McFeely: North Dakota-based BEK buys television signal in Grand Forks

FARGO — Steele,N.D.-based BEK Communications Cooperative will begin a brand new tv station in Grand Forks.

The community submitted the formal software for the brand new station on channel 27 in Grand Forks that it gained in a latest Federal Communications Fee public sale, in keeping with BEK chief government officer Derrick Bulawa.

The published web site Northpine reported “BEK plans a 48.5kW facility transmitting from Grand Forks that might not attain Fargo, however would have cable and satellite tv for pc must-carry rights throughout the Fargo-Grand Forks market.”

The license formally was acquired by BEK Sports activities Community, in keeping with FCC data.

Bulawa stated as soon as given remaining approval the corporate must get the station on the air in “an affordable period of time,” per FCC guidelines, however did not provide when that is perhaps. He stated BEK will consider whether or not to construct a brand new tower and transmitter or use current infrastructure.

“We broadcast plenty of reside sports activities and stuff and we would have liked extra capability,” Bulawa stated. “We thought it was the precise factor to do.”

BEK paid $6.4 million for the license, in keeping with FCC data.

“Should-carry rights” is a vital designation for native broadcasters. It means cable and satellite tv for pc corporations should carry native full-power stations, with no price to the native broadcaster. It will increase a station’s distribution immensely above its over-the-air attain.

Bulawa stated BEK reaches 450,000 households in North Dakota, western Minnesota and jap Montana. It employs about 120 individuals.

BEK stands for Burleigh, Emmons and Kidder counties, the place the coop was based in 1952 to supply phone service. In line with the corporate’s website, BEK now offers “telephone, gigabit broadband web and tv companies over a vanguard fiber-optic community; cloud-based safety, automation, surveillance, voice and knowledge storage companies; and hospital and enterprise communications options.”

BEK additionally offers statewide sports activities broadcasting on the BEK Sports activities Community and tv content material throughout the state by means of KNDM (Minot), KNDB (Bismarck) and KRDK (Valley Metropolis).

Bulawa stated BEK broadcasts greater than 400 reside sports activities occasions a yr, together with highschool, American Legion baseball and faculty sports activities.

BEK is the Tier II rights holder for the North Dakota Excessive Faculty Actions Affiliation. It carries all NDHSAA postseason tournaments not coated within the Tier I media rights bundle held by Discussion board Communications Co. Tier I sports activities embrace the Dakota Bowl soccer championship video games, girls and boys hockey, girls and boys Class B basketball and the Tremendous A basketball tournaments.

BEK additionally carries regionally produced speak reveals, recognized for his or her strongly conservative tilt. It hosted ultra-conservative legislator Rick Becker’s present and presently has a lineup that with quite a few conservative hosts together with “The Stew Peters Present,” “Women of One other View,” “The Flyover Conservatives” and “Trent on the Loos.”

“We now have plenty of nice North Dakota and native content material that’s being produced and carried on our stations,” Bulawa stated.