The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Illinois
The FCC approved a change to the Table of DTV Allotments to specify a UHF channel for NBC/FOX affiliate WGEM/10 (Quincy), which has a market including southeastern Iowa. The station currently transmits on channel 10 and will move to 19, but can continue to remap to virtual channel 10. It must still apply for and receive a construction permit before moving to the new channel.
Iowa
Jomast Corporation’s K280GT/103.9 (Sigourney) is off the air after a lightning strike on or about July 8. The station’s request for special temporary authority to remain silent says there appears to be damage to the antenna and possibly the transmission line. K280GT relays KMZN/740 (Oskaloosa), which also has a translator in Oskaloosa.
M&M Broadcasting’s KDLS/1310 (Perry) requested special temporary authority to transmit with 125 Watts non-directional while a tower crew works to repair damage caused by the derecho last August that impacted many Iowa stations. The station normally transmits with 500 Watts day and 300 Watts night from a three-tower array that shoots the signal west. Work was expected to begin the week of July 12 and be complete within 45 days.
See an item regarding an Iowa low-power TV station in the Minnesota entry below.
Michigan
Sovereign Communications says WDMJ/1320 (Marquette) continues to operate at reduced power following a 2019 fire at its transmitter site. Normally licensed for 5kW day and 135 Watts night, the station has instead been using 200 Watts day and night. The latest request for an extension of special temporary authority repeats previous wording about continuing to investigate feasible options for returning the station to licensed operation.
Minnesota
Minnesota Public Radio’s K249BK/97.7 (International Falls) went off the air July 14 for “extensive tower upgrades and maintenance work.” The translator normally carries MPR’s Classical network.
The FCC approved various requests for waivers and tolling from Edge Spectrum for its low-power TV stations, which will be silent for more than a year due to delays in equipment manufacturing and installation. Federal law stipulates that stations lose their licenses if they are off the air for more than a year but gives the FCC narrow discretion to grant waivers when the situation is beyond the licensee’s control. The FCC agreed that the delays are beyond Edge’s control. The affected stations include K20KF-D (Davenport, IA), K44GH-D (Alexandria, MN), K48KJ-D (Geneva, MN), K38MM-D (International Falls, MN), K43JE-D (Lake Crystal, MN), KHVM-LD (Minneapolis), KTCJ-LD (Minneapolis), K47JE-D (Olivia, MN), K43MH-D (Vesta, MN), K47JC-D (Wadena, MN), K42IM-D (Minot, ND), and W39CV-D (Minocqua, WI). Many of the stations will have to change channels due to last year’s discontinuation of channels 38 and up. The FCC also approved an extension of the construction deadline for future Edge Spectrum low-power TV station W22FD-D (Dodge Center, MN) until January 2022.
The FCC approved an extension of the construction deadline for future Landover 2, LLC low-power TV station K26MG-D (Wells) until January 2022.
Nebraska
Gray TV submitted for cancellation the licenses of K18DH (Broken Bow) and KAQY-LP/35 (Lexington). The TV translators had not converted to digital, and July 13 was the last day of analog TV broadcasting.
The FCC denied an extension of the construction deadline for new low-power TV station KGHK-LD/30 (Hastings), saying permittee Michael J. Flood did not provided requested information. The construction permit was due to expire July 13 and has until July 23 to apply for a license to cover if it began broadcasting by the deadline.
North Dakota
Julie Huang’s Roseland Broadcasting is buying the construction permit for new low-power TV station K33QM-D (Grand Forks) from HC2 Broadcasting for $7,000. The FCC also approved a six-month extension to the construction permit
The FCC deleted the callsign of unbuilt low-power TV station K14OF-D (Bismarck).
Ontario
The CRTC issued a short-term license renewal to Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s CJTL-FM/96.5 (Pickle Lake) and its secondary transmitter, CJTL-FM-1/98.1 (Thunder Bay). The renewal for four years, rather than the usual seven, was due to concerns over alleged non-compliance regarding program logs, audio recordings, a music list, a self-assessment report, and broadcast of an on-air message about previous non-compliance. The CRTC says the “short-term renewal will allow for an earlier review of the licensee’s compliance with its regulatory requirements.”
South Dakota
The FCC deleted the callsigns of unbuilt low-power TV stations K14OJ-D (Aberdeen), K15IR-D (Aberdeen), K04RR-D (Sioux Falls), K22KF-D (Watertown), and K23LI-D (Watertown).
The FCC approved an extension of the construction deadline for future low-power TV station K06QJ-D (Sioux Falls) until January 2022. DTV America is in the process of selling the permit to Innovative Media Technologies.
Wisconsin
Baraboo Broadcasting Corp. has applied to move future FM translator W249EA/97.7 (Baraboo) to Reedsburg on 103.7. The translator was granted during the AM Revitalization effort to relay WRPQ/740, which is also heard on W259BC/99.7 (Baraboo). Moving the new translator to Reedsburg would extend WRPQ’s FM signal to the west but keep it within the 25-mile limit for AM-on-FM translators.
Landover 2, LLC applied to change the channels for its future low-power TV stations in Merrill, which are currently permitted for channels that have been discontinued. W50EU-D would move to VHF Low channel 6 with 3kW, while W43DJ-D would move to channel 35 with 15kW.
The FCC granted an extension for low-power TV station WBOO-LP (Elk Mound-Eau Claire) to remain off the air for longer than the one-year statutory limit. WBOO-LP had transmitted in analog on channel 45 until channels 38 and up were discontinued nationally last year. It has a construction permit to broadcast digitally on channel 18, but says the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the process. The FCC agreed that the extended silence is beyond WBOO-LP’s control and granted a waiver.
The FCC granted Spirit of Prayer Ministries an extension until January 2022 to build a new low-power TV station on channel 18 in Wausau, which has not been assigned a callsign.
See other items regarding Wisconsin low-power TV stations in the Minnesota entries above.