June 2009

In Milwaukee, Weigel Broadcasting plans to begin simulcasting the CBS lineup of WDJT/58 on the analog signal of WYTU-LP/63, while Weigel's independent WMLW-CA/41 will continue analog broadcasts. (Telemundo, formerly seen on channel 63, is now on digital channels 17.1 an 49.4.) Bustos Media's Azteca America affiliate, WBWT-CA/38 (Milwaukee), may continue analog broadcasts as well. There are also low-power spanish-language stations in Minneapolis and Omaha, low-power independent stations in La Crosse and Sioux Falls, and a low-power My Network TV affiliate in the Quad Cities. Meanwhile, analog translators may continue to carry all "big four" networks in Frost, International Falls, Jackson, Olivia, St. James, and Willmar, MN. Areas near the international border will continue to receive Canadian stations in analog.

For a complete list of analog low-power/translator stations, check the TV Station lists for each state listed at the left. (6/11/2009)

IOWA:
KCVM/96.1 (Hudson-Waterloo) has applied to move to 93.5, though it would keep its current transmitter site and remain 6kW. The reason for the application is not yet clear; no other stations near 96.1 have applied for facility changes. KCVM is owned by Fife Communications and runs an Adult Contemporary format as "Mix 96.1." (6/10/2009)

MICHIGAN:
ABC affiliate WBUP/10 (Ishpeming) is back on the air but still unable to originate local newscasts after the entire station moved from the Marquette Mall to the former Miracle Market building in Ishpeming. The station left the air on Monday, June 1 and was off for at least several days. It now hopes to resume newscasts by Monday, June 15. Meanwhile, WBUP and sister station WBKP/5 (Calumet) will flash-cut to digital broadcasting on Friday, carrying ABC and CW+ on both stations. (6/10/2009)

WISCONSIN:
All Access reports WRIG/1390 (Schofield-Wausau) will drop Oldies for Sports on July 6. The lineup will include Jim Rome and FOX Sports Radio. WRIG had carried a Nostalgia format for years, then flipped to Hot Talk in 2003, back to Nostalgia in 2004, and to Oldies in 2007. It then faced more competition when Oldies formats returned to the FM dial. (6/10/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
KIMM/1150 (Rapid City) is poised to get a FM simulcast of its Classic Country format on translator K300AX/107.9. Bethesda Christian Broadcasting is selling K300AX to KIMM owner Aasen Publishing for $35,000. (An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the purchase price as $5,000.) The Lease Purchase and Assignment Agreement states Aasen plans to seek special temporary authority to use the translator, which currently rebroadcasts KSLT/107.3 (Spearfish), to rebroadcast KIMM. K300AX will eventually be forced to leave 107.9 by the sign-on of KZXT/107.9 (Newell); Aasen intends to move the translator to a new frequency. (6/9/2009)

IOWA:
Minn-Iowa Christian Broadcasting and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames have reached a settlement agreement over competing applications for 89.1 in the Gilbert/Story City area. UUFA had already been issued a construction permit for KHOI/88.3 (Story City). It has agreed to transfer KHOI to MICB, in exchange for MICB dropping its application for a new station on 89.1 in Gilbert. UUFA still has a pending application for a new station on 89.1 in Story City, which is expected to be approved as a result of the settlement. 89.1 has more potential for reaching listeners in Ames, though it would be a rimshot signal. 88.3's signal will be more limited to the north because of the existence of KURE/88.5 (Ames). (6/8/2009)

MINNESOTA:
Northern Community Radio, owner of KAXE/91.7 (Grand Rapids), is buying the construction permit for a new station in Bagley from Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for $30,000. The CP calls for 100kW/126m directional on 90.5 from a tower north of Bagley, delivering a good signal to Bemidji and points west. KAXE has a translator on 105.3 in Bemidji. (6/8/2009)

MICHIGAN:
WRUP/98.3 has completed its move into the Marquette market. The station changed its community of license from Munising to Palmer, and moved its transmitter to a site west of Marquette used by three other Marquette-market FM's, using 2.6kW/310m (class C3). WRUP carries a Classic Rock format and is owned by Todd Stuart Noordyk. It is the third new commercial station in the immediate Marquette area in the last year, bringing the market to nine core commercial FM signals, three of them owned by Noordyk. (6/8/2009)

POST-TRANSITION TV CALLSIGNS:
The FCC has announced plans to drop the "-DT" suffix from digital TV stations after the transition on June 12, unless individual stations indicate they want to keep the "-DT" callsign. Essentially, stations will revert to their previous analog callsign. For example, the facility now known as WCCO-DT will be known as WCCO-TV and KARE-DT will become KARE, unless the stations choose to keep the "-DT" suffixes. Stations that never had an analog counterpart, such as WRPT-DT (Hibbing), will keep the "-DT" suffix unless they specifically request a change. (6/4/2009)

NEBRASKA:
KCWL/51 (Lincoln) plans to flip its affiliation from CW to FOX as part of the digital transition. The station, which does not have a digital companion channel, will leave the air June 9 and return June 12 in digital form as FOX affiliate KFXL. The station will apparently act as a satellite of KTVG/17 (Grand Island), which is also seen on KSNB/4 (Superior). The stations are operated by Pappas Telecasting. Pappas also owns Omaha FOX affiliate KPTM/42, which has served as the de facto FOX affiliate for Lincoln for many years, though KTVG has also had a translator in Lincoln for many years and has been available on cable and satellite more recently. KCWL signed on in 2006 with 51.4kW and will operate with 14kW digital. Both power levels are similar to low-power stations, though KCWL is licensed as full-power and could eventually upgrade.

The move should end speculation about the future of the FOX affiliation in the Lincoln/Tri-Cities area. Earlier this year, CBS affiliate KOLN/KGIN reserved the domain name fox1011.com, which redirects to a page on KOLN's website. Before access to the page was restricted, it showed a FOX 10/11 logo, program schedule, cable channel listings, and an explanation that digital TV made it possible for KOLN to carry both CBS and FOX in HD. Station management later said it was an experiment. (6/4/2009)

WISCONSIN:
WKPO/105.9 (Soldiers Grove) is now transmitting from its new facility east of Viroqua, but only at about half of the 25kW called for in the construction permit until FCC approval is obtained for full power. The station, which carries an Adult Hits format, had been broadcasting with 200W from Soldiers Grove since April. It's owned by Robinson Corporation, which also owns WVRQ AM-FM (Viroqua). (6/4/2009)

NORTH DAKOTA:
After just three months with a Talk format, KQLX-FM/106.1 (Lisbon-Fargo) has flipped back to Country as "True Country 106.1." The change happened on June 2. The station continues to carry the Ed Schultz show live from 11-2, as well as high school and North Dakota State University sports. Among the shows dropped are Imus in the Morning, Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck, Jason Lewis and Tony Bruno. (6/3/2009)

IOWA:
Ace Radio Corporation is selling eight construction permits for new stations around the country, including KCOO/103.9 (Dunkerton), to Magnolia Radio Corporation for $1,867,900. Magnolia is owned by Rick Deitrick of Austin, TX. KCOO will provide a rimshot signal to Waterloo from a tower near Readlyn. (6/1/2009)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Michael Greene is buying the construction permit for a new station licensed to Gackle from Andrew A. Wachter for $65,000. The CP is for a new 100kW/153m (class C1) station on 99.1 which would cover Jamestown. Wachter won the CP in Auction No. 62 with a $77,000 bid. Greene lives in Wheatland and has no other broadcast interests. (6/1/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
A feud over use of 99.5 in Rapid City is ending with a translator sale. New Rushmore Radio had operated a translator on the frequency for years (K258AJ) relaying KRCS/93.1 (Sturgis). In 2007, KRKI/99.5 (Newcastle, WY) upgraded to cover Rapid City, but the translator continued to operate. New Rushmore Radio also filed objections to a KRKI booster in Rapid City. Now, Mountain Community Translators, a company associated with KRKI, is selling K284BA/104.7 (Rapid City) to New Rushmore Radio, which is already operating it as a KRCS translator under a local marketing agreement. The purchase price is $10 and an agreement that New Rushmore Radio will take K258AJ off the air and drop all objections to KRKI's booster. K258AJ already has a construction permit to move to 97.5 as K248BT. (6/1/2009)

IOWA:
KWSL/1470 has flipped from Regional Mexican to `60s-`70s Oldies positioned as "Super Hits." Clear Channel had flipped KWSL to Regional Mexican in 2005. It had been the only spanish-language station in the area, which the Census Bureau says is about 11 percent Hispanic (Woodbury, Plymouth, Dakota, and Clay Counties). Listeners who want spanish-language programming may still be able to hear fringe-area signals from KAYL/990 (Storm Lake) or KMMQ/1020 (Plattsmouth-Omaha). KWSL has no direct competitor in the Oldies arena; Powell Broadcasting's KKMA/99.5 (Le Mars-Sioux City) transitioned from Oldies to Classic Rock in 2004. (6/1/2009)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has granted ION affiliate KPXM-DT (St. Cloud) a transmitter move to Shoreview, the location of all of the other major Minneapolis-St. Paul stations. The station, originally KXLI/41, has broadcast from a tower near Big Lake since its sign-on in 1982. The location made the station difficult for many Twin Cities viewers to receive. KPXM will remain licensed to St. Cloud, though the move will put the city on the edge of KPXM's coverage area. (6/1/2009)