WISC-TV (CBS) · Channel 3

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 46.9 kW effective radiated power, WISC-TV runs more power than 26% 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 469 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 67% of full-power stations. Taller antennas see farther: this one's radio horizon is roughly 63 miles, beyond which the signal fades quickly.

We estimate a fair-or-better signal out to about 65 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 159 cities and towns in our guide with about 1,310,000 residents, as far as Belvidere, IL (65 miles).

WISC-TV shares its transmitter site with WHA-TV, WMSN-TV (Fox), WIFS (ION) and WKOW (ABC). One antenna aimed at this site picks up all of them.

The nearest other CBS station in our data is WDJT-TV in Milwaukee, WI, 81 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.