TV channels & antenna towers in Johnston, Iowa

Johnston is a city of about 20,900 people in Iowa. Within 70 miles of the town center we count 15 licensed TV transmitters: 8 full-power, 2 Class A, 4 low-power and 1 translator. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 14 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 11 at good or strong strength.

12 of them are within 25 miles of Johnston, 3 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 0 are more than 45 miles out. Three of the 6 network stations in range are licensed to Des Moines, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Des Moines's stations.

For the networks, the best local options are ABC on channel 5 (WOI-DT), CBS on channel 8 (KCCI), NBC on channel 13 (WHO-DT), Fox on channel 17 (KDSM-TV), CW on channel 23 (KCWI-TV) and ION on channel 39 (KFPX-TV). 2 full-power stations in range have no network listed in our data; these are typically public television, religious, shopping or independent stations.

Point your antenna NNE, at about 23°. The main network towers for Johnston sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Six network stations, KCCI, KFPX-TV, WOI-DT, WHO-DT and KCWI-TV and others, transmit from the same tower site about 10 miles northeast of Johnston (23° NNE). Aim there first: one setting covers all of them.

Of the 6 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Johnston at fair strength or better, 67% arrive from the northeast; the rest are spread across one other direction.

All of the main network towers are within their radio horizon as seen from Johnston, so signals arrive fairly directly and a well-placed antenna should hold them steadily.

The farthest main network tower for Johnston is KDSM-TV (Fox), 12 miles away with a strong estimated signal. That is why we suggest an indoor antenna here. If you only watch the closer stations, a smaller antenna may do.

K32NM-D is only 3.1 miles away with a strong signal. Signals that strong can overload an amplifier, so start without one and add it only if distant channels are missing. Read when an amplifier helps.

With 14 stations at fair strength or better, Johnston ranks 50th of 285 places in Iowa: more than the typical Iowa town (11). Its nearest major network tower is 10 miles away, against a state median of 34 miles.

13% of Iowa's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an indoor antenna. The nearest larger city is Urbandale, 3.3 miles away.