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
The FCC approved SIG Salas Investment Group’s purchase of KXLQ/1490 (Indianola) and K239CR/95.7 (Indianola-Des Moines) from Birach Broadcasting.
PLUS Charities’ KMMK/88.7 (Coggon) applied to increase the antenna height on its tower near Coggon with a corresponding power reduction, switching from its current 25kW/94m to 19.4kW/107m. The new facility would mostly replicate the current coverage area rimshotting Cedar Rapids.
Sinclair’s KBVK-LD (Spencer), which relays CBS/FOX affiliate KPTH (Sioux City), was granted a construction permit to continue broadcasting on channel 20 with 6.8kW. The station has been transmitting on channel 20 under special temporary authority for the past four years after being displaced from channel 21 by the spectrum repack.
Minnesota
The FCC dismissed a request from to extend the construction deadline for K43ON-D (Duluth) that was essentially moot because the new deadline would have been January 2022. The station had requested the extension in February 2021 ahead of a July 2021 construction deadline. However, the extension was never approved and K43ON never filed an application to move to an in-core channel after the discontinuation of channels 38 and up. Lowcountry 34 Media consummated the purchase of the permit, and others, from CTB Spectrum Services Two in September 2021. The FCC has not formally canceled the expired construction permit.
Nebraska
Hickory Radio submitted a request for special temporary authority clarifying that recently-acquired K287CB/105.3 (Glenwood, IA-Omaha) remains off the air. The translator’s previous owner, CSN International, took the translator silent in January. Hickory says it intends to return the translator to the air from a new facility prior to the statutory one-year deadline. It has applied to move to 104.1.
South Dakota
Gray Ghost Broadcasting’s K260DG/99.9 (Redfield), which relays KQKD/1380, has completed an increase in antenna height from 17 to 45m above ground, widening its coverage area.
Wisconsin
David Magnum’s W239CV/95.7 (Oshkosh) was granted a construction permit to move to 102.5 as W273CA, remaining 250W. In approving the application, the FCC dismissed an informal objection from WRVM/102.7 (Suring), which fears interference to the incoming WRVM signal received at translator W268BC/101.5 (Oshkosh). The FCC’s letter to Magnum noted that the WRVM objection was dismissed because FCC rules about such interference only apply to translators that are already operating, and the new W273CA will have to resolve any problems with interference to the WRVM feed received at W268BC.
Zoe Communications filed notices that WXCE/1260 and W297CU/107.3 (Amery) resumed operations on Sept. 22. Their return to the air was noted in a previous report about the stations’ pending sale to Civic Media, which is operating them as “Lake Air Radio” under a time brokerage agreement. Separately, WXCE was granted special temporary authority to use a 1kW loaner transmitter, rather than its licensed 5kW, while it awaits delivery of a new transmitter.
Civic Media closed on its purchase of WFHR/1320 (Wisconsin Rapids), W248CE/97.5 (Wisconsin Rapids), and WIRI/105.5 (Nekoosa-Wisconsin Rapids) on Oct. 3. It has been operating the stations since August under a time brokerage agreement.
Barron Calvary Baptist Church applied to modify the planned facility for new station WGIF/90.1 (Rice Lake), requesting a 6kW/68m facility from south of Barron that would provide a better signal to Rice Lake than the original construction permit.