The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
The FCC granted St. Gabriel Communications a construction permit for a new station on 88.7 in Albia using 6kW/89m (class A).
JKJ Educational Foundation was granted a new station on 88.5 in Pleasantville using 1kW/50m (class A).
Minnesota
Multi-Cultural Diversity Radio returned the license for WOTO/98.1 (Grand Portage), a new 100-Watt station which had told the FCC it had completed construction last summer. The reason for the cancellation is not listed in the FCC database. MCDR still owns WZBY/92.7 (Grand Portage), another 100-Watt station which also applied for its license to cover last summer. The allotments were originally for class C (100kW) stations that could have rimshotted Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Sinclair Broadcast Group CW affiliate WUCW/23.1 (Minneapolis, RF22) applied to change from its present 1000kW/410m to 790kW/436m, remaining at the Telefarm site in Shoreview. Though it would use a non-directional antenna, a coverage map submitted with the application indicates the signal strength would be slightly reduced towards St. Cloud and other areas to the northwest.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Rural Radio Association’s KOLT/690 (Terrytown-Scottsbluff) was granted a previously-reported facility change that will see it leave its longtime 1kW day/65W night directional facility in Terrytown for a non-directional 1kW day/74W night facility at the former KOLT/1320 site west of Scottsbluff.
Bible Broadcasting Network was granted a construction permit for a new station on 90.1 in Scottsbluff using 920W/62m (class A). BBN currently operates a translator on 89.5 in Scottsbluff.
The FCC granted two new FM stations in O’Neill. My Bridge Radio’s new station will be on 88.7 using 25kW/87m (class C3) while VSS Catholic Communications/Spirit Catholic Radio will have a new station on 91.5 using 1.2kW/80m (class A).
A construction permit was approved for VSS Catholic Communications’ KJWM/91.5 (Grand Island) to upgrade from 11.4kW to 35kW from its present site near Wood River.
The FCC approved the previously-reported facility change for iHeartMedia’s KFFF/93.3 (Bennington-Omaha), which will move to a new site with 1kW/361m (class C3).
Ontario
CBC re-applied to replace Radio One low-power AM station CBOI/690 (Ear Falls) with a FM transmitter on 95.5. The change had already received approval in 2018, but the FM station was not constructed by the Feb. 5, 2022 deadline. It had previously been authorized for 50 Watts on FM but is now seeking 130 Watts. Other than nighttime AM skywave, Ear Falls can only receive one other radio signal, a rebroadcaster of CKDR-FM (Dryden) on 97.5.
South Dakota
The FCC issued public notice that the four Lowry TV translators owned by the South Dakota Five County TV Translator District will see their licenses expire on April 1 unless license renewal applications are filed before then. TV stations in South Dakota and several other states were supposed to file license renewal applications by Dec. 1. Under FCC rules, the translators should already be off the air because they are licensed for channels above 36, which were discontinued nationally last year, and have not applied to move to lower channels. K44ME-D, K46MX-D, K48OQ-D, and K50NL-D (Lowry) were last known to carry the major networks from Sioux Falls stations. The only other TV service in the area comes from South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s KQSD-TV/11.1 (Lowry).
VCY America’s KVCF/90.5 (Freeman) was granted a construction permit to upgrade from its current 9kW/246m (class C2) to 20kW/250m (class C1), moving to a tower near Humboldt and adding Sioux Falls to its main coverage area.
Prairie Winds Broadcasting’s KSDN/930 (Aberdeen) was granted a facility change to resolve technical difficulties that began with a 2011 lightning strike. Previously licensed for 5kW day and 1kW night with separate day and night directional patterns, the station will switch to a 1kW day and 270W night non-directional facility. That’s similar to the 1.25kW day and 250W night facility that KSDN has been using under special temporary authority for the past decade.
Wisconsin
The tower of Magnum Communications’ WRDB/1400 (Reedsburg) collapsed due to ice accumulation on the night of Feb. 24-25, according to a request for special temporary authority. The station is transmitting with 75 Watts using a temporary longwire antenna. It normally uses 1kW. WRDB’s programming is also carried on W247CY/97.3 (Baraboo), which transmits from a site between Baraboo and Reedsburg.
The FCC granted Iowa-based Catholic broadcaster St. Gabriel Communications a construction permit for a new station on 89.1 in Stanley using 750W/71m (class A).