KPAX-TV (CBS) · Channel 8

Full-power stations are the main licensed broadcasters in a market. They may run the highest power from the tallest towers and are protected from interference, so they set the core of what you can receive.

At 600 kW effective radiated power, KPAX-TV runs more power than 65% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW).

Its antenna sits 654 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 91% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 73 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 82 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 24 cities and towns in our guide with about 132,000 residents, as far as Missoula, MT (10 miles).

KPAX-TV shares its transmitter site with KECI-TV (NBC), K08PR-D and KTMF (ABC). One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

The nearest other CBS station in our data is KAJJ-CD in Kalispell, MT, 71 miles away. Viewers between the two can sometimes receive both.

CBS is one of the four big commercial broadcast networks. Local CBS affiliates carry the network's news, daytime and primetime schedule plus local news, and CBS is the over-the-air home of many NFL Sunday afternoon games.