FCC Monitor: Twin Cities Low-Power TV Move Denied

Posted on by Jon Ellis

The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:

Iowa

The FCC identified Faith Lutheran Church as the tentative selectee for a new station on 88.7 in Odebolt. The application is in competition with St. Gabriel Communications’ application for 88.7 in Carroll and Minn-Iowa Christian Broadcasting’s application for 88.7 in Eagle Grove. The FCC tentatively selected Faith Lutheran Church because its proposed 100kW/51m facility would provide the first non-commercial service to more people than the St. Gabriel application and MICB did not claim any fair distribution preference for first or second service.

Birach Broadcasting requested special temporary authority to continue operating K239CR/95.7 (Indianola) while the FCC considers its license renewal application. The request explains that while renewal applications for Iowa radio stations were due Oct. 1, 2020, K239CR did not file for its license to cover until Oct. 16, 2020, and could not have applied for renewal of a license that hadn’t yet been granted. The issue was discovered in preparation for closing of the sale of K239CR and its parent station, KXLQ/1490 (Indianola).

Minnesota

The FCC denied a request by SagamoreHill of Minneapolis’ KMWE-LD/17.1 (St. Cloud) to move its transmitter to St. Paul. The reason for the denial is not listed in the publicly-available FCC database. KMWE-LD’s earlier application to change the orientation of its directional antenna from its currently-licensed site at a suburban Corcoran residence remains pending. As noted here last week, the station was first licensed to transmit from Albany last August before moving to Clearwater in September and then to Corcoran in October. Update: A reader points out that KMWE-LD’s most recent authorization, issued last November, stipulates that the station must operate from the Corcoran facility for a 12-month period.

Gray TV closed on its acquisition of K30QY-D (Oakland) as part of a purchase of 24 low-power TV construction permits from Lowcountry 34 Media, LLC on March 22. The construction permit calls for K30QY to transmit with 15kW from a site between Austin and Albert Lea.

Heartland Christian Broadcasters returned the license for K280AW/103.9 (Hoyt Lakes), which had relayed KBHW/99.5 (International Falls) to the Iron Range town.

Nebraska

In the latest moves away from the soon-to-be-demolished tower at the WOWT(TV) studio, iHeartMedia has applied to relocate K235CD/94.9 (Omaha) and K272FE/102.3 (Council Bluffs-Omaha) to a tower about 1km to the east. K235CD would increase power from 110 Watts to 250 Watts, while K272FE would remain 99 Watts; the new antenna height would be slightly lower than the current facility. The translators are fed by KISO-HD2 and KFFF-HD2. As previously noted here, iHeart’s KFFF/93.3 (Bennington-Omaha) also has a construction permit to move to a different site and CSN International’s K255CJ/98.9 (Briggs-Omaha) has gone off the air.

South Dakota

Following a letter from the FCC last month, KZMX-FM/96.7 (Hot Springs) applied to move to 96.3, where it would continue to use 1.4kW/135m. The move will make way for a new station on 96.7 licensed to Lead. The FCC has directed KZMX-FM to leave 96.7 by June 11 after initially ordering the move in 2014.

Wisconsin

The FCC approved Gray TV’s move of future low-power TV station W31EV-D (Wausau) to a site north of Stevens Point, where it will use 1.2kW.