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
Grace Baptist Church has applied to modify the construction permit for future station KSHW/91.9 (Glidden) to move to 88.3 and upgrade from 600W/37m to 2kW/27m. The upgrade will put most of Carroll within the station’s protected contour.
Michigan
J&J Broadcasting and SNRN Broadcasting requested a second extension of consummation for the sale of five Upper Peninsula radio stations to BTC USA Holdings Management. The latest filing says “a number of commercial issues arose in the closing process” but “most of these issues have now been resolved” and the sale is expected to close in the next few weeks. 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
We Have This Hope Christian Radio has signed on new 250-Watt station KGPL/88.1 (Crookston). The network now has 13 signals after signing on KGPL and new stations in Aitkin, Alexandria, Fergus Falls, and Thief River Falls in recent months; all of the recent additions use 1,000 Watts or less.
Bold Radio requested an extension of consummation of ownership interest changes in KOLV/100.1 (Olivia-Willmar). The deal is connected to the sale of four stations in Willmar; the KOLV sale was approved in September and the Willmar sale was approved Nov. 30.
Following the sign-on of new Radiant Life Ministries station KONC/7 (Alexandria-St. Cloud), Gray TV’s KMNF-LD/7 (Mankato) has applied to move to channel 8. It would remain 3kW from its present site with a slight reduction in antenna height.
The FCC reinstated and extended the licenses, extended silent authority, and waived the tolling rules for Edge Spectrum’s K38MM-D (International Falls) and K47JC-D (Wadena). The new deadlines for the stations to return to the air are February 1, 2024 for K47JC-D and March 1, 2024 for K38MM-D.
Nebraska
NRG Media’s KROR/101.5 (Hastings) is temporarily at reduced power due to transmitter damage, according to a request for special temporary authority that has been granted. Normally licensed for 100kW/306m, KROR is currently using 2kW/237m. The same temporary facility was used during recent tower work.
MyBridge Radio has signed on new station KRLK/90.1 (Norfolk),which uses 1.5kW/142m (class A) from a tower southwest of town. The sign-on displaced Educational Media Foundation “K-Love” translator K211FN/90.1 (Norfolk). EMF’s filing says K211FN left the air Dec. 11 and it will apply to move to a new frequency once the low-power FM filing window is closed.
Community Public Media’s KKNL/89.3 (Valentine) reports that it returned to the air at full power on Dec. 11.
Ontario
As part of license renewal, the CRTC approved a reduction in the minimum amount of local news programming on Thunder Bay Television’s CKPR-DT/2 and CHFD-DT/4 (Thunder Bay) from 14 to 11.5 hours per week. The total is for the two stations combined.
South Dakota
SagamoreHill of Portland closed on its purchase of K32FW-D (Pierre) from Edge Spectrum on Dec. 11. The $447,180 deal, not previously noted here, also included low-power TV stations in New York and Oregon. SagamoreHill does not own any other stations in South Dakota.
University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s K294DL/106.7 (Hot Springs), formerly K292EC/106.3, has returned to the air. The frequency change included an upgrade from 38 to 115 Watts. K294DL relays KLMP (Rapid City), which carries Northwestern’s Faith Radio network.
The FCC has approved Prairie Winds Broadcasting’s purchase of K253AB/98.5 (Aberdeen) from Christian Heritage Broadcasting. The buyer has been operating K253AB under a local marketing agreement since August.
Wisconsin
Civic Media’s W298DK/107.5 (Amery), formerly W297CU/107.3, has returned to the air following a move to a new tower site. W298DK relays WLAK/1260 (Amery). W298DK transmits with 250 Watts from a tower between Amery and Balsam Lake.
The FCC approved a callsign move for two Magnum Media stations, which will be effective Jan. 10, 2024. WIBD/1470 (West Bend) will become WRYU, while WEZY/92.7 (Kewaunee) will become WIBD. It’s not immediately clear if any station is taking on the WEZY callsign, which has been parked on several Wisconsin stations since being dropped from its longtime home on 92.1 in Racine. Meanwhile, WIBD will be the fifth callsign for the Kewaunee station in 15 months while maintaining the same format.
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.