Here's my guess: 2003 was about the last translator window. There were tons of applications. I think the FCC still has some of those applications to resolve. If I recall correctly, there were a few that filed for hundreds and a couple that filed for thousands of translators. The FCC, I think, put a freeze on approving them at some point to permit other filing windows for other classes of FM stations. I believe they went to some of the applicants that filed so many applications to see if they'd narrow their number of applications.
I figured these had been resolved by now. It is possible these are ghost applications, ones that never got approved and never got dismissed. When you're dealing with so much going on, a few will always slip through the cracks. Then again, if the AM translator window is done and completed, if the applications you show actually still work, they might be approved.
If I recall correctly, one ministry filed for something like 2,500 translators in that window. There was the question whether the ministry had the needed funds to build them all if granted. Naturally, the thinking was file for everything you can and if you wind up with 1 in 10 getting approved, it was a good deal. I recall one big ministry agreeing to drop 80% of their applications when the FCC asked if they could narrow the list.
You can bet that 80% was for places they didn't want but any that got approved became applications they could trade for places where they wanted a translator. Lots of trading takes place. The thinking is get all you can anywhere you can and after the FCC is done you can trade them for what you actually want. I recall in the last NCE FM filing window this Spanish language ministry in San Antonio got a station in a place with zero Hispanics in their 60 dbu. Meanwhile an English language applicant got a station in a Texas community where Spanish was the preferred language although most were bilingual. There was a swap...no money changing hands just station applications.
