNFL/740 (Fargo) to operate at reduced power. The station’s filing explains that one of the towers in its six-tower array has suffered a feedline failure. It normally uses 50kW during the day, 7.5kW during critical hours (two hours after sunrise and two hours after sunset), and 940 Watts at night with different directional patterns during each period. The STA allows KNFL to use 8.32kW daytime with a directional pattern using the remaining five towers, while operating non-directionally during critical hours with 1.875kW and non-directionally at night with 235 Watts.
Following its sale to Major Market Broadcasting, the FCC has granted a callsign change for K23OL-D/23.1 (Bismarck) to KRDN-LD.
Wisconsin
(Updated 8/28) Magnum Communications has completed a translator upgrade in the La Crosse market: The former W223DN/92.5 (La Crescent, MN) has completed a move to 92.7 with the new callsign K224FW, upgrading from 20 Watts to 250 Watts and moving its transmitter from West Salem to a taller tower south of La Crescent. The antenna is shared with Magnum’s K250AZ/97.9 (La Crosse). K224FW’s license to cover application includes a request to change the community of license to La Crosse. K224FW is relaying the newly-launched HD4 channel of Magnum’s WKBH-FM/102.7 (Onalaska-La Crosse), which relays Magnum Classic Rocker WTMB/94.5 (Tomah). K224FW is the former K220EP/91.9 (La Crescent).
AMC Partners Rice Lake’s WAQE/1090 (Rice Lake) has applied to co-locate with sister station WJMC/1240 at the tower behind the stations’ studio facility, which is two miles away from WAQE’s longtime site. WAQE would remain 5kW non-directional, daytime-only. WAQE-FM/97.7 (Barron-Rice Lake) already has a construction permit to move to the WJMC site.