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 sanctioned Panther Communications’ KWIA/100.9 (Newell) with a short-term license renewal, writing, “we cannot find that the Station served the public interest, convenience and necessity during the license term due to the extended periods of non-operation.” The station’s license renewal application states that it first went silent in 2017 due to a pending sale that fell through, and that “the station was vandalized and much of its equipment at its antenna site was cannibalized and stolen.” The station was also off the air from Dec. 5, 2018 to Dec. 2, 2019, because its authorized site became unavailable. The FCC granted a one-year license term expiring June 8, 2024.
The FCC approved an extension of special temporary authority for the Educational Media Foundation’s KIMI/107.7 (Malvern) to operate at reduced power of 110 Watts while it continues to seek a resolution to the nearly decade-old conflict with an ILS frequency at Offut Air Force Base.
The FCC picked a new tentative selectee for a new non-commercial FM station on 88.1 in Burlington after determining that the previous selectee, Heritage Baptist Church, does not qualify as an established local applicant. The localism claim had given Heritage the edge in a tiebreaker with Sound in Spirit Broadcasting. With Heritage’s localism claim now denied, Sound in Spirit is now the tentative selectee for the new station.
Sinclair’s KDSM-TV (RF 16, Des Moines), which operates in ATSC 3.0 format, notified the FCC that it is operating at 25% of its licensed 1,000kW due to problems with its transmission line.
iHeartMedia’s WOC/1420 (Davenport) requested another extension special temporary authority to operate its directional antenna at variance and/or with reduced power. The station’s original 2021 filing said several array parameters suddenly went out of tolerance; the latest filing says “minimal progress has been made due to manpower constraints.” WOC is licensed to use 5kW day and night with different day and night directional patterns. The possible reduced power level has not been specified in filings.
Michigan
The FCC picked a new tentative selectee for a new non-commercial FM station on 88.1 in the Escanaba area after determining that the previous selectee, Evangelistic Knights of Our Lady, does not qualify as an established local applicant. The localism claim had given EKL the edge in a tiebreaker with a group called Full Potential, which had a larger proposed service area. With EKL’s localism claim now denied, Full Potential is now the tentative selectee for a new station on 88.1 licensed to Wells.
J&J Broadcasting and SNRN Broadcasting filed an extension of consummation for the sale of five Upper Peninsula radio stations to BTC USA Holdings Management, a filing which indicates that the deal has not yet closed but is still expected to be consummated. The stations include WKMJ/93.5 (Hancock), WMPL/920 (Hancock), WIMI/99.7 (Ironwood), WJMS/590 (Ironwood), WUPY/101.1 (Ontonagon), and FM translators relaying WMPL and WJMS.
Minnesota
Subarctic Media’s K274AL/102.7 (Mankato) submitted a license to cover application indicating that it has completed the move of its transmitter to Lake Crystal, from where it will relay KXAC/100.5 (St. James) instead of KTOE/1420 (Mankato). KTOE is also relayed on K254DT/98.7 (Mankato).
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s K288BF/105.5 (Grand Marais) has gone off the air due to antenna failure.
The FCC extended the construction permit deadline to July 1, 2023, for Edge Spectrum’s KTCJ-LD/13 (Minneapolis). KTCJ-LD previously transmitted on channel 50 and went silent in 2020.
North Dakota
The FCC picked a new tentative selectee for a new non-commercial FM station on 88.3 in Grand Forks after determining that the previous selectee, Grand Forks Bible Study Group, does not qualify as an established local applicant. The localism claim had given GFBSG the edge in a tiebreaker with Bible Broadcasting Network. With GFBSG’s localism claim now denied, BBN is now the tentative selectee for the new station.
Disclosure: Jon Ellis is an employee of Gray Media Group. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.
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