Fort Worth TV Stations: Local Channels in Fort Worth and How to Watch

Fort Worth local channels

Fort Worth is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth TV market, so its channel numbers are the same as in Dallas. A TV market is the area that receives the same set of local stations. These are the main ones:

Channel	Network	Station	Licensed to	On IPTVZ
4	FOX	KDFW	Dallas	Yes
5	NBC	KXAS	Fort Worth	Yes
8	ABC	WFAA	Dallas	Yes
11	CBS	KTVT	Fort Worth	Yes
13	PBS	KERA	Dallas	Yes
21	Independent	KTXA	Fort Worth	Yes
23	Univision	KUVN	Garland	Yes
39	Telemundo	KXTX	Dallas	Yes

FOX 4+ on 27, KFAA 29, CW33 and UniMás 49 complete the list. The full table, with every subchannel and broadcast channel, is on our page of Dallas TV stations. For a network-by-network breakdown, see the Dallas channel numbers guide.

The stations that call Fort Worth home

NBC 5, CBS 11 and TXA 21 are licensed to Fort Worth, and two of them run their studios here. Station facts below come from each station's Wikipedia entry and the FCC.

• NBC 5 (KXAS): the first TV station in Texas. It signed on as WBAP-TV on September 29, 1948, and became KXAS in 1974, according to KXAS's Wikipedia entry. It shares studios with Telemundo 39 at the CentrePort Business Park in eastern Fort Worth.
• CBS 11 (KTVT): signed on as KFJZ-TV in 1955 and became KTVT in 1960. Its main studios are on Bridge Street, east of downtown Fort Worth, shared with sister station TXA 21. Since 2023 it has branded its newscasts CBS News Texas, per KTVT's Wikipedia entry.
• TXA 21 (KTXA): an independent station owned by CBS alongside KTVT, licensed to Fort Worth.
• KFWD 52: a smaller Fort Worth station with religious and multilingual programming.
• Univision 23 simulcast: a Fort Worth station, KUVN-CD, repeats Univision 23 and UniMás.

So when you watch the evening news on NBC 5 or CBS 11, it may well come from Fort Worth. The anchor just says Dallas first.

Antenna reception in Fort Worth

Aim your antenna east-southeast, toward Cedar Hill. Many DFW stations transmit from there, including NBC 5 and CBS 11. According to Cedar Hill's Wikipedia entry, the city has 14 broadcast towers because of its elevation. From downtown Fort Worth that is about 25 miles away. From downtown Dallas it is about 16.

Our finding: We measured the distance from both downtowns to Cedar Hill. Fort Worth sits about 50% farther from the towers than Dallas. That is why a small indoor antenna that works in Oak Cliff can struggle in west Fort Worth.

The usual weak spot is WFAA 8, the only main DFW station on VHF. Fort Worth viewers feel it most. One r/FortWorth thread simply asks: "is anybody able to get crisp local channels?" Here is what helps:

1. Point it toward Cedar Hill and place it as high as you can, ideally in a window or attic facing east-southeast.
2. Look for 8.8. It is WFAA again on UHF, from sister station KFAA, and often comes in when 8.1 does not.
3. Use an antenna rated for VHF and UHF. Many flat indoor antennas list only UHF in the small print.
4. Rescan after every move. The FCC reception map shows signal strength and direction for your exact address.

Arlington, Keller, Burleson and the rest of Tarrant County

The same stations cover all of Tarrant County and the counties around it. That includes Arlington, North Richland Hills, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, Mansfield, Burleson, Weatherford and Cleburne. Your channel numbers stay the same, but the antenna direction shifts. For example, from Arlington the towers are closer, about 14 miles to the southeast. From Weatherford, it is farther and almost due east.

Arlington is also where the Cowboys and the Rangers play. Our guide to watching the Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars and Rangers without cable covers where every game airs in 2026-27.

How to watch Fort Worth locals without cable

Fort Worth viewers have the same options as the rest of DFW: an antenna, cable or satellite, live-TV streaming, or IPTV. Spectrum, DIRECTV and DISH are the familiar paid options. On streaming, a Fort Worth viewer on Reddit put it plainly: "YouTube TV keeps raising its price, but it still seems to be the most complete solution around."

Here's what you actually get with IPTVZ. The Fort Worth stations NBC 5, CBS 11 and TXA 21 are in the lineup, along with FOX 4, WFAA 8, KERA and the Spanish-language locals. You also get channels for the Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars and Rangers. Everything arrives over your internet, so the distance to Cedar Hill stops mattering.

Option	Cost	Good to know
Antenna	One-time purchase	Aim east-southeast; try 8.8 for WFAA
YouTube TV	$82.99 a month	Regular price, checked October 17, 2026
IPTVZ, 12 months	$74.99, about $6.25 a month	Free 24-hour trial, 48-hour money-back guarantee for technical issues

Paying for Spectrum TV now? Our guide to leaving Spectrum in Dallas-Fort Worth shows how to keep the internet and drop the TV bill. New to streaming TV? Start with IPTV in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Fort Worth TV FAQ

What channel is NBC on in Fort Worth?

NBC is channel 5, station KXAS, which is licensed to Fort Worth. It broadcasts on UHF 24 from Cedar Hill.

What channel is CBS in Fort Worth, TX?

CBS is channel 11, station KTVT, licensed to Fort Worth. It brands its newscasts CBS News Texas.

What channel is ABC in Fort Worth?

ABC is channel 8, station WFAA. It broadcasts on VHF, so if 8.1 breaks up on your antenna, try 8.8, a copy of WFAA on UHF.

How can I watch FOX 4 DFW without cable?

FOX 4 (KDFW) is free with an antenna on channel 4, with a second copy on 27.4. It is also on live-TV streaming services and on IPTVZ.

Is Fort Worth its own TV market?

No. Fort Worth and Dallas share one TV market, Dallas-Fort Worth, so both cities get the same local stations and channel numbers.

What was the first TV station in Texas?

WBAP-TV in Fort Worth, today's NBC 5 (KXAS). It began regular programming on September 29, 1948.

The short version

• Fort Worth gets the same channels as Dallas: FOX 4, NBC 5, ABC 8, CBS 11 and the rest.
• NBC 5, CBS 11 and TXA 21 are licensed to Fort Worth; NBC 5 was Texas' first TV station.
• Aim antennas east-southeast toward Cedar Hill, about 25 miles away, and try 8.8 for WFAA.
• IPTVZ carries the Fort Worth locals and DFW team channels for $74.99 a year.

Skip the antenna aiming altogether. A free 24-hour IPTVZ trial takes a couple of minutes, and plans start at $29.99 for 3 months.