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Blue Sky Broadcasting seeks county lease for 85‑foot AM antenna at Upland transfer station; commissioners ask for legal and safety review
Summary
Blue Sky Broadcasting proposed placing an 85‑foot AM antenna and a small equipment shelter on a Bonner County Solid Waste parcel at the Upland transfer station to keep KSPT AM on the air. Commissioners supported gathering more technical detail and a legal opinion before agreeing to terms.
Blue Sky Broadcasting asked the Bonner County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 for permission to lease a small parcel at the Upland transfer station to install an 85‑foot AM antenna and an 8‑by‑8 equipment shelter to restore KSPT AM’s licensed coverage of Sandpoint.
The proposal, presented by co-owners Kim Benefield and Dylan Benefield, was described as a low‑profile, non‑colocatable fiberglass whip antenna set in a concrete base with buried copper radials. Bob Howard, director of the county Solid Waste Department, opened the workshop and summarized the request as a proposal the board could consider and pass to legal for review.
The Benefields said the installation would use newer hybrid AM antenna technology and would operate at the station’s licensed power — about 1,000 watts day and 1,000 watts night — to match the station’s required coverage. Kim Benefield said, “We have operated KSPT AM since early 1983,” and that the station needs a site after losing its previous lease. Dylan…
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