The following are updates to previously-reported items and other recent FCC filings and actions:
Iowa
The FCC has canceled the license of Grinnell College’s KDIC/88.5 (Grinnell), saying the licensee did not respond to an April 12 letter inquiring about the station’s status. It had reported going off the air Aug. 31, 2020. Federal law stipulates that, in most cases, stations lose their license if they are off the air for more than a year. KDIC had been carrying Iowa Public Radio’s Classical network in recent years.
Community Public Media’s KPVL/89.1 (Postville) informed the FCC that it went off the air July 6 due to transmitter failure. Its request for special temporary authority says that the manufacturer has estimated a four to six-month wait for a new transmitter.
Michigan
Aurora Media’s W280GB/103.9 (Escanaba) applied to move its transmitter to Gladstone, where it would continue to use 250 Watts and rimshot Escanaba. The application states W280GB would switch its primary station from WDBC/680 to the HD2 signal of WYKX/104.7. WDBC is also relayed on W233CT/94.5 (Escanaba).
Minnesota
Updating a previous report here, Hubbard Radio’s KBLB/93.3 (Nisswa-Brainerd) and WJJY/106.7 (Brainerd) have submitted formal filings detailing recent technical difficulties. The stations transmit from a tower near Gull Lake that suffered damage in May and June and caused the stations to operate at reduced power at times. A July 5 inspection revealed major damage to their ten-bay antenna, and three days later the stations began using a temporary two-bay antenna on the tower. Both stations normally use 100kW but are temporarily using 1kW ERP. The stations’ requests for special temporary authority say they anticipate the new antenna will be installed at the end of July or the beginning of August.
A couple of weeks after notifying the FCC that it had changed the input station of Twin Cities “K-Love” translator K260BA/99.9 (Coon Rapids) from KFXN-FM-HD3 to KTCZ-HD2, the station now says it is originating its programming on the HD3 signal of co-owned KMWA/96.3 (Edina-Minneapolis). Programming is received via IP.
Fairmont Area Catholic Radio requested the callsign KYEJ for its new station on 90.1 in Fairmont. The new 300-Watt station will replace 100-Watt KYEJ-LP on the same frequency.
Lowcountry 34 Media’s K17OV-D (Duluth) and K30QX-D (Duluth) were granted construction permits to move their transmitters to Duluth, using 1kW. The stations had informed the FCC last year that they had constructed 15kW directional facilities transmitting from west of Duluth, covering Cloquet, and subsequently reported that they had gone silent. Lowcountry acknowledged in its applications for the moves that the previously-licensed site “cannot support permanent station operations.”
Nebraska
FCC records indicate the license of KEVH-LP/100.7 (Hastings), which was owned by Educational Voice of Hastings, has been canceled. Details are not available in FCC databases.
MyBridge Radio requested the callsigns KTSP for its new station on 88.5 in Crete and KNPE for its new station on 88.5 in North Platte. (The latter callsign is similar to Nebraska Public Media’s KPNE/91.7 North Platte.)
iHeartMedia’s K235CD/94.9 (Omaha) and K272FE/102.3 (Council Bluffs-Omaha) completed a relocation of their transmitters to a site slightly to the east, with K235CD upgrading from 110 to 250 Watts. K272FE remains 250 Watts.
South Dakota
After storm damage earlier this year necessitated the demolition of its tower site, Family Worship Center Church’s K207EW/89.3 (Mitchell) has returned to the air using 235 Watts from a nearby site. Due to South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s construction permit for a new station on 89.1 in Mitchell, K207EW has separately applied to move to 90.1 with 250W.
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s KSLP/90.3 (Fort Pierre) reported that it continues to operate at reduced power while it awaits delivery of replacement parts. Normally licensed for 2kW effective radiated power resulting from 1.4kW transmitter power output, KSLP has previously reported that it is using 887 Watts TPO.
G.I.G. Inc.’s KCPO-LD/26 (Sioux Falls) applied for a license to cover and requested reinstatement of the construction permit, which FCC records indicate expired on April 1. The application says the facility was timely constructed but that the license to cover application was inadvertently not filed.
Edge Spectrum applied to reduce the power for future low-power TV station K22KD-D (Sioux Falls) from 3kW to 100W.
Wisconsin
Zoe Communications’ WHSM-FM/101.1 (Hayward) notified the FCC that it has activated an HD signal, while co-owned W245CT/96.9 (Hayward) reported that it is now relaying WHSM-FM-HD2. W245CT’s programming had previously originated on WCBN/910 (Hayward). W245CT had been granted prior to the AM Revitalization effort and is not required to relay the AM station.
Zoe’s WXCE/1260 (Amery) requested an extension of special temporary authority to remain silent.
Baroka Broadcasting’s W275CR/102.9 (Hurley, WI-Ironwood, MI) applied to move its transmitter to the tower used by co-owned WUPM/106.9, where it would remain 250 Watts but benefit from an increased antenna height. W275CR would continue to relay WHRY/1450 (Hurley).
Gray TV’s WECX-LD/14 (Eau Claire) reported that it has completed its move to sister station WEAU-TV’s tower near Fairchild, where the low-power station uses 10.1kW. WECX is also relayed on W33DH-D (Eau Claire), which transmits from the WEAU-TV studio in Eau Claire.
Edge Spectrum reported that new low-power TV station W30BU-D (Green Bay) has been constructed as authorized, a day after the FCC granted an application to modify the permit from 15kW to 1kW. Programming is unknown.
Edge Spectrum was also granted a modification of the construction permit for W36EI-D (Wausau) to downgrade it from 15kW to 100W.
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