The following are updates to stories previously reported here and smaller recent FCC filings and actions that do not merit a full story of their own at this time:
Iowa
Pensacola Christian College’s K220HO/91.9 (Sioux City) went off the air Nov. 21. The station’s filing says K220HO was not receiving its primary station, last reported to be WPCS (Pensacola, FL), and has gone off the air while an engineer analyzes the problem.
Nebraska
Hearst ABC affiliate KETV/7.1 (Omaha) applied to increase power from 700kW to 1,000kW, the maximum for UHF stations, while remaining on RF channel 20.
North Dakota
Gray TV NBC/CBS affiliate KVLY-TV/11.1 (Fargo) applied to increase power from 330kW to 720kW, remaining on RF channel 36.
The FCC deleted the callsign of K23LB-D (Fargo), which had reported going silent in 2017. The low-power TV station was owned by Frank Digital Broadcasting.
South Dakota
Rapid Broadcasting NBC affiliate KNBN/21.1 (Rapid City) was granted a power increase from 50kW to 100kW, remaining on RF channel 21.
The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago returned the license of K298BI/107.5 (Carpenter). No explanation was included in the FCC filing, but Moody also owns K261CH/100.1 (Carpenter), which has essentially the same coverage area.
Midwest Communications’ KELQ/107.9 (Flandreau) requested extension of special temporary authority to transmit at reduced power following a 2019 winter storm that severely damaged its transmitter building and equipment. KELQ, a Sioux Falls rimshot signal, is licensed for 21kW/232m (class C2) but has been operating at 4.5kW since the storm. Its latest filing says the company intended to complete repair during the summer of 2020 but the project was suspended due to the pandemic. The filing says it is unknown how the pandemic may affect progress moving forward and that KELQ “has been and is consumed with activities, discussions and decision-making required to accommodate an evolving business model.” KELQ simulcasts the Conservative Talk format of KELO/1320 (Sioux Falls), which is also heard on an FM translator in Sioux Falls.
Wisconsin
Milwaukee Media LLC’s WIWN/68.1 (Fond du Lac-Milwaukee) requested an extension of special temporary authority to operate at increased power of 34kW. The station is licensed to transmit on VHF channel 5 from the Milwaukee antenna farm with 9kW, but says that power level has proven insufficient to reach viewers on a VHF Low frequency. It is requesting permission to use 34kW until next June. It also has a long-pending application to increase to 48kW permanently. WIWN carries ten channels including Cozi TV.
Word of God Fellowship/Daystar’s WDMW-LD/24 applied for and received a license to cover its new 250-Watt facility in North Prairie, which rimshots the southwestern Milwaukee suburbs. The low-power TV station remains licensed to Janesville, though it no longer reaches the city.
HC2 Broadcasting’s W23BW-D (Madison) applied to increase from 11.81kW to 15kW, the maximum for Class A/low-power TV stations.
Future VCY America translator W260DL/99.9 (Oshkosh) was granted its previously-reported move from the WVCY/690 site to a site in the city limits, from which it will use 155 Watts.