The following are updates to previously-reported items and other recent FCC filings and actions:
National
The FCC says ten bidders will be eligible to participate in June’s Auction 112 of full-power TV licenses: BEK Sports Network, Gray Television, Major Market Broadcasting of North Dakota, Marquee Broadcasting, Radiant Life Ministries (Tri-State Christian Television), Sinclair Television Group, SJL Television, TV-49 Inc. (Weigel Broadcasting), Ventura Media Communications, and Venture Technologies Group. See this earlier report for details on the Upper Midwest allotments being auctioned.
Minnesota/Iowa
The FCC granted Fairmont Area Catholic Radio a construction permit for a new station on 90.1 in Fairmont, using 300W/32m, after the FCC’s earlier designation of the applicant as the tentative selectee for this frequency. Applications by VCY America for 90.1 in Sherburn and We Have This Hope Christian Radio for 90.1 in Windom have now been dismissed. Meanwhile, St. Gabriel Communications filed an amendment stating that while its application for 89.9 in Spencer, IA, had been put into the same mutually exclusive group with the Fairmont, Sherburn, and Windom applications, the Spencer application does not overlap with the Fairmont application and can now be granted.
Educational Media Foundation “K-Love” station KMKL/90.3 (North Branch) reported that it has been operating at reduced power since May 9 due to a failure of air conditioning at the transmitter site. The exact power being used was not specified in the notification to the FCC; KMKL is licensed for 15kW/123m serving the far northeastern Twin Cities metro.
Nebraska
Nebraska Public Media TV translator K10JW-D (Verdigre) was granted an upgrade from 6 Watts to 15 Watts.
The FCC approved the transfer of stock in Heart City Radio, owner of KVSH/940 (Valentine), to Kimberly and Michael Burge, who were already minority shareholders. Mike Burge has worked at the station for four decades.
North Dakota
The FCC approved i3G Media’s plan to move K240CJ/95.9 (Oakes) to LaMoure, where it would relay KDDR/1220 (Oakes) with 250 Watts. K240CJ previously relayed KDDR in Oakes but became duplicative when new translator K262DH/100.3 (Oakes) signed on to relay KDDR.
South Dakota
Dakota News Now recently reported that a tower near Salem, SD, owned by the station collapsed during a storm earlier this month. The tower midway between Sioux Falls and Mitchell appears to have been the facility that KDLT/5 (Mitchell) used from 1976 until 1998, when channel 5 moved to a site west of Mitchell and changed its callsign to KDLV as KDLT/46 (Sioux Falls) signed on. It does not appear there were any current broadcast facilities on the Salem tower. Gray changed the tower’s status to “dismantled” in the FCC’s antenna structure registration system on May 18.
Wisconsin
W240DC/95.9 (Chippewa Falls-Eau Claire) completed an increase in its antenna height from 15 to 87 meters above the ground, widening its coverage area. It transmits from the WAYY/790 tower site, remaining 250 Watts and carrying the “95.9 Jamz” format originating on WEAQ/1150 (Chippewa Falls).