TV channels & antenna towers in Surf City, North Carolina

With roughly 2,190 residents, Surf City is a small community in North Carolina. Within 70 miles of the town center we count 28 licensed TV transmitters: 11 full-power and 17 low-power. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 16 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 8 at good or strong strength.

By distance, 1 transmitter is within 25 miles, 16 between 25 and 45 miles, and 11 farther out. Five of the 10 network stations in range are licensed to Wilmington, so most of the network channels you will find here come from Wilmington's stations.

The best-placed network stations are ABC on channel 12 (WCTI-TV), NBC on channel 6 (WECT), Fox on channel 26 (WSFX-TV), CW on channel 3.3 (WWAY), ION on channel 35 (WPXU-TV), Telemundo on channel 31 (WTWL-LD) and MeTV on channel 10.2 (WILM-LD). No CBS affiliate is listed within 70 miles; the nearest one in our data is WBTW in Florence, SC, 101 miles to the west. Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (fair signal). 3 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 WSW, at about 241°. The main network towers for Surf City sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Three network stations, WWAY, WECT and WSFX-TV, transmit from the same tower site about 42 miles southwest of Surf City (241° WSW). Point at that site and a single antenna setting picks them all up.

Of the 8 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Surf City at fair strength or better, 50% arrive from the north; the rest are spread across two other directions.

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

The farthest main network tower for Surf City is WSFX-TV (Fox), 42 miles away with a good estimated signal. That is why we suggest an amplified indoor or attic antenna here.

WCTI-TV (ABC), 48 miles north, is the exception: the nearest listed affiliate of its network is far enough away to need an outdoor antenna. Some local stations in our data carry no network tag, so check the other stations table below before buying a bigger antenna just for that one.

WPXU-TV is only 5.7 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 16 stations at fair strength or better, Surf City ranks 328th of 465 places in North Carolina: fewer than the typical North Carolina town (19). Its nearest major network tower is 5.7 miles away, against a state median of 23 miles.

57% of North Carolina's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an amplified indoor or attic antenna. The nearest larger city is Jacksonville, 24 miles away.