Antenna TV channels in Portland-Auburn
13 stations broadcast free TV around Portland-Auburn, carrying 32 channels including Subchannel An extra channel a station sends alongside its main one, like 2.2 or 2.3. More in the glossary . The full-power stations transmit from several sites, so the direction to aim depends on where you live.
Updated from FCC data
How well antenna TV works around Portland-Auburn
For the big networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS) that reach each home, an indoor antenna is likely enough for about 18% of people in the Portland-Auburn market; about 78% need an attic or roof antenna, and for about 4% reception depends on the exact spot. A typical home gets about 30 free channels from 8 stations, some from neighbouring markets.
Estimates from our terrain predictions for an antenna about 30 ft up, adjusted for indoor use. They are not yet checked against real channel scans; VHF channels never count as indoor. How we work it out
Each network's reach
| Network | Reaches | Indoor likely |
|---|---|---|
| ABC | 80% | 16% |
| CBS | 90% | 65% |
| NBC | 82% | 62% |
| FOX | 89% | 65% |
| PBS | 90% | 78% |
| The CW | 69% | 52% |
| Univision | 1% | 0% |
| Telemundo | 1% | 0% |
Share of the market's 990k people, across its 242 ZIP codes.
Town by town
| Town | Antenna | Point | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland ZIP 04108 | Indoor likely | northwest (313°, most) | 32 |
| Lewiston ZIP 04240 | Attic or outdoor | southwest (234°, most) | 30 |
| South Portland ZIP 04106 | Indoor likely | northwest (323°, most) | 32 |
| Auburn ZIP 04210 | Attic or outdoor | southwest (232°, most) | 21 |
| Sanford ZIP 04073 | Attic or outdoor | north-northeast (12°, most) | 39 |
| Biddeford ZIP 04006 | Attic or outdoor | north-northwest (337°, most) | 40 |
| Westbrook ZIP 04092 | Indoor likely | north-northwest (338°, most) | 32 |
| Saco ZIP 04072 | Attic or outdoor | north-northwest (342°, most) | 40 |
| Augusta ZIP 04330 | Attic or outdoor | southwest (230°) | 13 |
| Waterville ZIP 04901 | Roof | east-northeast (71°, most) | 21 |
| Berlin ZIP 03570 | Spotty | – | 0 |
| Bath ZIP 04530 | Attic or outdoor | west (269°, most) | 30 |
| Gardiner ZIP 04345 | Roof | west-southwest (242°) | 16 |
| Hallowell ZIP 04347 | Roof | southwest (232°) | 7 |
For the ZIP nearest each town's centre. Tap a town for its full channel list.
What channel is each network on in Portland-Auburn?
| Network | Channel | Station |
|---|---|---|
 CBS | 13.1 | WGME-TV |
 NBC | 6.1 | WCSH |
 ABC | 8.1 | WMTW |
 FOX | 13.2 also 23.1 | WGME-TV |
 PBS | 10.1 also 26.1 | WCBB |
 The CW | 51.1 | WPXT |
 ION | 35.1 | WIPL |
The best TV antenna for Portland-Auburn
Get an antenna rated for both VHF and UHF. For most homes an attic or outdoor antenna is the safe choice; by our estimate an indoor one is likely enough for only about 18% of people.
- 1 channels reach ordinary TVs only on VHF (WMTW), and many flat indoor antennas are weak on VHF.
- The towers are spread out, so a wide-beam (multi-directional) antenna is safer than a narrow directional one.
Not sure about VHF Lower frequencies (RF 2–13). Needs an antenna with longer elements; many flat indoor antennas are weak here. More in the glossary and UHF Higher frequencies (RF 14–36). Most stations are here; almost any antenna picks it up. More in the glossary ? See the glossary. Any brand of the right type will do.
Which way to point your antenna from Lewiston, South Portland, Sanford and nearby
Aim at the main tower site (WIPL, WPXT, WMTW and others). From the largest towns around Portland-Auburn:
| From | Point | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lewiston, ME | west-southwest (240°) | 34 mi |
| South Portland, ME | west-northwest (302°) | 28 mi |
| Sanford, ME | north (360°) | 29 mi |
| Westbrook, ME | west-northwest (295°) | 23 mi |
| Augusta, ME | west-southwest (237°) | 61 mi |
5 full-power stations transmit from elsewhere: WGME-TV (15 mi away), WPFO (15 mi away), WCSH (3 mi away), WMEA-TV (30 mi away), WCBB (43 mi away). If you live near one of them, it may need a separate aim.
Where the Portland-Auburn TV towers are
Map of 10 tower sites around Portland-Auburn. The list below has every site.
NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) in Portland-Auburn
2 stations (WPFO, W34DQ-D) now send the newer NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) A newer broadcast format. Older TVs can't decode it, so stations also send the old format from a partner station. More in the glossary format. Older TVs can't decode it, so stations share: each channel that moved is also sent in the old format by a partner station (a Lighthouse (channel sharing) One station switches to NextGen TV and carries other stations' 3.0 versions; partners carry its old-format version. More in the glossary arrangement). Your TV shows the same number; at most you need a Rescan Asking your TV to search for channels again. Fixes most missing channels. More in the glossary .
WPFO sends NextGen TV on RF 17
- 23.1 Fox: ordinary TVs get it from no partner in our data
- 23.2 WCBB/WMEA-TV: ordinary TVs get it from no partner in our data
- 23.3 Comet: ordinary TVs get it from no partner in our data
- 23.4 network unknown: ordinary TVs get it from no partner in our data
W34DQ-D sends NextGen TV on RF 34
Our data lists no channels of its own on the NextGen signal yet.
Every Portland-Auburn station and subchannel
Including Class A and low-power stations Smaller stations with a shorter range than full-power ones. More in the glossary stations. 1 subchannels have no confirmed network; we show them as "network unknown" rather than guess.
Full power (8)
- WCSH Portland, ME · UHF
- 6.1 NBC
- 6.2 True Crime Network
- 6.3 Quest
- 6.4 365BLK
- 6.5 Outlaw
- 6.6 Shop LC
- 6.7 Radar
- 6.8 Defy
- WMTW Poland Spring, ME · VHF
- 8.1 ABC
- WCBB Augusta, ME · UHF
- 10.1 PBS
- WGME-TV Portland, ME · UHF
- 13.1 CBS
- 13.2 Fox
- 13.3 The Nest
- WPFO Waterville, ME · UHF · NextGen TV
- 23.1 Fox
- 23.2 WCBB/WMEA-TV
- 23.3 Comet
- 23.4 network unknown
- WMEA-TV Biddeford, ME · UHF
- 26.1 PBS
- WIPL Lewiston, ME · UHF
- 35.1 Ion Television
- 35.2 Court TV
- 35.3 Bounce TV
- 35.4 Grit
- 35.5 Ion Plus
- 35.6 Busted
- 35.7 Game Show Central
- 35.8 HSN
- 35.9 QVC2
- WPXT Portland, ME · UHF
- 51.1 The CW
- 51.2 H&I
- 51.3 Ion Mystery
- 51.4 Story Television
- 51.5 QVC
Low power (2)
Questions about antenna TV in Portland-Auburn
What channel is CBS on antenna in Portland-Auburn?
What channel is NBC on antenna in Portland-Auburn?
What channel is ABC on antenna in Portland-Auburn?
What channel is FOX on antenna in Portland-Auburn?
What local channels can I get with an antenna in Portland-Auburn?
What is the best TV antenna for Portland-Auburn?
Which way should I point my antenna in Portland-Auburn?
Do I need a new TV for NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) in Portland-Auburn?
For the curious: tower and licence details
- W14DA-D · facility 125877 · RF 14 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 14.5 kW · HAAT not filed · licensed 2015-10-22 · newer construction permit granted
- WGME-TV · facility 25683 · RF 15 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 1000 kW · HAAT 500 m · licensed 2024-04-24
- WPFO · facility 84088 · RF 17 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 1000 kW · HAAT 479 m · licensed 2024-04-25
- WCSH · facility 39664 · RF 31 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 1000 kW · HAAT 587.9 m · licensed 2020-07-16 · newer construction permit granted
- WIPL · facility 48408 · RF 24 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 16 kW · HAAT 542.25 m · licensed 2019-07-15
- WPXT · facility 53065 · RF 34 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 500 kW · HAAT 590.4 m · licensed 2020-03-17
- WMTW · facility 73288 · RF 8 (VHF-high) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 29.8 kW · HAAT 612 m · licensed 2024-04-24
- WMEA-TV · facility 39656 · RF 36 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 149 kW · HAAT 231 m · licensed 2024-04-24
- WCBB · facility 39659 · RF 20 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 1000 kW · HAAT 304 m · licensed 2024-04-24
- W03AM-D · facility 39660 · RF 3 (VHF-low) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 0.01 kW · HAAT not filed · licensed 2009-12-03 · newer construction permit granted
- WFYW-LD · facility 33955 · RF 35 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 0.1 kW · HAAT not filed · licensed 2024-07-26 · newer construction permit granted
- W04BS-D · facility 39647 · RF 4 (VHF-low) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 0.02 kW · HAAT not filed · licensed 2009-12-03 · newer construction permit granted
- W34DQ-D · facility 69321 · RF 34 (UHF) · ERP (effective radiated power) Transmitter power after the antenna's gain, in kilowatts. More in the glossary 15 kW · HAAT not filed · licensed 2025-09-23
Where this comes from
- Stations, towers, channels and power: FCC Licensing and Management System (LMS) public database, data of .
- Networks and subchannels: our affiliations dataset, built from Wikipedia (used under CC BY-SA 4.0), the network field stations file with the FCC, and station websites; checked . Credits.
- Towns and distances: US Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 city population estimates (SUB-EST2025) and 2026 Gazetteer place coordinates; distances are straight-line from each town's Census centre point.
- Reception: Reception predictions over USGS terrain for every ZIP, FCC data 2026-11-03 00:00:00 (model 2026-11-11.4)
- Market area: Market area: counties assigned by FCC service-contour coverage of each market's full-power stations (FCC LMS market list, Census 2020).
Updated How we work this out