Local Channels in Pennsylvania: Every TV Market, Station and Way to Watch

Pennsylvania TV markets and their channels

Each Pennsylvania TV market has its own ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations, and Nielsen calls each market a DMA, short for designated market area. Two corners belong to markets centered elsewhere. Mercer County, with Sharon and Hermitage, watches Youngstown in Ohio, and Pike County watches New York City. Our guide to local channels by state explains how markets work nationwide. Our Ohio guide covers the Youngstown market, and the New York guide covers the New York City stations.

We took the numbers below on November 2, 2026 from the broadcast records on RabbitEars. They show what each station sends to your TV, and we compared them with the list of Pennsylvania TV stations.

Market	Main Pennsylvania cities	ABC	CBS	NBC	FOX
Philadelphia	Philadelphia, Allentown, Bethlehem, Reading	6	3	10	29
Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, Washington, Greensburg, Butler	4	2	11	53
Wilkes-Barre-Scranton	Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Williamsport	16	22	28	56
Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York	Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Lebanon	27	21	8	43
Johnstown-Altoona-State College	Johnstown, Altoona, State College	23	10	6	8
Erie	Erie, Meadville	24	35	12	66
Youngstown	Sharon, Hermitage	33	27	21	27.2
New York	Milford and Pike County	7	2	4	5

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh still use the classic low numbers on screen, such as CBS 2 and CBS 3. Most of them now broadcast on higher channels behind the scenes, so the number you see is a label, not a frequency.

Spanish-language TV is concentrated in Philadelphia, with Telemundo 62, Univision 65 and UniMás 28. Harrisburg has Univision on 15.

Pennsylvania stations that share a signal

Two Pennsylvania stations broadcast from a partner's transmitter after selling their own frequency in the FCC's 2016-17 spectrum auction. A third pair simply carries copies of each other. Your TV still shows each one under its usual number:

Market	Station you see	Comes from	Broadcasts on
Harrisburg	FOX 43 (WPMT)	WITF, the public TV station	UHF 36
Wilkes-Barre-Scranton	WVIA 44 (PBS)	ABC 16 (WNEP)	UHF 21
Johnstown-Altoona	ABC 23 and FOX 8	Each carries a copy of the other	UHF 31 and VHF 8

This matters when you aim an antenna. In Harrisburg, for example, FOX 43 arrives from the same direction as WITF, so aim for the public station's tower. In Johnstown and Altoona, the copies help: if FOX 8 breaks up on VHF, the same programs appear on 23.2.

Why some Pennsylvania channels won't come in

VHF, the band that covers channels 2 to 13, causes most antenna trouble in Pennsylvania. Compact indoor antennas pick it up poorly, and the hills make it worse:

Market	Station on VHF	Shows as	Broadcasts on
Philadelphia	WPVI (ABC), WHYY (PBS)	6, 12	VHF 6, 13
Pittsburgh	WQED (PBS)	13	VHF 4
Wilkes-Barre-Scranton	WYOU (CBS), WBRE (NBC)	22, 28	VHF 12, 11
Harrisburg-Lancaster-York	WGAL (NBC), WHTM (ABC)	8, 27	VHF 8, 10
Johnstown-Altoona	WWCP (FOX)	8	VHF 8
Erie	WICU (NBC)	12	VHF 12

Our finding: Pittsburgh is the only Pennsylvania market whose big four networks all broadcast on UHF. Every other market has at least one network on VHF. Philadelphia's 6 ABC is the hardest case, because channel 6 is low VHF, which needs a large antenna with long elements.

Three VHF stations add UHF fill-in signals under the same number: WGAL on UHF 35, WYOU on 25 and WBRE on 28. Elsewhere, the fix is an antenna with VHF elements, mounted high and aimed using the FCC reception map. In Philadelphia, for example, a small window antenna often finds CBS 3 and FOX 29 but loses 6 ABC.

Ways to watch local channels in Pennsylvania

Xfinity is the largest cable company in Pennsylvania, alongside Verizon Fios and regional systems such as Armstrong, Blue Ridge and Service Electric. Cable bills add a broadcast TV fee on top of the plan. The main ways to get your locals compare like this:

Option	What it costs	Pennsylvania locals	Watch out for
Antenna	One-time purchase	Every station in range	VHF stations and hilly terrain
Cable (Xfinity, Fios and regional systems)	A typical bill is about $125 a month with fees	All main locals	Fees on top of the plan price, as our monthly cable cost guide shows
Live-TV streaming	YouTube TV $82.99 a month; DIRECTV Entertainment $89.99	The big-market stations in most ZIP codes	Smaller markets like Erie or Johnstown may be incomplete
Free station apps	Free	Local news	News only
IPTVZ	From $29.99 for 3 months, $74.99 for 12	Stations from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Erie and more	Needs a steady connection, about 15 Mbps per HD screen

Streaming prices from YouTube TV and DIRECTV, checked October 17, 2026. Over 12 months, IPTVZ comes to about $6.25 a month. For more options, see the cheapest live TV with local channels, or compare the two approaches in IPTV vs cable.

Pennsylvania local channels on IPTVZ

IPTVZ carries the main stations of most markets serving Pennsylvania. We matched each one in our panel catalogue of October 16, 2026 by call sign, so the table reflects the station's current network:

Market	Confirmed on IPTVZ
Philadelphia	CBS 3, ABC 6, NBC 10, FOX 29
Pittsburgh	CBS 2, ABC 4, NBC 11, FOX 53
Wilkes-Barre-Scranton	CBS 22, NBC 28
Harrisburg-Lancaster-York	NBC 8, CBS 21, ABC 27, FOX 43
Johnstown-Altoona	NBC 6, FOX 8, CBS 10, ABC 23
Erie	NBC 12, ABC 24, CBS 35, FOX 66
Youngstown	NBC 21, CBS 27, ABC 33

Search the IPTVZ channel list for any station by name. Since IPTV runs over the internet, a Pennsylvanian who moves away can keep watching hometown news, and a Pittsburgh fan in Philadelphia can watch KDKA.

Pennsylvania sports on TV in 2026-27

Pennsylvania's teams were largely untouched by the end of FanDuel Sports Network, because none of them used it:

• Phillies, 76ers and Flyers: local games stay on NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Comcast-owned network.
• Pirates and Penguins: local games stay on SportsNet Pittsburgh, which opened its Penguins season with the October 3 home opener.
• Eagles and Steelers: most Sunday afternoon games air on the local FOX or CBS station, so 6 ABC's VHF problem rarely matters on game day.
• Penn State: Big Ten games are spread across FOX, CBS, NBC and Big Ten Network.

IPTVZ carries the Pennsylvania network stations that air NFL games, plus ESPN and the national sports networks. Our guide to the cheapest way to watch the NFL prices a full season. New to streaming TV? The explainer on how IPTV works covers the basics.

Local channels in Pennsylvania FAQ

How many TV markets serve Pennsylvania?

Eight. Six are based in the state: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, Johnstown-Altoona-State College and Erie. Mercer County watches Youngstown, and Pike County watches New York.

Why can't I get 6 ABC in Philadelphia with an indoor antenna?

WPVI broadcasts on VHF channel 6, the low end of the TV band. Small indoor antennas handle it poorly. A larger antenna rated for low VHF, placed high, usually fixes it after a rescan.

Where does FOX 43 in Harrisburg come from?

WPMT shares the transmitter of WITF, the public TV station, on UHF 36. Aim your antenna toward WITF's tower and rescan.

Which Scranton channels are on VHF?

CBS 22 (WYOU) broadcasts on VHF 12 and NBC 28 (WBRE) on VHF 11. Both also run UHF fill-in signals, on 25 and 28.

Can I watch Pittsburgh stations in Philadelphia?

Over the air, no: each market only receives its own stations. Online, yes. IPTVZ includes Philadelphia and Pittsburgh stations in one lineup.

Do I need cable for local channels in Pennsylvania?

No. All the network stations broadcast free over the air, and they also come with streaming services and IPTV. NBC Sports Philadelphia and SportsNet Pittsburgh are the part that needs a specific provider.