Free TV is Now Available Everywhere Across Oklahoma

As technology continues to evolve, it somehow remains the same. At least that's true of how we consume television these days.

The days of cable boxes and DVRs are gone. Or, at least, they should be. Cable and satellite television costs have always been expensive, and the "cheaper alternatives" from streaming companies like Hulu, YouTube, Philo, etc... are more expensive than cable ever was when you need them all to cover your basic entertainment needs.

There is another way that is free and available pretty much everywhere across Oklahoma.

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Antenna television.

I can't remember exactly when it was, but I've had an antenna for a few years now. It was initially an impulse purchase on the cheap, and I soon realized the cable I was paying for was about 90% the same channels I could get for free on that antenna.

One might imagine that antenna TV is the same now as it used to be... We have four major networks within our viewing area, so there are only four channels on the antenna, right?

Wrong.

While that's how it worked long ago, the technology has grown similar to radio. We used to broadcast just one station, but HD radio allows multiple stations to be broadcast from a single source. That's how modern over-the-air TV works.

For example, in Lawton, you'll get KFDX and also get a handful of other channels on the same signal. The same goes for KSWO and KJTL.

Between our three major networks and PBS, you can expect to get 30-ish total channels here in Lawton, Oklahoma. Some of them you'll never watch, others you won't ever turn off.

If you'd like to expand your entertainment on the cheap, here's what worked for me.

I used a standard amplified antenna for a few months when I first cut the cords. They're inexpensive and effective, but the all-aluminum and plastic construction meant it didn't last long in the Oklahoma wind. Still, a cheap dip of your toes...

When I realized that most of the free programming on the antenna is exactly the same as what I'd been paying the cable company for, I decided to upgrade to something a little more stout and reliable. I got four years out of an antenna like this before a hail storm destroyed it.

The only hitch I had was actually getting the signal to my TVs. Most homes have old coax cable and antenna signals don't respond well to splitting off to multiple TVs. Luckily they have a digital tool for that.

Here's a box that works by taking your antenna feed and puts it on your wifi. You just need to download the app to your smart tv or Firestick/Roku/etc to get that full-strength signal to every TV in the home. Since we don't watch more than two TVs at once, I purchased the 2-feed box, but they have models that allow more multiple streams at the same time.

Easy peasy.

I still have internet, but the antenna streaming option works without it off any old wifi router you may have lying around.

Will you get the better OKC channels? Eh... It really depends on where you're at.

We don't get them very well in Lawton, but with a pricier and higher-powered antenna, my neighbor has no problem reaching OKC. All the same, my cousin in Hollis (90 miles West of Lawton) gets OKC channels on the rural OK repeaters just fine. I'm sure it's similar across the state. Those in Southern OK probably get more Dallas channels, Western OK probably get Amarilla, OKC, Tulsa, etc...

Is that right for you? I don't know. I just know it was right for me, and as it seems a pretty common question on Lawton's social media pages, I figured I'd at least share my experience with free TV so far.