WCBS-TV (CBS) · Channel 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 548 kW effective radiated power, WCBS-TV runs more power than 63% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW).

Its antenna sits 520 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 75% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 66 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 76 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 1,120 cities and towns in our guide with about 34,400,000 residents, as far as Hamden, CT (75 miles).

WCBS-TV shares its transmitter site with WMBQ-CD, WNET, WNYW (Fox), WNWT-LD, WLIW and WMBC-TV and 8 more. One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

The nearest other CBS station in our data is KYW-TV in Philadelphia, PA, 80 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.