The following are updates to stories previously reported here and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa submitted filings formally seeking the transfer of their licenses to Iowa Public Radio following a vote by the Board of Regents earlier this year. The 19 full-power stations and 7 translators include ISU’s WOI/640 and WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames), the U of Iowa’s WSUI/910 and KSUI/91.7 (Iowa City), and UNI’s KHKE/89.5 and KUNI/90.9 (Cedar Falls). The transfer is not expected to result in any actual changes since IPR has been running the stations since 2004.
Michigan
West Central Michigan Media Ministries’ WUPJ/90.9 (Escanaba) was granted a construction permit to move from its present site west of Escanaba to the WJMN-TV site north of the city, switching from its current 100kW/80m to 30kW/269m, remaining class C1.
Nebraska
VSS Catholic Communications’ KETT/99.3 (Mitchell-Scottsbluff) has temporarily reduced power ahead of a major tower project. As documented here in several previous reports, the project will combine seven FM stations on a Nebraska Rural Radio Association-owned tower west of Scottsbluff. KETT’s filing says that the existing tower is due to be demolished and a new tower built in its place within the next two months. KETT has temporarily relocated to a tower 6 miles away, where it is using 1kW instead of its licensed 2.65kW. When the project is complete, KETT will move to 99.5 and use 13kW/293m (class C2) from the new tower. Previous filings show NRRA will also operate its four full-power FM’s and two FM translators from the new tower.
Richard Dabney’s Southern Cultural Foundation was granted two new stations in Crawford and one new station in Hemingford. The Crawford stations, on 89.1 and 89.9, are both permitted for 100 Watts at 67 meters below average terrain. The Hemingford station will broadcast on 89.7 with 6kW at 35m.
The Douglas County School District’s KIOS-FM/91.5 (Omaha), which is the city’s NPR station, says there have been delays in equipment needed to get the station back to its full power of 55kW ERP. The news comes in a request for an extension of special temporary authority to transmit with 1.15kW.
The University of Nebraska’s KRNU-FM/90.3 (Lincoln) has been granted a fifth extension of special temporary authority as work to replace its tower continues. The station’s latest filing says the university has approved specifications for the project and it is now out for bids. It been operating at 30% of its licensed 100 Watts at times since September 2019, when the discovery of water and ice in the transmission line lead to the finding that the entire tower needed to be replaced.
Wisconsin
Gray TV informed the FCC that new low-power TV station W31EV-D (Wausau) has been constructed as authorized in its construction permit, which calls for 1.2kW from a site north of Stevens Point. Programming is unknown.
Byrne Acquisition Group ION affiliate WIFS/57.1 (Janesville-Madison) submitted a notification that it is running at about 60% of its usual power due to failure of its mask filter. A replacement has been ordered.