WGN-TV (CW) · Channel 9

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 645 kW effective radiated power, WGN-TV runs more power than 66% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW).

Its antenna sits 498 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 71% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 65 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 75 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 484 cities and towns in our guide with about 11,600,000 residents, as far as Franklin, WI (73 miles).

WGN-TV shares its transmitter site with WTTW, WFLD (Fox), WMAQ-TV (NBC), WPWR-TV, WEDE-CD and WSNS-TV (Telemundo) and 8 more. One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

The nearest other CW station in our data is WSLN in Freeport, IL, 84 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.