WMAQ-TV (NBC) · Channel 5

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 350 kW effective radiated power, WMAQ-TV runs more power than 54% of full-power TV stations nationwide (median: 273 kW).

Its antenna sits 508 m above the average surrounding terrain, higher than 73% 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 74 miles with an outdoor antenna. That area includes 476 cities and towns in our guide with about 11,600,000 residents, as far as Franklin, WI (73 miles).

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

The nearest other NBC station in our data is WNDU-TV in South Bend, IN, 76 miles away. Viewers between the two can sometimes receive both.

NBC is one of the four big commercial broadcast networks. Local NBC affiliates carry the national morning show, evening news and primetime lineup, plus Sunday Night Football and, in Olympic years, the Games.