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
Educational Media Foundation’s KIMI/107.7 (Malvern) submitted another request for another extension of special temporary authority to operate at 110 Watts, rather than the 13kW specified in its construction permit that would reach Omaha, as the years-long effort to resolve a conflict with air navigation on an adjacent frequency at Offutt Air Force Base remains unresolved. The latest filing is identical to one submitted in June except for one deleted sentence; the station says it is working with the FAA, Air Force, and Omaha Airport to finalize a solution but “it has been difficult to get all the parties together.” Efforts to sign on a full-power station on 107.7 in the Omaha market date back to 2005 when a different station first received a construction permit for the frequency; it returned the permit a few years later due to the air nav conflict. KIMI later received a construction permit to move in from Humboldt, NE. (This item has been corrected to reflect that KIMI was originally licensed to Humboldt, not Sidney.)
Sound in Spirit Broadcasting has filed a petition to deny Heritage Baptist Church’s application for a new station on 88.1 in Burlington, a frequency also sought by Sound in Spirit. The FCC identified Heritage as the tentative selectee in October based on a point system in which Heritage scored higher because of its claim of being an established local applicant. In its petition, Sound in Spirit alleges that Heritage failed to provide adequate documentation of its localism claim prior to the filing deadline and later tried to fix the problem with an amendment. Heritage filed an opposition to the petition stating that a screengrab of its Secretary of State registration in the original filing accidentally cropped its street address and that the amendment, submitted after the filing deadline, was merely filed to fix the image.
Meanwhile, the fight over 88.9 in Dubuque elicited two new filings in the past week. As previously reported here, Augustana College filed a petition to deny Vanguard Association of Sunbelt Colleges Corporation’s application, stating that Vanguard may not have the financial resources to build the station, questioning whether Vanguard actually had reasonable assurance that it could use its proposed tower site, and alleging that Vanguard “may be part of a scheme to exceed the ten-application limit.” The petition elicited an opposition from Vanguard stating that Augustana had failed to provide any evidence of Vanguard’s alleged financial limitations. Vanguard’s opposition filing also included a declaration from its technical consultant stating that though he is president of Elijah Radio, which applied for other stations, he does not have any ownership interest in Vanguard and only helped Vanguard submit the application. Augustana then replied to the opposition reiterating that it believes Vanguard should have to submit documentation proving it can afford to build the station and urging the FCC to investigate possible links between Vanguard and Elijah Radio.
Minnesota
Lowcountry 34 Media’s K30QX-D (Duluth) applied to upgrade from 1kW to 15kW.
Nebraska
The FCC approved MyBridge’s purchase of KNGN/1360 and K252FV/98.3 (McCook) from Kansas Nebraska Good News Broadcasting.
North Dakota
Grand Forks Bible Study Group filed an opposition to Bible Broadcasting Network’s petition to deny Bible Study Group’s application for a new station on 88.3 in Grand Forks, a frequency which BBN is also seeking. The FCC named Bible Study Group, which currently operates a low-power FM station on the frequency, as the tentative selectee in October by using a points-based system. BBN’s petition alleged that Bible Study Group’s points should not be counted since they were submitted as an amendment after the filing deadline. Bible Study Group’s opposition filing says the documentation justifying its points was submitted with the original application but that the amendment was made to fix mistakes in answers to questions on the application form.
South Dakota
The FCC approved Riverfront Broadcasting’s purchase of KJRV/93.3 (Wessington Springs-Huron), KOKK/1210 (Huron), KIJV/1340 (Huron), and K237EL/95.3 (Huron) from Dakota Communications.
Haugo Broadcasting’s KXMZ/102.7 (Box Elder-Rapid City) submitted an updated filing indicating that it should be back to using its fully-licensed 50kW/137m by January. It has been temporarily using 1kW/105m since losing access to its previous transmitter site in 2018. The station’s latest filing requests another extension of special temporary authority to use reduced power.
Wisconsin
Hearst ABC affiliate WISN-TV/12 (Milwaukee) submitted a notification that it now has a control point at KMBC in Kansas City. The filing explained that WISN-TV can still be controlled from its Milwaukee studio location and transmitter site.
Magnum Media’s W258CM/99.5 (Madison), which has been off the air since June, requested an extension of special temporary authority to remain silent as work to move to a new transmitter site continues. The station’s filing says materials are now on hand and they are expecting to construct in the next “week or two.”