WDEF-TV (CBS) · Channel 12

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 35.9 kW effective radiated power, WDEF-TV runs more power than 21% 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 384 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 52% 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 60 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 88 cities and towns in our guide with about 819,000 residents, as far as Dalton, GA (32 miles).

The nearest other CBS station in our data is WHNT-TV in Huntsville, AL, 74 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.