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
Following the station’s earlier dismissal application, the FCC on Jan. 8 formally canceled the license of Grinnell College’s KDIC/88.5 (Grinnell) for the second time. The station’s callsign now appears variably as DKDIC, DDKIDC, and DDDKDIC in FCC records, indicating the multiple times it has been deleted.
The University of Iowa’s KSUI/91.7 (Iowa City) informed the FCC that it has been operating at about 17 percent of its licensed 100kW since Dec. 28 due to unspecified technical problems.
The FCC again extended the deadline for Edge Spectrum’s K20KF-D (Davenport) to return to the air to Aug. 1, 2024. A letter approving the extension, and others reported below, notes that Edge has voluntarily agreed to provide the FCC bi-weekly updates on the status of construction.
Michigan
VCY America’s WVCN/104.3 (Baraga) was granted special temporary authority to transmit at about 3kW ERP, rather than its licensed 100kW, after winds damaged the station’s antenna on Dec. 27.
Minnesota
Central Baptist Theological Seminary’s WCTS/1030 (Maplewood-Minneapolis) reports that it returned to its full daytime power of 50kW on Dec. 14.
The FCC has granted Midwest Communications’ KDAL-FM/95.7 (Duluth) special temporary authority to operate at reduced power following a malfunction of its antenna and/or transmission line. Normally 100kW from the WDIO tower, KDAL-FM is temporarily transmitting with 1kW ERP from the KTCO tower.
RELATED: Data Dump: Who’s On What Tower in Duluth?
The FCC approved a modification to the construction permit for future University of Northwestern-St. Paul station KDGR/88.1 (Grand Rapids), downgrading from the original 24kW/55m (class C3) to 5kW/75m (class A) from a tower south of town.
Alpha Media’s K269EC/101.7 (Mankato) has returned to the air from its new tower site in North Mankato, relaying KMKO-FM/95.7 (Lake Crystal).
The FCC granted a frequency change for Minnesota Public Radio’s K215BL/90.9 (Alexandria), which was displaced from the frequency by a new full-power station. The translator will move to 89.7 as K209GE and will continue to relay Classical MPR station KSJR-FM/90.1 (Collegeville).
The FCC again extended the deadline for Edge Spectrum’s K48KJ-D (Geneva), KHVM-LD (Minneapolis), KTCJ-LD (Minneapolis), K47JE-D (Olivia), and K43MH-D (Vesta) to return to the air to Aug. 1, 2024.
Nebraska
Educational Media Foundation’s K211FN/90.1 (Norfolk) has returned to the air after making a frequency change to 88.9, where its callsign is K205GK. The change involved a downgrade from 250 to 30 Watts. The move was needed because a new full-power station signed on using 90.1. K209GK relays “Air1” flagship KHRI (Hollister, CA) via satellite.
Community Broadcasting/Bott Radio Network applied to modify the facilities for future station KNCV/90.9 (North Platte). The original construction permit calls for 25kW/84m (class C3) from a site south of town; KNCV is now requesting 41kW/94m (class C2) from a site north of town.
North Dakota
Prairie Public Broadcasting’s KJRE/19.1 (Ellendale) reports that it has been off the since Dec. 29 due to damage caused by an ice storm. The station serves an area of south-central North Dakota with little other TV reception.
Bible Broadcasting Network has requested tolling of the deadline to construct a new station on 88.3 in Grand Forks as it awaits an administrative decision on Grand Forks Bible Study Group’s application for review. As previously reported here, the FCC had initially named GFBSG as the tentative selectee for the frequency but later granted it to BBN after BBN raised questions about GFBSG’s application. (Further confusing matters for listeners, GFBSG already operates low-power FM station KEQQ-LP on 88.3, which will be displaced by the new station; KEQQ-LP has applied to move to 105.9.) BBN’s request for tolling asks that the three-year countdown to construct the station be put on hold while the administrative review is underway.
The FCC again extended the deadline for Edge Spectrum’s K43JQ-D (Bismarck) and K42IM-D (Minot) to return to the air to Aug. 1, 2024.
South Dakota
Homeslice Media’s KKLS/920 (Rapid City) applied to remove one of its two towers and switch to a non-directional facility using 5kW day and 65 Watts night. KKLS is currently licensed for 5kW day and 111 Watts night using the same directional pattern day and night. However, as previously noted here, the station currently has special temporary authority to transmit with 3.2kW day and 70 Watts night aftger the 2016 construction of a new power line impacted its directional pattern.
The FCC approved a waiver for the University of Northwestern-St. Paul’s K294DL/106.7 (Hot Springs) to switch the source of its programming to KSLS/90.7 (Dickinson, ND) via internet delivery. A waiver was needed because FCC rules normally require translators operating in the non-reserved portion of the band (92-108 MHz) to receive their programming over the air unless they are fill-in translators. K294DL sought a “non-commercial white area waiver” because its coverage area is not served by any full-power non-commercial stations.
Wisconsin
The FCC approved Family Worship Center Church’s purchase of WIWN/68.1 (Fond du Lac-Milwaukee) from Milwaukee Media LLC.
The FCC again extended the deadline for Edge Spectrum’s W39CV-D (Minocqua) to return to the air to Aug. 1, 2024.
Waterloo Christian Radio Corporation modified its application for a new station on 91.5 in Ixonia to reduce the proposed power from 25kW to 10kW. The application is part of FCC mutually-exclusive group 93 (REC Networks link). The FCC has previously identified Optima Enrichment as the tentative selectee for this group, which prompted a petition to deny from Waterloo Christian Radio Corporation. The matter has now been pending at the FCC for more than a year.
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.