September 2009

MINNESOTA:
Radio titan Tom Barnard, who has dominated Twin Cities morning ratings for decades, has announced his retirement from KQRS/92.5. He made the announcement at the end of Tuesday's show (heard at the end of this podcast). Barnard said his last show will be Friday, December 21, 2012, and said he'll take more of a sidekick role during 2012. (9/30/2009)

WISCONSIN:
Horizon Christian Fellowship is donating the construction permit for WDSW/103.9 (Westby) to Calvary Chapel of Kansas City. WDSW's CP expires on Nov. 15, but FCC rules allow the deadline to be extended eighteen months when a CP is transferred. The class A station (2.75kW/145m) should deliver a good signal to Viroqua and Soldiers Grove, with fringe coverage of Sparta, Tomah, and Richland Center. (9/29/2009)

MINNESOTA:
Several TV translator systems owned by electric cooperatives in southern Minnesota have converted to digital in recent months, extending the reach of Twin Cities digital TV signals. The translator systems are in St. James/Godahl, Jackson, and Frost and operate as "CTV." All now carry KTCA-PBS, WCCO-CBS, KSTP-ABC, KMSP-FOX, KARE-NBC, WUCW-CW, WFTC-My, and KSTC-Independent in digital. In addition, St. James/Godahl has KTCI-PBS, while Jackson and Frost have KEYC-CBS. Ten analog transmitters remain on the air in St. James/Godahl, carrying seven scrambled channels and KEYC, WUCW, and FamilyNet in the clear. A digital KEYC translator is planned for St. James/Godahl, while an unidentified Sioux Falls station is due to be added to the Jackson system. (9/29/2009)

MINNESOTA:
David Brauer of MinnPost reports that Minnesota Public Radio will make changes to its News network schedule on Oct. 10. "It's Only A Game" and "Fresh Air Weekend" will be dropped, along with a Sunday morning encore of "The Splendid Table." BBC World Service news will be extended by an hour both Saturday and Sunday mornings, airing until 7 a.m. On Sunday night, "Studio 360" will move up an hour to 9 p.m. (the former "Fresh Air Weekend" timeslot), while an encore of "Speaking of Faith" will move from 7 to 10 p.m., allowing "MPR Presents" to expand to two hours. (9/29/2009)

MICHIGAN/NORTH DAKOTA:
DirecTV plans to launch HD locals in the Bismarck and Marquette markets this November. Not only will it be the first time HD locals have been offered on satellite in the two markets, it will represent DirecTV's first carriage of local channels in the markets, which currently only have local channel service from DISH Network. (9/29/2009)

MINNESOTA:
WQPM/1300 (Princeton) is now rebroadcasting sister station KASM/1150 (Albany-St. Cloud) as the "Kasm (Kaz-uhm) Radio Network." KASM carries a live and local format of Farm information and Country and Old Time music. WQPM had previously carried a Contemporary Christian format. Prior to that, it had rebroadcast WLKX/95.9 (Forest Lake) and KLCI/106.1 (Elk River), the latter of which was originally WQPM-FM/106.3 (Princeton). (9/28/2009)

MINNESOTA:
KXAC/100.5 (St. James-Mankato) has dropped Citadel's Classic Hits Radio and is now running a locally-originated Oldies format as "Oldies 100.5." Citadel Classic Hits Radio is the former ABC Oldies Radio. (9/28/2009)

IOWA:
Powell Broadcasting's KQNU/102.3 (Onawa-Sioux City) has ended the Christmas music stunt and launched its new format: Hot Adult Contemporary/Alternative as "New 102," positioned as "New Hits, New Energy." The new format competes primarily with Clear Channel's "Kiss 107" (Contemporary Hits) and "KG95" (AC). It streams at new1023.com. 102.3, formerly KZSR, had carried an AC format as "Star 102.3" until 2006, when it flipped to Variety Hits. (9/25/2009)

WISCONSIN:
Former WGLB (Port Washington) co-owner Howard J. Fuys has died at the age of 79. Fuys also worked in Beloit, Kenosha, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, in addition to co-owning WGLB until 1992. He was also once president of the Port Washington Rotary Club and ran the Fish Days celebration, and was named Port Washington's Citizen of the Year in 1984. (9/25/2009)

WISCONSIN:
Former WDUZ (Green Bay) announcer Thomas L. Hoppe has died at the age of 72. Hoppe was a DJ for 40 years, but said his greatest vocational pride came from being a minister for the Central church of Christ. Hoppe had battled cancer for the past ten years. The Green Bay Press Gazette has a remembrance. (9/25/2009)

IOWA:
K217FT/91.3 (Waterloo) is on the air with 140W relaying "The Spirit" (KXGM-FM/89.1 Hiawatha-Cedar Rapids), which also simulcasts on daytimer KXGM/850 (Waterloo). KXGM owner Extreme Grace Media bought K217FT from Horizon Christian Fellowship and moved it from Iowa Falls. In recent years, the Contemporary Christian station has also added translators in Iowa City, Mount Vernon, Anamosa, and Dyersville, and plans more translators in Dubuque, Waverly, and Marshalltown. (9/22/2009)

MINNESOTA:
Classical Minnesota Public Radio station KRSU/91.3 (Appleton) has returned to full power. The station's transmission line had been damaged in an Aug. 14 storm, which also damaged the transmission line and antenna at sister station KCCM/91.1 (Moorhead). KCCM remains at low power, with a new antenna and transmission line expected to arrive later this week. (9/22/2009)

IOWA:
KQNU/102.3 (Onawa-Sioux City) has dropped its "Jack FM" Variety Hits format and is now stunting with Christmas music. The Powell Broadcasting station changed its callsign from KZSR last week. Live streaming is still up at jack1023.com. (9/21/2009)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
KIMM/1150 (Rapid City) has signed on FM translator K294BT/106.7 (Rapid City). KIMM owner Aasen Publishing bought the 250W translator from Bethesda Christian Broadcasting and moved it from 107.9, where it had rebroadcast KSLT. KIMM carries a Classic Country format with Imus in the Morning and ABC Information network news on the hour. (9/21/2009)

IOWA:
KCCI/8 (Des Moines) has applied for a UHF replacement digital translator. KCCI moved digital broadcasts from channel 31 to 8 earlier this year and says many viewers have been unable to receive the channel 8 signal with indoor antennas. It proposes a 15kW digital translator on channel 31 transmitting from Alleman, the site of all the market's major stations. A competing station, WOI-TV/5 (Ames-Des Moines), has already received a construction permit for a digital translator on channel 50, transmitting from Des Moines. (9/19/2009)

NEBRASKA/SOUTH DAKOTA/WISCONSIN:
The recession proved to be a challenge to FCC Auction 79, which ended Tuesday with no bids on 37 of 122 FM allotments (30 percent) nationwide. Of the six allotments up for bid in the Upper Midwest, three (all in Wisconsin) failed to get a single bid. Another two received only one bid. Here are the winners:

  • Arthur, NE: 107.9 C1 (100kW/299m), Big Cat Broadcasting, $10,000. The winner was the only bidder for this station, which has potential to serve Ogallala.
  • Hartington, NE: 94.3 C2 (50kW/150m), Riverfront Broadcasting, $50,000. Riverfront was the only bidder for this station, which has potential to serve Yankton and Vermillion, SD.
  • Sisseton, SD: 99.5 C2 (50kW/150m), Armada Media, $69,000. Armada submitted the first bid for this station and then topped two other bids by Bradley Snow. Armada owns four other stations in the region, including KBWS/102.9 (Sisseton).

    The allotments that failed to receive any bids:
  • Boscobel, WI: 96.7 C3 (25kW/100m), $40,000 minimum bid
  • Owen, WI: 96.3 C3 (25kW/100m), $50,000 minimum bid
  • Tigerton, WI: 106.9 A (6kW/100m), $30,000 minimum bid (9/18/2009)

    WISCONSIN:
    WRQE/99.7 (Sturgeon Bay-Green Bay), formerly WZBY, has dropped its "Bay" Classic Hits/Adult Contemporary format and is now simulcasting the AC format of sister Midwest Communications station WROE/94.3 (Neenah-Menasha-Appleton). The change was not completely unexpected since WZBY changed its callsign a few weeks ago. The flip reunites a simulcast that had been in place about a decade ago. WRQE is also heard on translator W270AJ/101.9 (Green Bay). (9/15/2009)

    MICHIGAN:
    WZMQ/19 (Marquette) is on the air with a schedule of This TV and My Network TV. The station recently upgraded to 41.6kW and is back on Charter cable channel 14. It had gone silent in June after being sold to MMMRC, LLC. It was formerly FOX affiliate WMQF, but FOX moved its affiliation to WLUC/6.2, which also carries a 10 p.m. newscast, some syndicated programming, and AmericaOne. (9/14/2009)

    IOWA/SOUTH DAKOTA:
    Saga Communications is buying FM translators in Ames and Yankton from Horizon Christian Fellowship ahead of the FCC's new rule allowing AM-on-FM translators, though Saga did not state immediate plans to use the translators for AM stations. It will pay $20,000 for K260AM/99.9 (Ames) and $15,000 for K259BV/99.7 (Yankton, formerly K206DQ). For now, Saga says the Yankton translator will be used to rebroadcast WNAX-FM/104.1 (Yankton), while it says it plans to change the source station for the Ames translator but did not say which station would be carried. (9/14/2009)

    IOWA:
    Minn-Iowa Christian Broadcasting is buying two northern Iowa FM translators from Horizon Christian Fellowship for $27,500. The translators are K234BK/94.7 (Britt) and K271AI/102.1 (Northwood). Neither station actually provides a strong signal to its community of license (translators don't have to); K234BK actually serves Forest City while K271AI serves Lake Mills. Minn-Iowa states it plans to rebroadcast KJIA/88.9 (Spirit Lake) on the translators. (9/14/2009)

    ILLINOIS/IOWA:
    WQPT (Moline, IL) has added MHz Worldview on channel 24.2. WQPT is the 24th affiliate of the network, which features english-language newscasts from around the world. (9/11/2009)

    WISCONSIN:
    WFXS (Wittenberg-Wausau) has added Retro TV Network (RTV) on channel 55.3. The station continues to carry FOX on 55.1 and Untamed Sports TV on 55.2. (9/11/2009)

    SOUTH DAKOTA:
    Dakota Communications has moved its Country format in Huron from KXLG/99.1 to KZKK/105.1 ahead of KXLG's move into the Watertown market, displacing the Hot AC format that had aired on KZKK. The two stations are now simulcasting Citadel's Country Coast-to-Coast format with the new slogan "Eagle Country." KXLG is expected to soon change its community of license to Milbank, transmitting from a site near Watertown with 40kW/167m. (9/10/2009)

    MINNESOTA:
    The FCC has granted an application from KNOF/95.3 (St. Paul) to move its transmitter from St. Paul to the KUOM/770 tower in Falcon Heights using 3.3kW/136m (class A). The move will improve KNOF's signal to the north and northwest metro. The Christian station is owned by non-profit North Central University and operated commercially. Evans Associates of Milwaukee is consulting engineer for the project, Wiley Rein is Washington counsel, Selly Broadcast Services will serve as contractor, and Phoenix Media Group, Inc. is broadcast consultant. (9/9/2009)

    SOUTH DAKOTA:
    Augustana College's KAUR/89.1 (Sioux Falls) has ceased operations and will return to the air Sept. 15 carrying Minnesota Public Radio's News network. The 680W station had announced plans to cease operations earlier this year because it wasn't integrally linked to Augustana's college mission and there was not widespread student interest. Augustana says it was approached by four different organizations wishing to take over the station, but determined MPR most closely met its objectives. The college will continue to own the station, but MPR will provide all programming and cover all maintenance and operational costs. MPR Classical station KRSD/88.1 (Sioux Falls) already transmits from the Augustana campus. Listeners who wanted to hear MPR News programming previously had to rely on the fringe signal of KNSW/91.7 (Worthington-Marshall, MN). SDPB Radio's KCSD/90.9 (Sioux Falls) already carries much of the NPR programming heard on MPR's News network. (9/9/2009)

    MINNESOTA:
    KDOG/96.7 (North Mankato) has reverted to Contemporary Hits, its original format, as "Hot 96.7, Mankato's Hit Music Channel." The Linder station is the only CHR in the market, though Three Eagles' "Z99" (KEEZ/99.1) has carried a mix of Hot Adult Contemporary and CHR in recent years. KDOG segued to variations of Modern AC, Adult CHR, and Hot AC beginning in 1999 and then to a mix of Classic Hits and AC in 2006. (9/7/2009)

    WISCONSIN:
    The FCC has fined Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting $8,800 for violations at WKLJ/1290 (Sparta) and WFBZ/105.5 (Trempeleau). An FCC agent found WKLJ had failed to drop from its 5kW daytime power to its 59W nighttime power for several months in early 2007, and that WFBZ's purported main studio in Onalaska had non-operational broadcast equipment and no way of sending programming to the transmitter. FCC regulations require a station's main studio to be located within its principal contour or within 25 miles of the community of license, unless a waiver is issued. An $11,000 fine was originally proposed, but the FCC agreed to reduce it to $8,800 because of Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting's otherwise clean record. (9/3/2009)

    NORTH DAKOTA:
    Less than two months after they held a press conference announcing an unexpected partnership, conservative talker Scott Hennen and liberal talker Ed Schultz have suddenly split ways. Hennen had agreed to feature Schultz, a national talker who started in Fargo, on KQLX-FM/106.1 (Lisbon-Fargo), which Hennen's company is buying. KQLX-FM had already carried Schultz's national show and added a local hour from Schultz at 8 a.m. a few weeks ago. But The Forum reports that Schultz announced Tuesday (9/1) that the local show is ending due to time constraints. The paper reports KQLX-FM is pulling his national show as well, filling the hours with its regular "True Country" format. (9/3/2009)

    WISCONSIN:
    WTTN/1580 (Columbus) has switched to ESPN Deportes from Oldies. The station's 5kW daytime signal can be heard on car radios in Madison, but its 4-Watt nighttime signal is limited to the area near its transmitter in southeastern Columbia County. WTTN is co-owned with WTLX/100.5 (Monona-Madison), which carries ESPN Radio, and changed its community of license from Watertown to Columbus earlier this year so WTLX could move its license from Columbus to Monona. Owner Good Karma Broadcasting also carries ESPN and ESPN Deportes on its two stations in the Milwaukee market. WTTN is the second spanish-language station in the Madison area. (9/3/2009)

    WISCONSIN:
    WAQE/1090 (Rice Lake) has dropped its longtime Classic Country format for Sports as "Sports Talk 1090." The lineup includes Dan Patrick from 8-11a, Jim Rome from 11a-2p, and FOX Sports Radio. The 5kW daytimer is owned by TKC, Inc., which also owns four other Rice Lake-area stations. Fans of Classic Country can still hear the format on Clear Channel's "Moose Country 106.7" (WATQ Chetek-Eau Claire). (9/1/2009)


    Upper Midwest Broadcasting: News/Main | IA | MN | NE | ND | SD | WI | MI