July 2017

WISCONSIN:
News/Classic Hits outlet WPDR/1350 (Portage) will get an FM outlet as owner Magnum Communications upgrades an existing translator to relay WPDR. W290AL/105.9 (Baraboo) has been on the air for almost 20 years relaying WBDL/102.9 (Reedsburg) with just 4 Watts. The FCC has approved a plan to move W290AL's transmitter to a tower near Devil's Lake State Park and upgrade to 250 Watts, relaying WPDR. The translator should have a good signal to both Portage and Baraboo, with possible fringe coverage of Wisconsin Dells and Sauk City. (7/27/2017)

WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS:
After a short burst of media attention, the owner of an FM signal poised to move into Milwaukee has dropped an application to change its feed from a Liberal Talk outlet to a Conservative Talk outlet. Frank McCoy's W277CV/103.3 is currently licensed for a small coverage area along the state line and has a construction permit to move to a tower in Milwaukee and relay WRRD/1510 (Waukesha-Milwaukee). Last Monday, McCoy filed an application specifying a different site with Scripps' WTMJ/620 (Milwaukee) listed as the new input station. However, WRRD filed an informal objection pointing out that since the original construction permit to move to Milwaukee had been obtained using a "Mattoon Waiver," the specified input station could not be changed for four years. FCC records indicate the application to switch to WTMJ was dismissed last Friday at McCoy's request. (7/25/2017)

MINNESOTA:
W235CT/94.9 (St. Paul), which signed on last fall relaying the "Radio Rey" format of WREY/630, has applied to move its transmitter to Minneapolis. W235CT currently transmits with 250 Watts from Wells Fargo Place in downtown St. Paul and is instead seeking to use 99 Watts from Wells Fargo Center in downtown Minneapolis. The move would improve 94.9's signal to Minneapolis and the western suburbs while retaining most coverage of St. Paul, but the signal to eastern suburbs would be weakened. (7/23/2017)

MINNESOTA:
Hubbard Radio is asking the FCC to consider an amended application to move an FM signal into Minneapolis to relay its "1500 ESPN" (KSTP St. Paul). Earlier this month, the FCC rejected an AM Revitalization application to move K235BP (Bemidji) to Minneapolis on 94.1 over concerns about potential interference to WFNU-LP/94.1 (St. Paul). Hubbard has now amended the application to specify a 2-Watt directional signal from the IDS Center, down from 10 Watts in the original application. The lower wattage puts more distance between the coverage areas of the proposed translator and WFNU-LP. Hubbard separately filed a petition for reconsideration asking the FCC to consider the amendment. (7/23/2017)

MINNESOTA:
The "Air 1" Christian Hits FM signal that recently moved from Minneapolis to St. Paul now has FCC permission to move back to Minneapolis. Educational Media Foundation's W225AP/92.9 had been transmitting with 99 Watts from the Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis since 2015 but received an interference complaint from KKJM/92.9 (St. Joseph-St. Cloud). W225AP obtained a construction permit to move its transmitter to Metropolitan State University in St. Paul with 250 Watts and told the FCC the new facilty was ready to go on the air earlier this month. Several days later, it applied to move back to its prior facility in Minneapolis with no explanation of how the KKJM complaints had been addressed, and the FCC has granted the application. (7/23/2017)

IOWA:
Sound in Spirit Broadcasting's "Lift FM" (KQLF/88.3 Ottumwa) has expanded is coverage to Fairfield on translator W272AL/102.3. W272AL, owned by the Fairfield Monthly Meeting of Friends, had previously carried WDLM-FM/89.3 (East Moline, IL) and switched over to KQLF on July 19. On the same day, KQLF received a construction permit to move to 88.1 and widen its coverage area to the southwest. It will transmit from a site near Blakesburg and upgrade to 4.5kW/112m. "Lift FM" carries Christian praise and worship music, along with teaching. (7/23/2017)

IOWA:
VCY America's recently-acquired KVCI/89.7 (Montezuma) has applied for a big upgrade. KVCI currently transmits with 3.1kW/103m (class A) from a tower 10 miles north of Montezuma and is requesting 100kW/151m (class C1) from a tower near Bussey, about 30 miles southwest of Montezuma. The 100kW facility would deliver a good signal to Pella, Knoxville, Chariton, Albia, and Oskaloosa, with a rimshot signal to Ottumwa. However, a Calvary Satellite Network translator currently occupies the frequency in Des Moines. VCY America operates a Christian network based in Milwaukee. (7/23/2017)

IOWA:
The FCC has granted an on-frequency booster for KMGO/98.7 (Centerville) in Ottumwa. KMGO-1 will transmit with 99 Watts. Boosters, which are much rarer than translators, operate on the same frequency as the primary station and can use up to 20 percent of the primary station's power as long as the booster stays within the primary station's coverage area. KMGO has a separate, pending application to move its transmitter west (farther away from Ottumwa) to the Melrose area. (7/23/2017)

WISCONSIN:
A belated note that Nicolet Broadcasting's W277BP/103.3 (Sturgeon Bay) is carrying a Classic Country format originating on the HD2 signal of WBDK/96.7 (Algoma). A reader points out that the change was reported on the station's news website back in February. (7/23/2017)

WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA:
The four TV stations in Milwaukee and one in west-central Minnesota that agreed to surrender their spectrum have now been told they must turn off their transmitters by Jan. 23, 2018. The FCC set the deadline in a public notice on Thursday, saying that the U.S. Treasury is now sending payments to all of the winning stations in the spectrum auction. The stations will be able to request up to two 90-day extensions. The Milwaukee-market stations surrendering their spectrum are Milwaukee Area Tech College's WMVT, Sinclair Broadcast Group's WCGV, VCY America's WVCY-TV, and Weigel Broadcasting's WMLW-TV. In Minnesota, CBS' KCCO-TV Alexandria surrendered its spectrum. All of the stations told the FCC that they intend to retain their licenses through channel-sharing agreements in which the station's programming and virtual channel will originate on another station's transmitter. However, Sinclair said in a filing last month that WCGV is "not a party to a channel sharing agreement" and that it intends to surrender WCGV's license in an effort to gain regulatory approval of its purchase of Tribune Broadcasting. (7/20/2017)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
WDAY/970 (Fargo) says its new FM translator has signed on. K226CL/93.1 was moved south from Rolla as a result of last year's AM revitalization window. It transmits with 250 Watts from a tower near the Red River, giving it full coverage of the Fargo-Moorhead area after the FCC relaxed a rule that originally would've limited the translator's main signal to Moorhead due to WDAY's transmitter location 25 miles southeast of town. WDAY is the only radio station owned by Forum Communications, which also owns numerous regional daily newspapers and all of the ABC-TV affiliates in North Dakota. The radio station's News/Talk format includes local daytime talk shows, simulcasts of WDAY-TV newscasts, Red River Farm Network programming, and non-political syndicated talk at night. (7/20/2017)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Simmons Broadcasting's KAOC/105.1 (Cavalier) is at reduced power following a lightning strike that damaged its antenna systen. The FCC has granted the station special temporary authority to operate at about 25 percent of the usual 100kW while it waits for delivery of new antenna bays. KAOC carries a Country format as "Maverick 105." (7/20/2017)

MINNESOTA:
A northeast Twin Cities metro church that bought a southeast metro FM signal last year is now buying a northeast metro FM signal to go with it. Maranatha Assembly of God Church will pay Refuge Media Group $50,000 for W219DT/91.7 (North Branch). W219DT has relayed the Christian Hits "Refuge" format from WJRF (Duluth) since its 2007 sign-on, originally on 91.9. The application to transfer the license states that W219DT will relay the church's WAJC/88.1 (Newport). WAJC's 5.52kW signal, transmitting from Coates, does not reach Forest Lake, though the station's Facebook page says its main studio is in Forest Lake. Simultaneously with the application to transfer W219DT's license, the translator applied to move its transmitter south to Stacy, which is closer to Forest Lake. (7/19/2017)

MINNESOTA:
A sizeable new FM signal is on the air in rural northwestern Minnesota: We Have This Hope Christian Radio's KOLJ-FM/91.7 (Warroad) has moved to 91.1, bumping up its power from 250W to 75kW in the process. The station moved its transmitter from Warroad to a site south near Wannaska, delivering a strong signal to Roseau and a region of sparsely-populated farmland and forests with few other strong signals. KOLJ uses a directional antenna to limit the signal towards CKXL-FM/91.1 (St. Boniface-Winnipeg). It simulcasts Christian programming, including LifeTalk Radio Network, with several other northern Minnesota stations. (7/18/2017)

WISCONSIN:
WJJH/96.7 (Ashland) has switched from mainstream Rock to Classic Rock, keeping its longtime "J96" slogan. WJJH had carried Classic Rock for decades until switching to mainstream Rock in 2010. It's one of four stations owned by Heartland Communications in the Ashland area, with the others carrying Country, Classic Hits, and Conservative Talk. (7/17/2017)

MINNESOTA:
KMHL/1400 (Marshall) is off the air after a Friday morning fire at its transmitter, which is adjacent to the studio facility for KMHL and three FM sister stations. The station reports that work had been done on the tower Thursday and the suspected cause is electrical. KMHL's News/Talk format continues to be heard on translator K269GR/101.7, which the article says was just moved to the KMHL tower from rural Vesta. As previously reported, KMHL Broadcasting's KKCK/99.7 (Marshall) has also been off the air for a few months while its tower near Lake Benton is reconstructed after a December 2015 windstorm; KKCK's Contemporary Hits format is temporarily being heard on KNSG/94.7 (Springfield). (7/15/2017)

WISCONSIN:
The FCC has approved a plan to change a longtime Eau Claire station's community of license to a nearby rural community so a sister station can improve its signal to the city. Mid-West Management's WIAL/94.1 will change its community of license from Eau Claire to Elk Mound, allowing WECL/92.9 to change its community of license from Elk Mound to Lake Hallie. WECL will also move its transmitter to the WIAL site in the Town of Seymour, just outside Eau Claire, with 5.8kW/91m. WIAL will retain its current 100kW facility.

WECL carries an Active Rock format as "The X" and WIAL carries Adult Contemporary as "I94." Content on the two stations will not have to change since the FCC does not require any particular programming to serve communities of license, other than the legal ID, but it does not approve applications that remove a community's only license.

WECL has been the only station licensed to Elk Mound, population 878. The Village of Lake Hallie, a recently-incorporated suburban area between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, has no other full-power radio licenses, though WOGO/680 and WWIB/103.7 are both licensed to the Town of Hallie, from which the Village of Lake Hallie was carved. (7/11/2017)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has dismissed an application to move an FM translator into the Twin Cities over concerns about interference to an existing low-power FM station. During last year's AM revitalization filing window, Hubbard Radio applied to move a translator license from Bemidji to Minneapolis, where it would have transmitted on 94.1 with 10 Watts from the IDS Center. The translator would've relayed Hubbard's "1500 ESPN" (KSTP St. Paul) and would've used a directional antenna to limit the signal towards WFNU-LP/94.1 (St. Paul). WFNU objected, saying the proposed translator would prevent reception by some current listeners. The FCC has now decided that WFNU has provided sufficient evidence of WFNU listenership within the translator's proposed coverage area and dismissed the application. (7/9/2017)

MICHIGAN:
The FCC has approved a plan to downgrade one FM station so Armada Media's Radio Results Network can add another FM station in the Escanaba market while complying with ownership caps. Armada's WCMM/102.5 (Gulliver) cut power from 100kW to 60kW so its city-grade coverage area would not overlap with WMXG/106.3 (Stephenson), which Armada's AMC Escanaba Parters LLC is buying from the Estate of Lyle Evans. The FCC recently approved both WCMM's downgrade and the sale of WMXG. WCMM carries a Country format known as "The Moose," while Armada is programming a Classic Country format on WMXG as "The Maverick" under a local marketing agreement. (7/9/2017)

MINNESOTA:
Paradis Broadcasting's KXRZ/99.3 (Alexandria) has upgraded from 6kW/85m (class A) to 12kW/82m (class C3). The upgrade improves KXRZ's signal to outlying communities such as Osakis, Sauk Centre, and Glenwood. The station carries a Hot Adult Contemporary format as "Z99." (7/9/2017)

NEBRASKA:
Alpha Media has signed on 130-Watt translator K268DF/101.5 (Lincoln) relaying the Sports format of KLMS/1480, which includes ESPN Radio and the Jim Rome Show. The translator license was moved west from Iowa a sa result of last year's AM revitalization filing window. (7/9/2017)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Real Presence Radio's KZTW/104.1 (Tioga-Williston) is operating at reduced power after a lightning strike. The station normally uses 100kW at 160m above average terrain, but tells the FCC it is currently using 800 Watts at 90m after the lightning strike destroyed its antenna and damaged its transmitter. A request for special temporary authority says the station plans to return to full power within six months. Real Presence Radio is a non-commercial Catholic network. (7/9/2017)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Agnus Dei Communications, operator of the Catholic-formatted "Lamb Radio," has returned two of its rural South Dakota licenses to the FCC. KTUT/89.5 (Frankfort) and KSJW/100.9 (Murdo) had both been licensed for the FCC minimum of 100 Watts but had upgrade potential; KTUT had a construction permit to increase to 67kW/172m. "The Lamb Radio" is still heard on KSTJ/91.3 (Hartford), KSTJ-LP/104.3 (Sioux Falls), and KSJP/88.9 (Ipswich-Aberdeen). (7/9/2017)

WISCONSIN:
Midwest Communications has signed on 250-Watt translator W236CO/95.1 relaying the News/Talk format of WSAU/550 (Wausau). The translator was moved in from Marshfield and remains licensed to that city, though it now transmits from Wausau. WSAU's programming is also relayed on WSAU-FM/99.9 (Rudolph-Stevens Point). (7/9/2017)

MINNESOTA (UPDATED):
New Twin Cities FM translator W248CU/97.5 has signed on relaying the "Faith Radio" format of KTIS/900. W248CU is licensed to Minneapolis but transmits from downtown St. Paul with 250W directional, augmenting FM coverage of Faith Radio already available from K214DF/90.7, which transmits from downtown Minneapolis. The translator license was moved down from the Iron Range as a result of last year's AM revitalization filing window.

W248CU's sign-on has prompted KPPS-LP/97.5 (St. Louis Park) to request special temporary authority to increase its power from 50 Watts to 100 Watts, alleging "destructive interference" from W248CU within KPPS-LP's protected contour. The FCC quickly denied the request, saying increases in power are not granted through special temporary authority. KPPS-LP has also filed an informal objection to W248CU's license to cover application. The low-power station has a construction permit to move to 88.9 but says the cost of the change will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. (7/5/2017, updated with STA denial 7/6)

WISCONSIN:
Cozi TV has added a primary, full-power affiliation in Milwaukee on WIWN/68.1. The station began carrying the classic TV network in mid-June. WIWN is licensed to Fond du Lac but transmits from Milwaukee on RF channel 5, remapping to channel 68. SonLife Broadcast Network, formerly seen on 68.1, has moved to 68.8; WIWN also carries home shopping, infomercials, and LATV on its other subchannels. Cozi TV had previously been seen on channel 4.3 of WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) and channel 38.3 of WTSJ-LD (Milwaukee). (7/5/2017)