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.
Minnesota
Santamaria Broadcasting’s KMNQ/1470 (Brooklyn Park) reported that it returned to the air Jan. 2 after nearly a year of silence. Programming is unknown.
The FCC dismissed reduced power notifications that had been filed by nine Minnesota Public Radio stations last month (see the Dec. 26 FCC Monitor for the full list). The FCC database does not contain any reason for the dismissals, but all of the stations have been removed from MPR’s station alerts page.
Nebraska
MyBridge Radio was granted the callsign KMBO for its future station on 88.7 in O’Neill.
North Dakota
Educational Media Foundation Air1 station KFAA/89.5 (Horace-Fargo) applied to move from its present tower site in West Fargo to a location about four miles to the southeast near I-29. It would switch from its present 7.3kW/28m to 3kW/46m.
South Dakota
Alpha Media’s KDLO-FM/96.9 (Watertown) submitted a request for special temporary authority detailing the facility it is using in the wake of the KDLO-TV tower collapse last month. KDLO-FM is using 18.1kW/110m from the former KIXX/96.1 tower on the south side of Watertown. The temporary facility provides a strong signal to the Watertown area but doesn’t reach rural areas to the west that had been served by KDLO-FM’s 100kW facility from the taller TV tower.
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s K220IT/91.9 (Watertown) was granted an upgrade from 79 to 250 Watts, continuing to relay KNWC-FM (Sioux Falls).
Forum Communications requested a change in the callsign of KWSD/36.1 (Sioux Falls) to KSFL-TV, pending approval and consummation of its purchase of the station.
Bethesda Christian Broadcasting requested a callsign change for KTPT/97.9 (Rapid City) to KVPC, effective Feb. 14. As noted here last week, Bethesda has received FCC approval to sell the station to VCY America.
Riverfront Broadcasting closed on its purchase of KJRV/93.3 (Wessington Springs-Huron), KOKK/1210 (Huron), KIJV/1340 (Huron), and KIJV translator K237EL/95.3 (Huron) from Dakota Communications on Dec. 31.
Wisconsin
Civic Media closed on its purchase of WAUK/540 (Jackson-Milwaukee) and W266DR/101.1 (Waukesha) on Dec. 30.
Wisconsin Public Radio’s KUWS/91.3 (Superior) reported that it resumed full-power operations on Jan. 6 after a few weeks at reduced power due to icing at its Duluth antenna site.
The FCC granted special temporary authority allowing Milwaukee Media’s WIWN/68.1 (Fond du Lac), which transmits on RF channel 5 from Milwaukee, to continue using a temporary 34kW facility as an interim solution for reception issues. An application to move the station to RF channel 7 in hopes of resolving the issues remains pending.