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
HC2 Station Group’s KRPG-LD/43.1 (RF 24, Des Moines) notified the FCC that it has been operating at reduced power since Sept. 14 and requested special temporary authority to transmit with 11.55kW while repairs are made.
Michigan
The FCC approved a transfer of control for Results Broadcasting of Iron Mountain, which owns WOBE/100.7 (Crystal Falls-Iron Mountain), WJNR/101.5 (Iron Mountain), and WHTO/106.7 (Iron Mountain). As previously reported here, Bruce Grassman is returning his shares for $42,000, leaving his son Donald W. Grassman with 100% of the votes in the company.
Minnesota
Gabriel Media’s KYES/1180 (Rockville-St. Cloud) reports that it has been using 1kW at night, rather than its licensed 5kW nighttime power, since Sept. 14 due to a transmitter issue. It has been granted special temporary authority to continue at the reduced nighttime power level, using its licensed directional pattern, until the problem is fixed. KYES’ 50kW daytime directional facility is unaffected.
North Dakota
Gray Media’s KMOT/10 (Minot) returned to full power on Sept. 1.
Gray Media’s K35PO-D (Bismarck) was granted a construction permit to return to 15kW.
South Dakota
HC2 Station Group was granted a construction permit for new low-power TV station K35QM-D (Pierre), using 15kW.
The FCC granted HomeSlice Media Group’s KKLS/920 (Rapid City) an extension of special temporary authority to operate at reduced power while it continues efforts to switch to non-directional operation. The latest filing says KKLS intends to remove a tower to complete the project before the construction permit expires on March 27, 2027. As reported here several times over the past decade, KKLS’ directional pattern was impacted by the construction of a new power line in 2016. Licensed for 5kW day and 111 Watts night, KKLS has instead been using 3.2kW day and 70 Watts with the current two-tower array. It has a construction permit to switch to a single tower with 5kW day and 65 Watts night.
The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago’s K213CL/90.5 (Huron), which is currently off the air, has applied to move to a grain elevator site four miles from the currently-licensed location. K213CL would remain 250 Watts and continue to relay WJSO (Pikeville, Ky.) via satellite. The translator previously reported that it went off the air July 5 due to a tower collapse.
Wisconsin
Edge Spectrum has submitted a cancellation application to return the license of W30BU-D (Green Bay). No reason was given for the decision. W30BU-D had previously reported going off the air July 19, 2025, and never reported a resumption of operations. The cancellation application comes shortly after another company applied for a new low-power TV station on channel 30 in Green Bay, alleging that W30BU-D’s license was no longer valid since it had been off the air for more than a year.
The FCC has granted David Magnum’s W300CM/107.9 (Appleton) a construction permit to move to 106.9 as W295DP. It will remain at its current site in Fox Crossing (with a correction in coordinates), upgrading from 90 to 250 Watts. The frequency change is more than would normally be allowed, but the application requested the move based on elimination of potential interference to WBCV/107.9 (Wausau). The application states that the translator will continue to relay WJOK/1050 (Kaukauna).
VCY America’s WVCY/690 (Oshkosh) was granted an extension of special temporary authority to transmit non-directionally with 62.5 Watts day and 19 Watts night. WVCY is licensed for 250 Watts day and 77 Watts night, directional. The latest filing says VCY is considering options for returning the station to full power and “maximizing the facility.”
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.