TV stations in Montana
Montana has 335 licensed over-the-air TV transmitters, including 22 network affiliates carrying ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW and MeTV. Pick a city below for its local channel lineup, tower distances and the direction to point your antenna.
Over-the-air TV in Montana at a glance
Montana has 335 licensed TV transmitters: 23 full-power, 2 Class A, 43 low-power and 267 translator stations. Translators make up 80% of the total, well above the national share of 41%. That usually points to mountains or long rural distances that the main towers cannot cover on their own.
Most full-power and Class A stations are licensed to Great Falls (4), Missoula (4), Billings (4) and Butte (3). 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 Montana is KRTV (CBS) in Great Falls, at 1,000 kW effective radiated power. The tallest is KCFW-TV near Kalispell, 850 m (2,789 ft) above the surrounding terrain.
We ran a reception estimate for all 104 cities and towns in Montana. A typical place gets 5 stations at fair strength or better (national median: 17), and its nearest major network tower is about 25 miles away. 19% of places can use an indoor antenna, 32% need an amplified or attic antenna, 49% 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 63%, CBS 86%, NBC 85% and Fox 22%.
Bigfork has the most stations in reach (17). Baker is the hardest place to get network TV over the air: its nearest major network tower is 70 miles away.
Largest cities in Montana
- Billings
- Missoula
- Great Falls
- Bozeman
- Butte
- Helena
- Kalispell
- Havre
- Anaconda
- Miles City
- Helena Valley Southeast
- Belgrade
- Helena Valley West Central
- Evergreen
- Livingston
- Whitefish
- Laurel
- Sidney
- Lockwood
- Lewistown
- Glendive
- Orchard Homes
- Columbia Falls
- Polson
- Hamilton
- Bigfork
- Dillon
- Lolo
- Hardin
- Helena Valley Northwest
- Malmstrom Air Force Base
- Glasgow
- Shelby
- Four Corners
- Cut Bank
- Warm Springs
- Helena Valley Northeast
- Deer Lodge
- Wolf Point
- Montana City
Network affiliates in Montana
| Station | Channel | City of license | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC KFBB-TV ABC | 5 | Great Falls | Full power |
| ABC KTMF ABC | 23 | Missoula | Full power |
| ABC KWYB ABC | 18 | Butte | Full power |
| CBS KBZK CBS | 7 | Bozeman | Full power |
| CBS KPAX-TV CBS | 8 | Missoula | Full power |
| CBS KRTV CBS | 3 | Great Falls | Full power |
| CBS KTVQ CBS | 2 | Billings | Full power |
| CBS KXLF-TV CBS | 4 | Butte | Full power |
| NBC KCFW-TV NBC | 9 | Kalispell | Full power |
| NBC KECI-TV NBC | 13 | Missoula | Full power |
| NBC KTVH-DT NBC | 12 | Helena | Full power |
| NBC KTVM-TV NBC | 6 | Butte | Full power |
| NBC KULR-TV NBC | 8 | Billings | Full power |
| FOX KHMT Fox | 4 | Hardin | Full power |
| CW KSVI CW | 6.2 | Billings | Full power |
| MeTV KJJC MeTV | 16.1 | Great Falls | Full power |
| CBS KAJJ-CD CBS | 18 | Kalispell | Class A |
| NBC KDBZ-CD NBC | 29 | Bozeman | Class A |
| ABC KHBB-LD ABC | 21 | Helena | Low power |
| ABC KTMF-LD ABC | 23 | Kalispell | Low power |
| ABC KWYB-LD ABC | 18 | Bozeman | Low power |
| CBS KXLH-LD CBS | 9 | Helena | Translator |
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.
- KBGS-TVBillings
- KUFM-TVMissoula
- KUGFGreat Falls
- KUHM-TVHelena
- KUKL-TVKalispell
- KXGN-TVGlendive
- KYUS-TVMiles City
All cities and towns in Montana (104)
- Absarokee
- Anaconda
- Baker
- Belgrade
- Big Sky
- Big Timber
- Bigfork
- Billings
- Bonner-West Riverside
- Boulder
- Bozeman
- Broadus
- Browning
- Butte
- Chester
- Chinook
- Choteau
- Circle
- Clancy
- Clinton
- Colstrip
- Columbia Falls
- Columbus
- Conrad
- Crow Agency
- Cut Bank
- Deer Lodge
- Dillon
- East Helena
- East Missoula
- Ekalaka
- Eureka
- Evergreen
- Forsyth
- Fort Belknap Agency
- Fort Benton
- Four Corners
- Frenchtown
- Glasgow
- Glendive
- Great Falls
- Hamilton
- Hardin
- Harlowton
- Havre
- Helena
- Helena Valley Northeast
- Helena Valley Northwest
- Helena Valley Southeast
- Helena Valley West Central
- Helena West Side
- Hysham
- Jordan
- Kalispell
- Lakeside
- Lame Deer
- Laurel
- Lewistown
- Libby
- Lincoln
- Livingston
- Lockwood
- Lolo
- Malmstrom Air Force Base
- Malta
- Manhattan
- Miles City
- Missoula
- Montana City
- North Browning
- Orchard Homes
- Pablo
- Philipsburg
- Plains
- Plentywood
- Polson
- Red Lodge
- Ronan
- Roundup
- Ryegate
- Scobey
- Seeley Lake
- Shelby
- Sidney
- Somers
- South Browning
- Stanford
- Stevensville
- Sun Prairie
- Superior
- Terry
- Thompson Falls
- Three Forks
- Townsend
- Virginia City
- Warm Springs
- West Glendive
- West Yellowstone
- White Sulphur Springs
- Whitefish
- Whitehall
- Wibaux
- Winnett
- Wolf Point
Frequently asked questions
How many TV stations are in Montana?
Montana has 335 licensed TV transmitters: 23 full-power, 2 Class A, 43 low-power and 267 translator stations.
Which TV networks broadcast over the air in Montana?
ABC (6 stations), CBS (7 stations), NBC (6 stations), Fox (1 station), CW (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 Billings?
See the Billings channel guide for every tower within 70 miles, with channel numbers, distances and antenna directions.
Do I need an outdoor antenna in Montana?
In 49% of Montana's cities and towns, yes. 51% 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.