IOWA/SOUTH DAKOTA/WISCONSIN:
The Tennessean reports that Young Broadcasting will go up for auction on July 14. Young is in chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and owns stations in 11 markets, including ABC affiliate WBAY/2 (Green Bay), NBC affiliate KWQC/6 (Davenport), and CBS affiliates KELO-TV/11 (Sioux Falls) and KCLO/15 (Rapid City). The company's largest station, KRON/4 (San Francisco), has been its biggest problem since losing its NBC affiliation. (7/2/2009)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio is cutting nine positions as it completes its reorganization from three separate public radio operations into one. The nine positions amount to 14 percent of IPR's workforce. Four were already vacant. IPR also says its membership is up seven percent, and it has reduced its reliance on funding from the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University to about one-third of its $6 million budget. The remaining funding comes from underwriting, contributions, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (7/2/2009)

AM-ON-FM TRANSLATORS:
After a few years of experimenting, the FCC has decided to go ahead with allowing FM translators to relay AM stations. The Report and Order has two requirements: that the translators are already authorized and that their 60 dbu signal does not go beyond the AM station's 2 mv/m contour or 25 miles from the transmitter, whichever is smaller. Stations which are licensed for AM daytime-only operation will be able to provide 24-hour service on the FM translator. The FCC has already been allowing AM-on-FM translators through the use of special temporary authorities, including in Norfolk, NE (WJAG-105.9), Appleton, WI (WSCO-95.3), Berlin, WI (WISS-97.3), and Mauston, WI (WRJC-92.9). Another is planned for Rapid City, SD (KIMM-107.9), and companies which own AM stations have purchased FM translators in Le Mars, IA (96.9), Brainerd, MN (93.7), Hastings, NE (93.7), Mitchell, SD (103.5), De Pere, WI (106.3), and Green Bay, WI (103.5). (7/1/2009)

MINNESOTA:
At least sixteen TV translators in Koochiching, Itasca, and northern St. Louis Counties have flipped to digital broadcasting within the past few weeks. The translators are in Big Falls, Birchdale, International Falls, Kabetogama, Max, and Northome. All of the stations in the region carry multiple channels, so the switch to digital means a three-fold increase in the number of channels available in most communities. Since KRII/11 (Chisholm) carries both NBC and CBS, separate translators are no longer needed for those two networks, freeing up space for PBS in most of the communities. See what channels are being carried on the Minnesota TV Translators page. (6/30/2009)

WISCONSIN:
WFBZ/105.5 (Trempeleau-La Crosse) has reverted to its previous format, "ESPN Radio 105.5." The station had flipped to Classic Rock as "The Zoo" on September 1, 2006. (6/29/2009)

WISCONSIN:
WKPO/105.9 (Soldiers Grove-Viroqua) is now at full power of 25kW, and has deputed a lineup of Tim Eddy in the morning, Jay Robbins in midday, Mariah Lynn in the afternoon, and Chad Phelps in the evening. WKPO runs a Variety Hits format. (6/29/2009)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio's KUNI/90.9 (Cedar Falls) and several smaller stations are reverting to weekend programming similar to what they aired before IPR launched its News network in 2007. Beginning July 10, the stations will add eight hours of music programming on weekend afternoons, displacing "Weekend All Things Considered," "Travel with Rick Steves," and repeats of several other shows. "Mountain Stage," "Thistle and Shamrock," "etown," and folk music presented by Karen Impola are returning to the schedule. Full-time News network stations, including WSUI/910 (Iowa City) and WOI/640 (Ames), are not affected by the change. (6/29/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Low-power analog station KKRA-LP/24 (Rapid City) is now relaying NBC programming from digital sister station KNBN/21. The My Network TV and other programming that had aired on KKRA-LP continues on 21.3. Sister CW affiliate KWBH-LP/27 is also still available in analog, as well as on digital 21.2. (6/25/2009)

WISCONSIN:
The price for the previously reported sale of WLKN/98.1 (Cleveland, WI) to Seehafer Broadcasting is $600,000 cash, according to an asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC. (6/25/2009)

IOWA:
My Network TV affiliate KDMI/19.1 (Des Moines) is now carrying ThisTV instead of AmericaOne in the hours outside of MNT programming. KDMI is actually not currently on the air, but is a remapped subchannel of sister station KCWI-TV/23 (Ames-Des Moines). KDMI-DT had operated as a digital-only station on channel 56 but had to leave that channel on June 12 because it is one of the channels discontinued as part of the digital transition (52-69). KDMI-DT has chosen to move to channel 19, WHO-DT's old channel, but is not yet ready to begin broadcasts. (6/24/2009)

IOWA:
Independent station KWWF/22 (Waterloo) has gone silent after the digital transition. The silence is not unexpected since KWWF did not have a digital companion channel and owner Equity Media Holdings is in bankruptcy. KWWF was actually still available on cable systems for several days after the digital transition until Equity discontinued the KWWF satellite feed from its Arkansas headquarters. Valley Bank is in the process of buying KWWF, along with a low-power station in Denver and a full-power station in Cheyenne, WY. (6/24/2009)

NORTH DAKOTA:
KNRR/12 (Pembina) has gone silent after the digital transition. The station, a satellite of FOX affiliate KVRR/15 (Fargo), had been operating a low-power digital signal on channel 15 and elected to move digital broadcasts to channel 12 after the transition. However, owner Red River Broadcast Co. says in a filing with the FCC that KNRR has never been profitable, and that fact combined with the recession and the high cost of digital TV facilities means they cannot afford to construct the channel 12 digital facility. Meanwhile, KNRR had to leave channel 15 because that channel is now being used by KGFE (Grand Forks). KNRR has until October 18 to construct the digital channel 12 facility. Channel 12 has a long history: it was originally used by NBC/ABC affiliate KCND, which targeted Winnipeg audiences with a fringe signal. KCND was ultimately discontinued when owner Izzy Asper signed on CKND/9 (Winnipeg) in 1975 to replace KCND. KNRR came on the air a decade later, but strict regulations have prevented KNRR from being carried on Canadian cable systems. (6/24/2009)

NEBRASKA:
VSS Catholic Communications, owner of KVSS/102.7 (Papillion-Omaha, formerly KBZR), is buying KBTK/91.5 (Grand Island) from Edgewater Broadcasting for $147,500. KBTK is 1.5kW/30m. VSS has the option of programming the station before the sale is complete. (6/24/2009)

NORTH DAKOTA:
KXRV/107.5 (Cannon Ball-Bismarck) has signed on carrying a syndicated Adult Contemporary format as "The River." The station is owned by World Radio Link. (6/21/2009)

NORTH DAKOTA:
Prairie Public Broadcasting has added a fourth channel to its nine digital TV stations. PPB4 carries lifestyle programming. (6/21/2009)

MICHIGAN:
FOX affiliate WMQF/19 (Marquette) disappeared from cable systems across the Upper Peninsula last Saturday, June 13, though not as a direct result of the digital transition. Equity Broadcasting had distributed the WMQF feed via satellite to cable systems, but that feed ended Saturday. The outage does not represent a loss of FOX programming since U.P. cable systems also carry WLUK/11 (Green Bay). Equity is selling WMQF to MMMRC, LLC for $100,000. WMQF did not have a digital companion channel and had been listed by the FCC as possibly going silent as part of the digital transition; however, there have been reports of WMQF being on the air digitally but not carrying its previous programming. (6/19/2009)

MICHIGAN:
The Iron Mountain Daily News reports that the city-owned cable system in Norway has had to switch to out-of-market feeds of ABC and CBS because the in-market affiliates could no longer be received after the digital transition. ABC affiliate WBAY/2 (Green Bay) is being carried instead of WBUP/10 (Ishpeming), and CBS affiliate WFRV/5 (Green Bay) is being carried instead of WJMN/3 (Escanaba), which is a WFRV satellite with commercials and weather for the Upper Peninsula. The system also replaced the empty WMQF channel (see previous story) with CW affiliate WIWB/14 (Suring-Green Bay). (6/19/2009)

WISCONSIN:
Seehafer Broadasting is buying WLKN/98.1 (Cleveland, WI). Details have not yet been released. Seehafer also owns two stations in Manitowoc. (6/19/2009)

NEBRASKA:
KOLN/10 (Lincoln) and satellite KGIN/11 (Grand Island) have become the first stations in Nebraska to present local news in 16:9 widescreen format, which debuted Monday (6/15). In March, 10/11 broadcast the girls and boys state basketball tournaments in widescreen. PBS member NET is the only other Nebraska station to have offered local widescreen programming. (6/17/2009)

NEBRASKA:
KBZR/102.7 (Lincoln) completed its move to a tower near Gretna on June 9, adding coverage of Omaha and changing its community of license to Papillion. The 46.1kW/409m station is the new home of the KVSS Catholic format, though 102.7's official callsign is still KBZR. KVSS/88.9 (Omaha) went off the air June 12 after Bible Broadcasting Network completed its purchase of the station. (A post here a few weeks ago stating that 88.9 was still for sale was in error; VSS continues to seek a buyer for KOLB/93.7 Firth-Lincoln.) (6/16/2009)

ANALOG NIGHTLIGHT:
The FCC says six Upper Midwest TV stations plan to temporarily continue analog broadcasting for "nightlight" service, consisting of emergency messages and information on how to convert to digital TV:

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)

IOWA:
Iowa Public Radio has signed on KDWI/89.1 (Ottumwa) after more than a year of delays. (The Ottumwa Courier bashed IPR for the delays in a recent editorial.) KDWI carries IPR's News/Talk service during the day and "Studio One" music programming at night. KUNZ/91.1 (Ottumwa) signed on last year carrying IPR's Classical network. Previously, the only public radio stations available in Ottumwa were fringe AM signals. The University of Northern Iowa, one of the three universities that is part of IPR, holds a construction permit for KUNE/88.3 (Ottumwa), which could come in handy if the network decides to expand "Studio One" to a full-time network. (5/29/2009)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
Nielsen Media estimates that 3.13% of households in the Minneapolis market and 1.44% in the Milwaukee market were completely unready for the digital transition as of May 24. All full-power broadcast stations will end analog broadcasting by midnight June 12. (5/29/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
The FCC has granted a community of license change for KUQL/98.3 from Wessington Springs to Ethan, though the station's actual facility will not change. Ethan is a small town of 315 people south of Mitchell. KUQL, owned by Saga Broadcasting, targets Mitchell with an Oldies format as "Kool 98." (5/29/2009)

NEBRASKA:
The Lincoln Journal Star's Jeff Korbelik reports that KRKR/95.1 went off the air last week. The station had carrying an Adult Contemporary format as "The Breeze." Owner Richard Chapin told Korbelik he shut off the station for financial reasons, but expects to turn it back on in a few weeks. KRKR has been operated by Three Eagles Broadcasting, which transferred the license to Chapin Enterprises as a qualified intermediary to seek a buyer after Three Eagles absorbed the former Clear Channel group. KRKR has a construction permit to move into the Omaha market on 94.9, licensed to Valley, but the station recently applied to remain on 95.1 in Lincoln but downgrade so that a station in Iowa (KCSI/95.3 Red Oak) can upgrade. (5/28/2009)

MINNESOTA:
Trinity Broadcasting Network has converted its Minneapolis low-power TV station, K25IA, to digital, giving Twin Cities DTV viewers another five program options: TBN, Church Channel, JCTV, TBN Enlace, and TBN Kids. K25IA-D operates at 15kW, the maximum power for low-power digital TV stations, theoretically covering the entire Twin Cities metro area.

The Twin Cities have another seven low-power TV stations carrying religious, home shopping, and spanish-language programming which may continue to broadcast in analog after full-power analog signals leave the air June 12. Many of them have either applied for or received digital companion channels. Meanwhile, EICB-TV East is planning to move two digital LPTV stations into Minneapolis:

NEBRASKA:
VSS Catholic Communications says KBZR/102.7 (Lincoln) could be transmitting from the KPTM tower near Gretna by Sunday, May 31. The move, which includes a community of license change to Papillion, will give 102.7 a strong signal to both Omaha and Lincoln, using 46.1kW/410m (class C1). Chief Engineer Mark Voris has posted pictures of the new transmitter. VSS has been simulcasting its Catholic programming on both KVSS/88.9 (Omaha) and 102.7 since taking over the new facility earlier this year. (5/26/2009)

MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN:
After a theoretical trip up and down the dial, it appears KTCI-DT (St. Paul) will finally land on channel 23. The Twin Cities Public Television station has been on analog channel 17 since 1965 and digital channel 16 since 1999. It had initially planned to move to channel 26 after the digital transition, using KMSP-DT's antenna after KMSP-DT moves to channel 9, but later determined the antenna could not be used at a suitable power level. It then proposed moving to channel 38, but Duluth-Superior Educational Television opposed that plan. Duluth-Superior operates WDSE/8 (Duluth), which operates on digital channel 38 but will move to digital channel 8 after the transition, and wanted to reserve channel 38 for a future non-commercial station licensed to Superior. TPT and Duluth-Superior later reached a settlement agreement whereby KTCI would request channel 23, formerly used by the analog signal of WUCW (Minneapolis). The FCC has now approved the new channel 23 allotment, but KTCI-DT will still have to apply for and receive a construction permit before making the actual change. KTCI-DT remaps to digital channels 2.3 and 2.4, matching the channels of sister station KTCA-DT. As part of the settlement agreement, Duluth-Superior agreed to drop its proposal to allot channel 38 to Superior, but the proposal could theoretically be revived since the channel will be vacant. (5/25/2009)

WISCONSIN:
WDKM/106.1 (Adams) has adjusted its format to a mix of Adult Contemporary and Classic Hits following its sale to DKS Communications. (5/21/2009)

WISCONSIN:
Wisconsin Public Radio has cancelled "Calling All Pets," a weekly hour-long animal advice show featuring zoologist Patricia McConnell and WPR host Larry Meiller, whose live weekday program continues. The show had been nationally distributed, but WPR says it ended the show because it couldn't find a national distribution partner. (Several other WPR shows are distributed by Public Radio International.) Production of the show ended last fall after 14 years, and WPR is making reruns available to affiliates through June 30. The last reruns on WPR aired May 9. The show's 7 a.m. Saturday timeslot is filled with a repeat of the first hour of Larry Meiller's Friday show, labelled as "Garden Talk," and the 3 p.m. Saturday timeslot is the "Saturday Special," starting with five episodes of "Radiolab." (5/19/2009)

MINNESOTA:
Jagerita Radio is buying the construction permit for a new non-commercial station on 88.3 in Waconia from Key to Life Center for a purchase price equalling legal and engineering fees for getting the CP. Key to Life Center, based in Plymouth, also retains the right for a one-hour program each Sunday. The 11kW/86m station (class C3) will transmit from near Young America, with a main coverage area stretching from Glencoe to Watertown and fringe coverage of the western Twin Cities metro. Jagerita Radio's educational objective states that it will primarily serve Waconia and other small towns within the station's coverage area with local news, local music, school news, weather, emergency information, and religious programming. Jagerita Radio is owned by Blake Rice of Chaska, Dave Delaney of Orono, and Shauna Gerber of Bloomington. (5/18/2009)

IOWA/MINNESOTA:
KAAL-DT (Austin, MN) is proposing a new digital translator near Mason City, IA, as part of its application to move its main DTV faciity from its longtime site west of Austin to a tower near Grand Meadow used by KXLT-DT (Rochester, MN) and KSMQ-DT (Austin). KAAL-DT would move from channel 33 to 36, using the equipment formerly used by KTTC-DT (Rochester) at the Grand Meadow site. (KTTC-DT moved to channel 10 from the stations' longtime site near Ostrander in February.) KAAL-DT already has special temporary authority to use channel 36 at Grand Meadow and is awaiting approval of a construction permit that will lead to a permanent license. Since the move is 30 miles to the east, KAAL is trying to alleviate concerns about loss of ABC network service to the west. It argues that ABC service will still be available from several existing translators of other stations in southern Minnesota, and proposes adding a new translator in Garner, IA, which may also reach Mason City. KAAL also says it has no measurable viewership in out-of-market counties which will lose service. (5/18/2009)

IOWA:
KZAT/95.5 (Belle Plaine-Tama) has returned to the air. The station had gone silent April 6 due to financial reasons and is being transferred to Farmers & Merchants Bank pending FCC approval. F&M foreclosed on the station and was the high bidder during a sheriff's sale. (5/18/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Augustana College's KAUR/89.1 (Sioux Falls) says on its website its FM signal will go silent this summer, but the station continue online streaming. There's no word whether the 680-Watt station will go up for sale or if the station will surrender its license. (5/18/2009)

ANALOG NIGHTLIGHT:
The FCC has released a list of tv of stations eligible to participate in the "analog nightlight," continuing analog service until as late as July 12 with information on how to convert to digital TV and emergency messages. However, many stations on the list have already ended analog broadcasting. The only Upper Midwest stations listed as having indicated an interest in the nighlight are WCCO-TV/4 (Minneapolis), KSTP-TV/5 (St. Paul), and KETV/7 (Omaha). (5/14/2009)

IOWA:
KCHA-FM/95.9 (Charles City) is now running different day and night formats. The station carries "The Best Mix of the `60s through Today" from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m., and "Today's Best Music" from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. The change took effect Monday, May 10. (5/12/2009)

MINNESOTA:
The Minnesota Vikings are moving to "The Fan 1490" (KQDS) and KQDS-FM/94.9 in the Duluth market for the 2009-2010 season. KQDS-FM is rebroadcast on KFGI/101.5 (Crosby-Brainerd), KBAJ/105.5 (Deer River), KAOD/106.7 (Babbitt), and WXXZ/95.3 (Grand Marais). The Vikings had been heard on WEBC/560 and "B105" (KKCB/105.1) in the Duluth market in recent seasons. (5/12/2009)

MORE HD/16:9 LOCAL NEWS:
Several more stations have upgraded their local newscasts to HD or 16:9 SD in recent months:
Des Moines: KCCI/8 began 16:9 SD newscasts on April 20, followed by WHO-TV/13 on April 22.
Duluth: The Northland's NewsCenter (KDLH/CBS3 and KBJR/NBC6) began presenting their newscasts in 16:9 SD format on May 4.
Madison: WISC/3 began HD newscasts last October 26.
Milwaukee: WTMJ-TV/4 began HD newcasts on April 7.
Minneapolis: KARE 11 has offered HD news since April 2006. WCCO-TV/4 began using 16:9 SD last month and plans to convert to HD later this year. KMSP/FOX9 plans to debut HD news today (5/11) at 5 p.m. (5/11/2009)

MINNESOTA:
KRUE/92.1 (Waseca) has switched from Citadel's Classic Hits Radio to its True Oldies Channel. KRUE had begun carrying Classic Hits Radio when it was still known as Oldies Radio. (5/11/2009)

MINNESOTA:
NBC translator K69BT (Red Lake) has switched from KVLY (Fargo) to KRII (Chisholm) because KVLY could no longer be received at the translator site after it ended analog broadcasting on Feb. 17. (5/11/2009)

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