FCC Monitor: Minnesota FM at Reduced Power, WPR Seeks Madison Translator Upgrade

The following are updates to stories previously reported here, and smaller recent FCC filings that do not merit a full story of their own at this time:

Iowa

Following up on an item from last week, the FCC granted a modification of the construction permit for future KXLQ translator K239CR/95.7 (Indianola-Des Moines) to move the station’s transmitter from central Des Moines to the southeast metro.

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Michigan

WNOA-LP/103.9 (Marquette) applied for and received a license to cover its previously-approved move to a downtown transmitter site.

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Minnesota

Midwest Communications’ WEVE/97.9 (Eveleth) is at reduced power due to transmitter issues. The station says in a July 14 filing that it is using 1.5kW, down from its usual 100kW.

The FCC approved the sale of KCWV/27 (Duluth) from JSD Properties to Radiant Life Ministries.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio’s W215AQ/90.9 (Madison) has applied to move to 90.5 and upgrade from 26 Watts to 250 Watts, remaining at its present site west of Madison. W215AQ has carried WPR’s Ideas Network for 23 years but became redundant when Ideas Network translator W300BM/107.9 (Madison) upgraded a few years ago. The application lists WERN/88.7, which has two HD subchannels, as continuing to be W215AQ’s primary station.

Two new callsigns will come to La Crosse when two commercial stations are sold to non-commercial broadcasters: the Educational Media Foundation has reserved the callsign WLCW for what is now WKBH-FM/100.1 (West Salem-La Crosse), while the Salvation Poem Foundation plans to change WLXR-FM/104.9 (La Crosse) to WGSL. The sales have not yet received FCC approval.

Analog low-power TV station W43BR (Baraboo) is seeking special temporary authority to operate digitally on channel 16 with 15kW due to the spectrum auction repack. W43BR is in the unusual situation of having been operating under special temporary authority since 1997 and came under new ownership several years ago. The station carries local community programming and the Retro TV Network.

Analog low-power TV station WBOO-LP/45 (Elk Mound-Eau Claire) went silent on July 13 as part of the FCC’s spectrum auction repack plan. It has a construction permit to broadcast digitally on channel 18 with 15kW. WBOO-LP relays KQEG-CA (La Cresent-La Crosse).