TV stations in Minnesota

Minnesota has 206 licensed over-the-air TV transmitters, including 24 network affiliates carrying ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW and ION. Pick a city below for its local channel lineup, tower distances and the direction to point your antenna.

Open Minnesota in the finder

206TV transmitters

34full-power

75Class A & low-power

97translators

Over-the-air TV in Minnesota at a glance

Minnesota has 206 licensed TV transmitters: 34 full-power, 3 Class A, 72 low-power and 97 translator stations. Translators make up 47% of the total, close to the national share of 41%.

Most full-power and Class A stations are licensed to Minneapolis (7), Duluth (5), St. Paul (3) and Austin (2). Those cities are where the main broadcast hubs sit, and most viewers aim their antennas toward one of them.

The most powerful full-power transmitter in Minnesota is KSTP-TV (ABC) in St. Paul, at 1,000 kW effective radiated power. The tallest is WCCO-TV near Minneapolis, 456 m (1,496 ft) above the surrounding terrain.

We ran a reception estimate for all 371 cities and towns in Minnesota. A typical place gets 13 stations at fair strength or better (national median: 17), and its nearest major network tower is about 24 miles away. 26% of places can use an indoor antenna, 41% need an amplified or attic antenna, 33% an outdoor directional antenna and 0% a long-range setup.

Weighted by population, the share of residents with a listed affiliate at fair strength or better is: ABC 95%, CBS 87%, NBC 85% and Fox 95%.

Ramsey has the most stations in reach (24). Grand Marais is the hardest place to get network TV over the air: its nearest major network tower is 91 miles away.

Largest cities in Minnesota

Network affiliates in Minnesota

Station	Channel	City of license	Type
ABC KAAL ABC	6	Austin	Full power
ABC KRWF ABC	43	Redwood Falls	Full power
ABC KSAX ABC	42	Alexandria	Full power
ABC KSTP-TV ABC	5	St. Paul	Full power
ABC WDIO-DT ABC	10	Duluth	Full power
ABC WIRT-DT ABC	13	Hibbing	Full power
CBS KCCW-TV CBS	12	Walker	Full power
CBS WCCO-TV CBS	4	Minneapolis	Full power
NBC KARE NBC	11	Minneapolis	Full power
NBC KRII NBC	11	Chisholm	Full power
FOX KBRR Fox	10	Thief River Falls	Full power
FOX KEYC-TV Fox	12.2	Mankato	Full power
FOX KFTC Fox	26	Bemidji	Full power
FOX KMSP-TV Fox	9	Minneapolis	Full power
FOX KQDS-TV Fox	21	Duluth	Full power
FOX KXLT-TV Fox	47	Rochester	Full power
CW KDLH CW	3	Duluth	Full power
CW KTTC CW	10.2	Rochester	Full power
CW WUCW CW	23	Minneapolis	Full power
ION KPXM-TV ION	41	St. Cloud	Full power
MeTV KSTC-TV MeTV	5.3	Minneapolis	Full power
CW KMNF-CD CW	7.2	Mankato	Class A
TLM KJNK-LD Telemundo	25	Minneapolis	Translator
UNI WUMN-LD Univision	21	Minneapolis	Low power

Other full-power and Class A stations

Stations without a network tag in our data: often public television, religious, shopping, foreign-language or independent stations.

All cities and towns in Minnesota (371)

Frequently asked questions

How many TV stations are in Minnesota?

Minnesota has 206 licensed TV transmitters: 34 full-power, 3 Class A, 72 low-power and 97 translator stations.

Which TV networks broadcast over the air in Minnesota?

ABC (6 stations), CBS (2 stations), NBC (2 stations), Fox (6 stations), CW (4 stations), ION (1 station), Telemundo (1 station), Univision (1 station) and MeTV (1 station). Some public, religious and independent stations are not tagged with a network in our data.

What channels can I get with an antenna in Minneapolis?

See the Minneapolis channel guide for every tower within 70 miles, with channel numbers, distances and antenna directions.

Do I need an outdoor antenna in Minnesota?

In 33% of Minnesota's cities and towns, yes. 67% can manage with an indoor or attic antenna. It depends on how far you are from the towers: each city page below gives a recommendation for that location.