The FCC this summer will conduct an auction of some 136 vacant non-reserved band allotments in the FM broadcast service, adding a small group of stations to the cancelled Auction 106 that had been set for March 2020.
Where are these FMs?
One, which is subject to short-spacing restrictions, is at 107.9 MHz in Sacramento.
Yes … the facility that once was home to Entercom (now Audacy)-owned KDND-FM is included in what is to be called Auction 109, set for this July.
A $45,000 minimum bid is being accepted for this construction permit, which would eventually return a radio station to the 107.9 FM dial position in California’s capital city.
The Grand Junction, Colo., is also in the mix, as a $75,000 minimum bid is on the table for a Class C3 FM at 102.9 MHz.
Similarly, a $75,000 minimum bid is being sought for a Pembroke, Ga.-licensed Class C1 FM at 99.3 MHz. This facility would cover the Savannah market, from the west.
Then, there is a Class A in Keeseville, N.Y., fetching a minimum bid of $75,000. Why? This facility at 94.1 MHz would presumably reach Burlington, Vt., across Lake Champlain.
Another facility with a minimum $75,000 bid: A Class C3 FM at 104.1 MHz licensed to Sanger, Tex. This station would cover Denton and fast-growing Dallas suburbs including McKinney and the rest of Collin County.
What other construction permits stick out on the FCC’s list?
Huntington, Ore., is poised to get its first radio station. There are presently no stations within close listening range of this small town, where the Burnt River meets the Snake River along the Idaho border. It is 85 miles to the northwest of Boise.
Then, there is a Class A at 94.5 MHz licensed to Sagaponack, N.Y., on Long Island. This would wipe out an FM translator in Sag Harbor presently used by WGRS-FM 91.5 in Guilford, Conn. Another Class A, at 103.7 MHz, is up for bid, and this facility would need to protect Audacy-owned WVEI-FM 103.7, licensed to Westerly, R.I. and known as “WRX” from 1987-2004.
Also of note: A new FM at 106.9 MHz in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. It is a Class A Construction Permit.
