The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
Faith Broadcasting Network closed on its $4 million purchase of KWKB/20.1 (Iowa City-Cedar Rapids) from HC2 Broadcasting on Aug. 2. The buyer is associated with Tri-State Christian Television but it’s not known if the station has switched over to the TCT network, which is already seen on stations in Des Moines and Duluth and will also be seen on a station in Sioux Falls after a separate sale.
The Educational Media Foundation moved its “K-Love” translator in the Cedar Rapids area, K281BS/104.1 (Hiawatha), to 103.9 as K280HA. The move enabled the translator to upgrade from 170 to 250 Watts. K280HA receives its feed from the HD2 channel of EMF’s KXGM/89.1 (Hiawatha), which carries the “Air1” network on its primary channel.
Iowa Catholic Radio/St. Gabriel Communications closed on its purchase of KLOX/90.9 (Creston) on Aug. 2, adding a third FM signal to its network. KLOX currently transmits with 500 Watts but has previously held construction permits to upgrade to 100kW.
Residence Associations Broadcasting Service’s KURE/88.5 (Ames) was granted a construction permit to move its transmitter from the Iowa State University campus to the WOI/640 facility southwest of Ames, changing from its current 630W/22m to 105W/81m (class A).
Davenport Educational Association’s KTJT-LP/103.1 (Davenport) was granted a construction permit to move its transmitter to a more central location in the city, remaining 100 Watts.
Michigan
David R. Magnum’s W291DP/106.1 (Menominee) informed the FCC that has signed on under construction permit program test authority. The 250-Watt translator broadcasts from south of Marinette, Wis. The application says it is relaying Radio Plus Bay Cities’ WAGN/1340 (Menominee), which also has a translator in Menominee.
Minnesota
Maranatha Assembly of God Church completed a move of W219DT/91.7 (North Branch) to its church property in Wyoming. The translator had previously broadcast from Stacy. It relays WAJC/88.1 (Newport).
Hubbard Radio’s W236DF/95.1 (Brainerd) is on the air, relaying KVBR/1340 (Brainerd). The 101-Watt translator was granted during the FCC’s AM Revitalization effort.
The FCC upheld a $1,500 fine against Range Paging over a late license renewal application for FM translator K280AT/103.9 (Ely). The licensee had requested that the forfeiture be eliminated, saying the owner’s health problems contributed to the late filing and that it was unable to pay a party that usually helps with station matters. However, the FCC’s forfeiture order says the licensee provided no evidence of financial hardship or inability to pay and says this isn’t the first time the licensee has filed a late renewal application.
Nebraska
VSS Catholic Communications is proposing another upgrade to its new station in the panhandle. KETT/99.3 (Mitchell-Scottsbluff) just upgraded from 950W/249m (class A) to 2.65kW/258m (class C3) last year. Now, it proposes moving to 99.5 and upgrading to 13kW/293m (class C2), remaining at its current site west of Scottsbluff. As previously reported, a number of other stations are working on projects at the same site.
The Bible Broadcasting Network’s K208CK/89.5 (Scottsbluff) completed an upgrade from 170 to 250 Watts.
The FCC granted a construction permit to My Bridge Radio’s K257GW/99.3 (Nebraska City) to move to a site near Springfield and change its community of license to that city. The planned 250-Watt facility will rimshot the far southwestern Omaha metro area. MyBridge also has a translator broadcasting from Omaha.
South Dakota
Dakota Radio Group/James River Broadcasting informed the FCC that K296FI/107.1 (Pierre) went off the air on Aug. 15. The silence follows the sign-on of K276GT/103.1, which took over the rebroadcast of KGFX/1060 that had formerly aired on K296FI. The station’s request for special temporary authority to remain silent says the licensee is reviewing options to move K296FI to a different transmitter site.
Alpha Media says in a request for extension of special temporary authority that financial considerations and difficulty in scheduling contractors have delayed efforts to restore KBRK-FM/93.7 (Brookings) to full power. The station has been operating at about half of its usual 100kW since last summer due to its antenna feedline taking on water.
CSN International closed on its purchase of K260BT/99.9 (Rapid City) on Aug. 2 and has applied to upgrade from 10 to 34 Watts. It carries Calvary Satellite Network from KWRC/90.9 (Hermosa).
Wisconsin
PBS Wisconsin completed upgrades to WHWC-TV/28.1 (Menomonie-Eau Claire) and WHRM-TV/20.1 (Wausau) to 400kW each. WHWC had previously been 291kW and WHRM had been 172kW.
iHeartMedia applied to co-locate WIBA/1310 (Madison) with WTSO/1070 (Madison). WIBA currently uses 5kW non-directional day and directional night, and would use 4.8kW non-directional day and 1.4kW directional at night from the WTSO site. WTSO’s facilities would remain unchanged at 10kW day and 5kW night with different day and night directional patterns. WTSO uses six towers at night, and WIBA’s nighttime pattern would use four of the towers.
The FCC approved an application to move future FM translator W249EA/97.7 (Baraboo) to Reedsburg on 103.7 with the new callsign W279EG. The translator was granted during the AM Revitalization effort to relay Baraboo Broadcasting Corporation’s WRPQ/740, which is also heard on W259BC/99.7 (Baraboo). Moving the new translator to Reedsburg will extend WRPQ’s FM coverage.
Magnum Communications’ W290AL/105.9 (Baraboo) applied to 102.1. The station previously had a construction permit to upgrade from 4 to 250 Watts and switch its input station to WPDR/1350 (Portage); the new facility would also use 250 Watts and relay WPDR. The station’s application states that the frequency change is being requested because WCWI/106.1 (Adams) informed W290AL it would object if the 250-Watt facility on 105.9 was constructed.
New FM translator W239CV/95.7 (Oshkosh), owned by David R. Magnum, reported that it has signed on and is relaying Relevant Radio’s WJOK/1050 (Kaukauna).
The FCC denied efforts to restore Magnum Communications’ construction permit for DW255DE/98.9 (De Forest). Audio Division Chief Albert Shuldiner wrote that a petition to reconsider was procedurally defective because the Jan. 9 expiration of the W255DE permit was not a Commission action and therefore not eligible to be the subject of a petition to reconsider. Shuldiner also wrote that tolling could not be granted in the case because though Magnum had said the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to delays, it did not demonstrate how the pandemic caused the delays and said the FCC has “rejected generalized reliance on the pandemic as grounds for tolling.”
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