July 2005

NORTH DAKOTA:
KQLX/890 (Lisbon) has completed an upgrade from 1kW to 1.8kW, still daytime-only. The upgrade improves KQLX's signal to Fargo, though it has not changed the focus of its News, Farm, Talk, and Classic Country format. (7/31/2005)

MINNESOTA:
The U of M's "Radio K" has added a second FM signal in the Twin Cities area: W264BR/100.7 (Falcon Heights), transmitting from the KUOM/770 tower in Falcon Heights. The 10-Watt translator provides a good signal to parts of St. Paul and Minneapolis. W264BR rebroadcasts 8-Watt KUOM-FM/106.5 (St. Louis Park), which simulcasts with KUOM/770 and shares time with St. Louis Park High School's KDXL/106.5. (7/30/2005)

IOWA:
KPSZ/940 (Des Moines) will carry all 80 of the Iowa Stars games in the upcoming AHL season. "Praise 940" also airs Kansas City Royals baseball, Green Bay Packers football, and UNI Panthers football and basketball in addition to its regular Contemporary Christian format. (7/27/2005)

WISCONSIN:
Scotty Mac is the new night host at Z93 (WIZM-FM/93.3 La Crosse). (7/27/2005)

MINNESOTA:
The FCC has approved the sale of KLBB/1400 (St. Paul-Minneapolis) and KLBP/1470 (Brooklyn Park) to Davidson Media. Under the asset purchase agreement, Davis could take over the stations on August 3. Two months ago, Davidson's president told the Star Tribune KLBB will likely be changed to a spanish-language format, while KLBP's future was undecided. (7/25/2005)

NEBRASKA:
The American Family Association has received a construction permit for a new station that could provide a fair signal to Lincoln. The station, on 88.9 licensed to Beatrice, will transmit from near Firth with 25kW at 87m (class C3). (7/25/2005)

MINNESOTA:
Radio and Records reports that Orly Knutson is leaving 102.9 Lite FM (WLTE). He's been at the station for 20 years, and in the industry for 46. His last day will be July 29. (7/23/2005)

IOWA:
O-Town Communications, owned by Bruce Linder and Greg List, is expanding its group in the Ottumwa area from two to four stations. O-Town is buying KBIZ/1240 and KTWA/92.7 (Ottumwa) from Jay I. Mitchell's Fairfield Media Group for $890,000. O-Town also owns KKSI/101.5 (Eddyville) and KRKN/104.3 (Eldon), and is already operating KBIZ/KTWA through a local marketing agreement. Mitchell will retain ownership of KMCD/1570 and KIIK/95.9 (Fairfield). (7/22/2005)

MICHIGAN:
Broadcasting for the Challenged has received a construction permit for a new station on 88.3 in Ironwood. The class C3 station will broadcast with 10kW at 157m. (7/22/2005)

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Scotnmex Broadcasting, LLC, is buying the construction permit for KLGH/100.7 (Mission) from Christyanna Broadcasting for $32,000. Christyanna won the CP for the class A station in FM Auction 37 with a $45,000 bid. The current CP for KLGH calls for 140W at 92m. Scotnmex is owned by Neil MacLeod of Hawthorne, NJ. (7/22/2005)

WISCONSIN/IOWA:
The Wisconsin Educational Communications Board has modified its application for a new station in Platteville so that it can be granted along with another station. The WECB application was mutually exclusive with Cascade Commununity Radio's application for 88.9 in Cascade, IA, which was tentatively selected by the FCC. WECB has modified its Platteville application to 89.1 with 60W at 171m. (7/22/2005)

MICHIGAN:
Northern Star Braodcasting is buying WADW/105.5 (Pickford-Sault Ste. Marie) from Starboard Media for $900,000. Northern Star owns 13 other stations in the Upper Peninsula, including WKNW/1400 and WYSS/99.5 (Sault Ste. Marie). (7/21/2005)

MICHIGAN:
WZAM/970 (Ishpeming-Marquette) has flipped from AP's All News Radio format to ESPN Radio. The 5kW daytime-only station is owned by Taconite Broadcasting. (7/19/2005)

WISCONSIN:
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Paul Harvey is moving from WISN/1130 to WTMJ/620 as part of WISN's pending switch from ABC to FOX news. Meanwhile, WTMJ has dropped CBS for ABC, though the station carries locally-produced newscasts at the top of most hours. WTMJ had switched to CBS from NBC in the 1990's. (7/19/2005)

MINNESOTA/NORTH DAKOTA:
Brantley Broadcast Associates, LLC, is buying the construction permit for a new AM station to serve the Fargo market. Brantley is getting the CP for a station on 1100 licensed to Dilworth, which does not yet have a callsign, from Palmetto Radio Group in exchange for engineering and other services provided to a company related to Palmetto. Brantley owns six stations in Alabama; see the ownership page for more details. The current CP for AM1100 calls for 50kW nondirectional daytime, 4.4kW nondirectional during critical hours (two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset), and 1kW directional at night from a site near Sabin (southwest of Moorhead), though it has applied for 50kW/5kW/1kW from a site closer to Moorhead. (7/18/2005)

NEW FM ALLOTMENTS:

  • Baudette, MN: The FCC has alloted 94.5 to Baudette for a future class C1 (100kW/299m) station, with a site restriction 0.6 km east of town to avoid short-spacing with CHIQ/94.3 (Winnipeg).
  • Rosebud, SD: 99.3 has been alloted to Rosebud for a future class C (100kW/600m) station, with a site restriction 5.2km east of town.
    These allotments will be put up for auction in future years. (7/18/2005)

    NEBRASKA:
    CBS affiliate KOLN (Lincoln) and satellite KGIN (Grand Island) will launch "UPN Nebraska" on September 1, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. The channel will be carried on KOLN-DT, KGIN-DT, and cable systems. Besides UPN's two-hour primetime block, UPN Nebraska's lineup will include repeat broadcasts of Oprah, Jeopardy!, and KOLN newscasts. Some UPN programming is currently seen on FOX affiliates KSNB/4 (Superior) and KTVG/17 (Grand Island). (7/17/2005)

    IOWA:
    Davidson Media is buying KXLQ/1490 (Indianola), which has been off the air since January 31, from Warren Broadcasting for $425,000. The 1kW station delivers a fair to good signal to Des Moines. A previous agreement to sell the station to KXLQ Insight Sports, LLC, was not completed. Davidson Media, a multicultural broadcaster, is also in the process of buying two stations in the Minneapolis market. (7/15/2005)

    NORTH DAKOTA/SOUTH DAKOTA/MONTANA:
    DISH Network has launched its Bismarck-Minot market locals package, and it's being offered without charge for now because only two stations have agreed to be carried. They are KFYR-NBC and Prairie Public Television. The market includes 32 counties in western North Dakota, six counties in northwestern Montana, and three counties in north-central South Dakota. DirecTV does not serve the market. (7/14/2005)

    IOWA:
    The Des Moines Register reports that KDPS/88.1 has left the air due to a license renewal mixup with the FCC. The FCC denied license renewal for KDPS, along with KNEI/1160 (Waukon), KVIK/104.7 (Decorah), KCUI/89.1 (Pella), KDIC/88.5 (Grinnell). It is unknown whether any of the other stations affected have left the air. The FCC has already accepted new applications for license renewal from all of the stations but KDIC. KDPS may return to the air by next week. The licenses for KLBA/1370 (Albia) and K257DR/99.3 (Burlington) were also deleted, though those stations were already off the air. (7/9/2005)

    IOWA:
    KCCK/88.3 (Cedar Rapids) has dropped "Marketplace" and "The World" from its evening lineup, expanding Jazz programming to 23 hours per weekday. BBC's "World Update" continues to air from 5-6 a.m. (7/9/2005)

    MINNESOTA:
    Three Eagles Broadcasting is formally buying the construction permit for a new station to serve the Mankato area. Three Eagles had loaned William C. Doleman the money to pay for his winning bid for KQYK/95.7 (Lake Crystal), and will cancel a promissary note for an estimated amount of $620,000. Three Eagles also owns KEEZ/99.1 (Mankato), KRBI-FM/105.5 (St. Peter-Mankato), and KRBI/1310 (St. Peter). The 6kW/100m station should theoretically provide a good signal to Mankato, though terrain issues in the Minnesota River valley may pose a problem. (7/7/2005)

    WISCONSIN:
    Many north-central Wisconsin viewers were left without NBC programming over the Fourth of July weekend, after the transmitter at W27AU/27 (Wausau) burned up late Friday or early Saturday. W27AU relays WJFW/12 (Rhinelander), and DirecTV receives its feed of WJFW via W27AU. The station returned to the air, and DirecTV, late Tuesday. (7/6/2005)

    IOWA:
    Florida-based L4 Media Group is buying WBXF-CA/4 (Des Moines) along with 13 other low-power TV stations from The Box Worldwide, a subsidiary of Viacom, for $5 million. At last report, WBXF-CA carried MTV2. (7/5/2005)

    SOUTH DAKOTA/WYOMING:
    Bad Lands Broadcasting Company is buying two stations with construction permits to move into the Rapid City market. Bad Lands will pay $915,000 for KFMH/102.1 (Belle Fourche) and $800,000 for KRKI/99.5 (Newcastle, WY). KFMH has a construction permit to move to 101.9 with 95kW from Terry Peak, plus a 1kW booster in Rapid City, while KRKI has a CP for 100kW from a site southwest of Hill City, and has applied for a 1.1kW booster in Rapid City. KFMH is currently owned by Victor A. Michael's Laramie Broadcasting Company, while KRKI is owned by Michael Radio Group, a partnership of Victor A. Michael and his brother Van A. Michael. Bad Lands Broadcasting Company is a subsidiary of Oregon Trail Broadcasting, and principals of that company own a few dozen stations in Wyoming and New England. More information is listed on this site's ownership page. (7/1/2005)

    IOWA/NEBRASKA:
    Midwest Bible Radio, LLC is now operating KTFC/103.3 (Sioux City) and KTFG/102.9 (Sioux Rapids) under a local programming and marketing agreement. The owner, 87-year-old Donald A. Swanson, is donating the stations to Midwest Bible Radio and will receive a $1,500 monthly stipend for the rest of his life. Swanson will retain ownership of KTFJ/1250 (Dakota City, NE-Sioux City). Midwest Bible Radio is a subsidiary of the Good News Broadcasting Association, which produces the long-running "Back to the Bible" program. (7/1/2005)

    IOWA:
    No timetable is set for a full launch of Iowa Public Radio, according to a network spokesperson. Decisions on programming changes are expected to be made by a new executive director, who may be hired at a meeting of the Iowa Public Radio Executive Council on July 28. On Thursday (6/30), the council named two finalists for the position: Cindy Browne, a Minnesota-based public broadcasting consultant, and John Stark, the general manager of KNAU in Flagstaff, AZ. The state Board of Regents is combining the operations of stations at Iowa State University (WOI AM-FM), the University of Iowa (WSUI/KSUI), and the University of Northern Iowa (KUNI/KHKE). A consultants' report recommended the formation of three networks: an AM information network, an FM network combining Classical music and flagship NPR news programming, and an FM network carrying news and information during the day and perhaps music at night. (7/1/2005)


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