TV channels & antenna towers in Houston, Texas

Houston is a city of about 2,300,000 people in Texas. There are 39 licensed TV transmitters within 70 miles: 18 full-power, 2 Class A and 19 low-power. Based on each transmitter's power, antenna height and distance, 32 are likely to arrive at fair strength or better, and 23 at good or strong strength.

32 of them are within 25 miles of Houston, 1 sit 25 to 45 miles away and 6 are more than 45 miles out. Houston is a broadcast hub in its own right: six of the 11 network stations in range are licensed here.

For the networks, the best local options are ABC on channel 13 (KTRK-TV), CBS on channel 11 (KHOU), NBC on channel 2 (KPRC-TV), Fox on channel 26 (KRIV), CW on channel 39 (KIAH), ION on channel 49 (KPXB-TV), Telemundo on channel 47 (KTMD), Univision on channel 45 (KXLN-DT), MeTV on channel 51.1 (KYAZ) and Trinity on channel 14 (KETH-TV). Spanish-language viewers can pick up Telemundo (strong signal) and Univision (strong signal). 7 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 SSW, at about 211°. The main network towers for Houston sit in that direction, so a single directional antenna can pick them all up.

Ten network stations, KRIV, KTRK-TV, KIAH, KPRC-TV and KTMD and others, transmit from the same tower site about 15 miles southwest of Houston (211° SSW). That one direction covers every station on the site.

Of the 11 full-power and Class A network signals that reach Houston at fair strength or better, 91% arrive from the southwest; the rest are spread across one other direction.

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

The farthest main network tower for Houston is KHOU (CBS), 16 miles away with a good estimated signal. That is why we suggest an indoor antenna here. Skip that station and you may get away with a smaller antenna.

KTDJ-LD is only 0.2 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 32 stations at fair strength or better, Houston ranks 11th of 1,039 places in Texas: more than the typical Texas town (14). Its nearest major network tower is 15 miles away, against a state median of 26 miles.

24% of Texas's cities and towns get the same recommendation: an indoor antenna.