February 2007

MINNESOTA:
FOX 21 (KQDS-TV Duluth) has filled out its news team, hiring Todd Nelson as chief meteorologist. He most recently worked as morning meteorologist at NBC affiliate KBJR/6. Nelson joins Amy Rutledge, Nick LaFave, and sports director Randy Howe on the anchor desk for the 9 p.m. newscast, which launches March 12. Your author, Jon Ellis, is FOX 21's assistant news director/producer; see more of the staff in this recent Duluth News-Tribune article. (2/27/2007)

WISCONSIN:
WGBW/1590 (Two Rivers) will switch from ABC's "True Oldies Channel" format to Dial Global's "The Oldies Channel" on March 15. (2/27/2007)

IOWA:
The Des Moines Register reports that KFMG-LP/99.1 signed on Monday (2/26) with a mixture of rock, jazz, and soul. The KFMG callsign was used on 94.9 (now KGGO) in the 1970's and on 103.3 (now KAZR) from 1992 to 1996. (2/27/2007)

WISCONSIN:
WSBW/105.1 (Sturgeon Bay) is on the air, reports Radio/DX Information from Wisconsin. The station is carrying a Soft Oldies format and plans more local issues and sports coverage in the future. Owner Roger Utnehmer details format plans and his philosophy on small-market radio in a recent Door Pod Show Podcast. (2/27/2007)

MANITOBA:
Astral Media has signed a letter of intent to buy Standard Radio, the owner of "Hot 103" and "QX104" in the Winnipeg market and "KX96" and 101.1 "The Farm" in Brandon. The deal, which has not been finalized, would make Astral Canada's largest radio group owner with 81 stations. (2/25/2007)

WISCONSIN:
WYMS/88.9 made its long-anticipated switch from Jazz to a broad-formatted "Radio Milwaukee" last Friday (2/23). Milwaukee Public Schools still owns the station, but it's now run by Radio for Milwaukee. (2/26/2007)

NORTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA:
KKBX/101.9 (Fargo) has switched its name from "The Box" to "Rock 102" following its sale to James Ingstad. The lineup will include Bob and Tom, Ginger G from 9-1, T-Bone from Noon-3, and Scotch and Dui from 3-6. (2/17/2007)

WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN:
CBS Corp. is spinning off WFRV/5 (Green Bay) and satellite WJMN/3 (Escanaba-Marquette) to Liberty Media as part of a tax-free stock deal. Liberty will return 7,591,249 shares of CBS stock in exchange for WFRV/WJMN, valued at $64 million, and $170 million cash. WJMN is currently the smallest owned-and-operated network affiliate in the country. CBS took ownership of the stations, along with the WCCO group in Minneapolis, as part of its purchase of the former Midwest Communications in 1992. Liberty Media does not own any other broadcast TV stations outright, but does own several cable channels and holds a minority interest in FOX parent News Corporation. WFRV says it will continue to be a CBS affiliate. (2/13/2007)

NEBRASKA/WYOMING:
DX-midAMerica reports that KMOR/92.9 (Scottsbluff) has made its construction permit move to Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, near Cheyenne, and is now simulcasting the spanish-language format of KGRE/1450 (Greeley, CO). Tracy Broadcasting preserved KMOR's Classic Rock format by moving it to KOLT-FM/101.3 (Bridgeport-Scottsbluff), displacing Country on that frequency. KMOR and KOLT-FM have also traded callsigns. (2/13/2007)

IOWA:
Still more fines from the FCC, this time $7,000 apiece to formerly licensed stations that stayed on the air for more than a year after their licenses and special temporary authorities expired. The fined stations include Wennes Communications' KHPP/1160 (Waukon), KNEI/103.5 (Waukon), and KVIK/104.7 (Decorah), and college stations KDIC/88.5 (Grinnell), KRNL/89.7 (Mount Vernon), and KCUI/89.1 (Pella) [click on the call letters to read the FCC orders]. The licensees have thirty days to pay the fines or ask for their reduction or cancellation. The FCC renewed all of the stations' licenses. (2/13/2007)

IOWA:
The fine is $8,000 for KQKQ/98.5 (Council Bluffs-Omaha) for failing to maintain EEO reports in its public file. Waitt Omaha, a subsidiary of NRG Media, has thirty days to pay the fine or ask for a reduction or cancellation. (2/13/2007)

IOWA:
The FCC has fined Boone Biblical Ministries, owner of KFFF/1260 and KFFF-FM/99.3 (Boone), $20,000 for "willfully and repeatedly" failing to maintain issues/program lists in its public file. In its applications for license renewal filed October 1, 2004, KFFF admitted the lists were missing. It then filed an amendment on April 25, 2005, saying that some of the files had been located, and others reproduced. The FCC decided to issue the maximum possible fine of $10,000 for each station. Boone Biblical Ministries has thirty days to pay the fine or file a written statement asking for a reduction or cancellation of the fine. The applications for license renewal were granted. (2/13/2007)

IOWA:
The FCC has cleared a potential hurdle to Employee and Family Resources' plans for a new low-power FM station on 99.1 in Des Moines. Florida Public Radio, a Christian broadcaster which owns KSKB/99.1 (Brooklyn, IA), filed a petition to reconsider the FCC's decision allowing Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation to transfer the LPFM construction permit to Employee and Family Resources. Such transfers are not usually allowed, but Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation asked for a waiver because it cannot afford to put the station on the air. FPR argued that a waiver was not warranted for the situation. The FCC responded that FPR lacks standing to ask for a petition for reconsideration since it did not file a petition to deny when the CP transfer application was originally filed, and could not demonstrate any direct injury caused by the decision. The new station will block fringe area reception of KSKB in Des Moines, but FPR has said the frequency conflict was not the basis for its objection. (2/11/2007)

WISCONSIN:
$500 will get you an FM translator construction permit, but you have to get it on the air within four months: that's the story for Andrew Disterhaft, who is buying the CP for 250-Watt W247AZ/97.3 (Berlin) from Sister Grace, Inc. The CP expires in June. An application says Disterhaft plans to use the translator to rebroadcast WAUH/102.3 (Wautoma), which is co-owned with WISS/1100 (Berlin). (2/11/2007)

NORTH DAKOTA:
DX-midAMerica reports that KFAB-FM/92.7 (Kindred-Fargo) has switched from Country to Nostalgia as KFNL after being transferred to Northwestern College, which also owns KFNW/1200 (West Fargo) and KFNW-FM/97.9 (Fargo). (2/9/2007)

WISCONSIN:
WSSW/89.1 (Platteville) has signed on carrying Wisconsin Public Radio's NPR News and Classical Music network. The new 60W/171m station reaches a small corner of Wisconsin that was previously only served by WPR's Ideas Network, heard on WHHI/91.3 (Highland). WSSW signed on February 1. (2/9/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Cumulus Media has applied to move its construction permit for a new station on 103.9 closer to Rochester, but is trying to convince the FCC not to consider it a Rochester market station for ownership cap purposes. Cumulus won the CP in FCC Auction No. 37 with a $3.6 million bid. The current CP for 6kW/100m (class A), licensed to Lanesboro, would not deliver a strong signal to Rochester. Cumulus has applied to change the CP's community of license to Chatfield, using 6kW/100m from a site north of Chatfield near I90. Cumulus already owns the maximum number of radio stations in the Rochester market. It argues that 103.9 should not be considered part of the market because its city-grade signal would not cover Rochester and it would be licensed to Chatfield, which is partially located in Fillmore County, outside of the Rochester market. Although the change would leave Lanesboro without a radio license, Cumulus points out that Chatfield is larger than Lanesboro and there would be no actual loss of service because the station hasn't signed on yet. (2/8/2007)

IOWA:
Dean Radio.TV Company buys two more: the company, which is buying four stations in Grinnell and Newton, is also buying two stations in Fairfield. Dean Radio.TV will pay Jay I. Mitchell $750,000, subject to adjustments detailed in the asset purchase agreement, for KMCD/1570 and KIIK/95.9. The deal includes a non-compete agreement. (2/6/2007)

ONTARIO:
The CRTC has approved a move to FM for CKPR/580 (Thunder Bay). The 5kW AM station will become a 100kW FM station on 91.5, keeping its News/Oldies/Adult Contemporary format. The move will leave the Thunder Bay region without any AM stations. As is standard practice, 580 will remain on the air to simulcast 91.5 for three months and then leave the air permanently. (2/6/2007)

MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Public Radio is picking up four construction permits for new translator stations set to expire between May and July. According to CP transfer applications: