The following are updates to previously-reported items and other recent regulatory filings and actions concerning Upper Midwest broadcast stations. This report is created by the author and is not an official report of the FCC.
Iowa
Coloff Media reported that new FM translator K268DT/101.5 (Cedar Falls) has signed on, relaying KCFI/1250 with 250W from Waterloo. KCFI’s Oldies format was previously heard K286CI/105.1, which switched its programming to the HD3 signal of KCVM/93.5 on Aug. 10. Coloff Media President Jim Coloff tells NorthPine.com that KCVM-HD3/K286CI are relaying KCFI for now but that a new format may be forthcoming. Coloff now has four FM translators in Waterloo, which relay two AM stations and two HD subchannels.
DTV America’s KFKZ-LD/35.1 (Cedar Falls) returned to the air on Aug. 3.
Lowcountry 34 Media’s K27LD-D (Salix) reported that it returned to the air on Aug. 9.
Minnesota
The FCC has quickly approved Radiant Life Ministries/TCT’s application for a new station on channel 7 in Alexandria, which it won in an auction earlier this year. As previously reported, the new full-power TV station will transmit from the KCLD(FM) tower near St. Cloud with 140kW.
Lowcountry 34 Media’s K17OV-D (Duluth) and K30QX-D (Duluth) reported that they have returned to the air using 1kW facilities from the KCWV tower in Duluth’s antenna farm. K30QX is relaying KCWV’s channels, and K17OV’s application indicates it will do the same.
The FCC granted Edge Spectrum’s K26KF-D (Duluth) and K35JN-D (Duluth) downgrades from 5kW to 100 Watts. The stations had previously received special temporary authority to transmit with 100 Watts. Programming is unknown.
Hubbard Radio’s W236DF/95.1 (Brainerd) has returned to the air after a month-long outage.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Rural Radio Association submitted several filings detailing how it restored service following a fire that knocked three of its Scottsbluff-area stations off the air:
- KMOR/93.3 (Gering) is using a 6kW/33m facility that was originally intended to be the auxiliary facility of sister station KNEB-FM/94.1
- KOZY-FM/101.3 (Bridgeport) is using 1kW from a temporary antenna on KNEB-FM’s tower
- KHYY/106.9 (Minatare) is using 500 Watts from equipment repurposed from translators K262CU/100.3 and K269DO/101.7, which have gone off the air
All six of the stations, along with Spirit Catholic Radio’s KETT/99.5 (Mitchell), are poised to transmit from a reconstructed tower that had previously been home to KMOR and KOZY-FM. The transmission site that was destroyed was KHYY’s licensed site and the temporary site for KMOR, KOZY-FM, and KETT.
Elsewhere, the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission requested the callsign KQNE-FM for its future station on 89.9 in Falls City.
VSS Catholic Communications/Spirit Catholic Radio reported that it has completed the frequency change for K207BY/89.3 (Chadron), which moved to 91.3 as K217GM. The move comes after Southern Cultural Foundation was granted a new station on 89.5 in Chadron.
CSN International’s K255CJ/98.9 (Briggs-Omaha), displaced by the demolition of the tower at the longtime WOWT(TV) studio, has applied to move to a tower about two miles north of the old site with 75 Watts. It will continue to relay KHLW/89.3 (Tabor, IA).
North Dakota
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel informed the FCC that K293BN/104.7 (Bowman), K295BR/106.9 (Dickinson), and K274CC/102.7 (New England) went off the air April 19 due to the suspension of broadcasting by the station they had relayed, KTPT/97.9 (Rapid City, SD). The licensee explained that the applications to remain silent were not filed until now due to “a communication error and change in monitoring personnel.” Its filings say that an agreement has been reached to sell the translators, which will switch to new input stations. The sales have not yet been filed for FCC approval.
i3G Media says supply chain delays have delayed the project to move K240CJ/95.9 (Oakes) to LaMoure, where it will relay KDDR/1220 (Oakes) with 250 Watts. It requested an extension of special temporary authority to remain silent. As previously noted here, KDDR’s programming is now heard on K262DH/100.3 (Oakes), prompting the plan to move K240CJ to serve a new area.
South Dakota
As first noted by RadioInsight, Gray Ghost Broadcasting’s KQKD/1380 (Redfield) has applied to upgrade from its current 500W/142W to 1kW/400W by adding a third tower to its site.
Wisconsin
Good Karma Broadcasting’s WGKB/1510 (Waukesha) informed the FCC in an Aug. 10 filing that it went off the air June 17 due to technical difficulties. WGKB’s programming continues to be heard on W269DL/101.7 (Milwaukee).
My Central Valley LLC submitted a license to cover application indicating that new low-power TV station WRJT-LD/34 (Wausau) has been constructed as authorized. Programming is unknown. The station transmits with 7.5kW from a tower near Milladore.
Gray TV NBC affiliate WEAU/13.1 (Eau Claire) has withdrawn its application for a digital replacement translator on channel 24 in Eau Claire, saying “the facilities requested are no longer necessary.” WEAU had applied for the translator in 2020, saying at the time that it was proposed to aid in solving viewer reception problems in Eau Claire after moving from RF channel 38 to 17.
The FCC has formally cancelled Spectrum Evolution’s construction permits for low-power TV stations W19DJ-D (Eau Claire), W29DQ-D (Eau Claire), W30EN-D (Eau Claire), W31DN-D (Eau Claire), W21DC-D (Galesville), W22DT-D (Galesville), W28DT-D (Galesville), W32DW-D (La Crosse), and W34EB-D (La Crosse). FCC records indicate the permits expired in January after an extension.