WABI-TV (CW) · Channel 5.2

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 12 kW effective radiated power, WABI-TV runs more power than 6% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW). Stations on VHF channels are licensed at much lower power than UHF stations to cover the same area, so a low figure does not always mean a weak signal.

Its antenna sits 391 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 54% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 58 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 45 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 96 cities and towns in our guide with about 297,000 residents, as far as Bangor, ME (16 miles).

WABI-TV shares its transmitter site with W19FA-D and W21EO-D. One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

The nearest other CW station in our data is WPXT in Portland, ME, 102 miles away. Viewers between the two can sometimes receive both.

The CW is a commercial broadcast network carrying entertainment series and a growing slate of sports. In smaller markets it often runs as a subchannel of another station rather than its own transmitter.