St Louis Antenna TV Guide Free: Why Most Locals Are Missing Out

You’re tired of the bill. We all are. Seeing that monthly charge from Charter Spectrum or AT&T hit your account for $120—just to watch the local news and maybe a Blues game—is honestly a gut-punch. But here is the thing: St. Louis is one of the best cities in the country for "cord-cutting." Because our terrain is relatively flat (sorry, Art Hill doesn't count as a mountain), those signals from the towers in south county travel like a dream.

Basically, you can get 100+ channels for $0 a month. No catch. Just a piece of plastic on your window.

But if you’ve tried it and only got six channels, or if Channel 5 keeps flickering during The Voice, you're likely making one of the three classic St. Louis mistakes. Let's fix that. This is your no-nonsense st louis antenna tv guide free breakdown for 2026.

The St. Louis Channel Lineup: What’s Actually Up There?

Most people think "antenna TV" means grainy pictures and just the big three networks. Wrong. In St. Louis, we have a massive digital "subchannel" culture. When you scan your TV, you aren't just getting 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, and 30. You’re getting their "digital cousins."

🔗 Read more: The 92 Percent of Data is Dark: What It Means for Your Privacy and Business

The Major Networks (The Must-Haves)

These are the heavy hitters. If you don't get these, your antenna is basically a paperweight.

• KTVI (Fox 2): Channel 2.1. Still the king of local morning news.
• KMOV (CBS 4): Channel 4.1. The "First Alert" crew.
• KSDK (NBC 5): Channel 5.1. 5 On Your Side.
• KETC (Nine PBS): Channel 9.1. Our local treasure.
• KPLR (CW 11): Channel 11.1.
• KDNL (ABC 30): Channel 30.1.

The "Secret" Channels You’ll Actually Watch

This is where the st louis antenna tv guide free gets interesting. Once you scan, look for these specific sub-channels:

• 2.2 Antenna TV: This is pure nostalgia. Johnny Carson, Wings, Becker. It’s great "laundry-folding" TV.
• 5.2 GetTV: Old Westerns and classic action.
• 24.1 MeTV: If you want MASH* or The Andy Griffith Show, this is your home.
• 4.3 COZI TV: Frasier, The Nanny, and George Lopez reruns.
• 11.3 Comet: All sci-fi, all the time. Think Stargate and Godzilla movies.

Honestly, the sheer volume of true crime (True Crime Network on 5.3) and mystery (ION Mystery on 4.4) available for free is staggering. You’ve probably been paying for a "True Crime" add-on package on cable that you could have been getting through the air this whole time.

Where Are the Towers? (The "Affton Secret")

If you live in Webster Groves, Kirkwood, or South City, you are in the "Golden Zone." Why? Because almost every major broadcast tower in St. Louis is clustered in the Affton/Sappington area.

If you look at a map, most transmitters (KMOV, KSDK, KTVI) are sitting right near the intersection of I-55 and I-270 or along the Lindbergh corridor.

Pro Tip: Point your antenna toward South County. Even if you live in North County or St. Charles, the signals are coming from the south/southeast. If your antenna is facing towards the Arch but you live in Chesterfield, you’re pointing it the wrong way.

The "Channel 5" Problem (and ABC 30)

I hear this constantly: "I get everything except KSDK or ABC!"

There’s a technical reason for this. While most channels in St. Louis broadcast on the UHF band, a few still cling to VHF. Cheap "flat" antennas that look like mud flaps are notorious for being terrible at picking up VHF signals.

Also, as of 2026, cell towers using 5G frequencies can actually "crowd out" your TV signal. KSDK (NBC) on RF channel 35 is particularly susceptible to this. If you’re seeing "No Signal" on a perfectly clear day, you might need a $15 LTE/5G Filter. You just screw it into the back of your TV before the antenna cable goes in. It’s a game-changer.

Selecting Your Gear: Don't Get Scammed

Stop buying antennas that claim "1,000 Mile Range." Physics doesn't work that way. The earth curves. Unless your antenna is on a 2-mile-high pole, you aren't getting signals from Chicago.

In St. Louis, you generally only need:

1. Indoor (Flat or Rabbit Ears): If you are within 25 miles of Affton. The Mohu Leaf is the gold standard, but honestly, a $12 pair of Philips rabbit ears from the grocery store often works better because the "ears" pick up that pesky VHF signal better than the flat ones.
2. Attic/Outdoor: If you live in Wentzville, Eureka, or deep into Illinois (like Edwardsville or Belleville). A ClearStream 2MAX is a beast for our area.

Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Free Guide

1. Plug it in: Connect the coaxial cable to the "Antenna In" port on your TV.
2. The "Secret" Menu: Use your remote to go to Settings > Channels > Auto Scan.
3. Choose "Air" not "Cable": Make sure the TV knows it's looking for broadcast signals.
4. Wait: It’ll take about 5-10 minutes.
5. Check your count: If you don't have at least 60 channels in the St. Louis metro, move the antenna to a window and scan again.

Important Note for Roku/Smart TV Users: Many newer TVs like Roku or Samsung try to "blend" their free internet streaming channels with your antenna channels in the guide. It’s confusing. Look for the "Antenna" or "Live TV" icon on your home screen specifically. If you see "The Roku Channel," that’s the internet—it’s not your local news.

Why This Matters Right Now

The transition to ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) is happening in St. Louis. You might see some channels listed as "NG" (like KTVI-NG). This is the future of free TV—4K resolution and better signal strength. For now, your old TV works fine, but if you're buying a new one in 2026, make sure it has a "NextGen TV" tuner built-in. It makes those 100+ channels look like a Blu-ray disc.

Actionable Next Steps:

• Find your towers: Go to RabbitEars.info and type in your zip code. It will tell you exactly which direction to point.
• The Window Rule: Always, always try a window first. Brick walls and "energy-efficient" windows with metal film are signal killers.
• Rescan monthly: St. Louis stations frequently tweak their "translator" signals or add new subchannels. If you haven't scanned since last summer, you're probably missing 5 or 6 new channels.

Go get your free TV. Seriously. Use that saved cable money for some toasted ravioli instead.