You’re sitting in a beach house in Cherry Grove or maybe a condo in Market Common, and you just want to catch the weather. It sounds simple. But honestly, getting your tv in Myrtle Beach set up correctly is surprisingly tricky because of how the "Grand Strand" is laid out. People assume they can just plug in an antenna and grab every major network, then they’re shocked when the signal drops out during a summer thunderstorm or they can't find the local news they actually care about.
The truth is, Myrtle Beach is part of a "split" media market with Florence. We are officially the Myrtle Beach-Florence DMA, which is currently ranked as the 97th largest market in the country. That sounds mid-sized, but because the broadcast towers are scattered from the coast all the way inland to places like Dillon and Conway, your experience changes block by block.
The Local Channel Scramble
If you’re looking for the big four, you’ve got specific local players. WBTW (News 13) is the CBS affiliate. They’ve been the dominant force here for decades, partly because their signal reaches deep into the Pee Dee and up the coast. Then you’ve got WMBF News, the NBC station. They actually have their studios right there on Frontage Road in Myrtle Beach, which gives them a very "local" feel compared to stations that broadcast from further out.
For ABC, it's WPDE (ABC15), based over in Conway. If you’re a Fox fan, WFXB (Fox 43) is the go-to.
Here is the weird part about tv in Myrtle Beach: if you are using an antenna, you might get a crystal-clear picture of one station and absolutely nothing from another. Why? Because the towers aren't all in the same spot. WBTW’s tower is way out in Dillon County. If you’re in a high-rise on Ocean Boulevard, the building itself might be blocking that signal. You’ll find yourself repositioning that little plastic leaf antenna ten times just to get the football game to stop stuttering.
Breaking Down the Providers
Most locals end up choosing between HTC (Horry Telephone Cooperative) and Spectrum.
HTC is a local cooperative, and honestly, people around here are pretty loyal to them. They’ve laid a ton of fiber-optic cable. If you live in a newer development in Carolina Forest or out toward Conway, HTC is usually the "gold standard" because their customer service is literally down the street.
Spectrum is the heavy hitter for the rest of the area. They have massive coverage, especially in the heart of Myrtle Beach and near the airport. Their bundles are usually the cheapest for the first 12 months, but we all know how those "introductory rates" go. After a year, that bill starts creeping up like the tide at high noon.
Is Cord-Cutting Even Possible Here?
Kinda.
If you want to ditch the $150 cable bill, you can definitely do it, but you need decent internet. In Myrtle Beach, "decent" usually means a minimum of 300 Mbps if you’ve got a family streaming Netflix in one room and gaming in the other.
YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are the big winners for locals who want to keep their tv in Myrtle Beach experience without the cable box. Both carry WBTW, WMBF, and WPDE. However, you need to check your zip code. Sometimes, if the GPS on your streaming device thinks you’re closer to Wilmington, North Carolina, it’ll give you their news instead of ours. It's incredibly frustrating to try and watch the local 6:00 PM news only to find out what’s happening in Cape Fear instead of Murrells Inlet.
The "Snowbird" Problem
We have a lot of part-time residents. If you’re only here for three months out of the year, paying for a year-round cable contract is a total waste of money.
Many people are switching to 5G Home Internet from T-Mobile or Verizon. It’s basically a "plug-and-play" box. You bring it down with you, plug it in, and boom—you have Wi-Fi. Then you just use a Roku or Fire Stick for your TV. It's not as stable as fiber-optic, but for watching Price is Right while you drink coffee on the balcony? It works.
Why Signal Interference is Real
Living near the ocean does weird things to electronics. Salt air is corrosive, obviously, but the main issue for TV reception is "multipath interference."
The signals bounce off the water and all those massive concrete hotels. You might get a "ghosting" effect or digital tiling. If you’re serious about over-the-air TV, don’t buy a cheap $15 indoor antenna from a big-box store. You’ll regret it. You really need an amplified antenna, ideally one mounted as high as possible. If you’re in a HOA-controlled neighborhood, remember that federal law (the OTARD rule) generally allows you to put a small dish or antenna on your property, even if the HOA says no.
Local Content You Can't Get Anywhere Else
Beyond the news, we have Grand Strand TV (often found on HTC channel 17). It’s basically a constant loop of "what to do" in the area. While it’s technically for tourists, locals watch it more than they admit to find out which restaurants are doing early bird specials or which shows are opening at the Alabama Theatre.
There's also WHMC, which is our local SCETV (PBS) station. They do some great documentaries on the history of the Lowcountry and the Gullah-Geechee culture that you just won't find on a national Netflix feed.
Actionable Next Steps for Better Viewing
If your TV setup is currently a mess of wires and buffering circles, here is what you should actually do:
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- Check your address on BroadbandNow. Don't just take the first flyer you see in the mail. See if HTC fiber is available at your specific house; it’s almost always better than the cable alternative.
- Scan your channels at night. If you're using an antenna, do a "double rescan." Clear the memory, then scan again. Atmospheric conditions at night in the Carolinas often help signals travel further over the flat coastal plains.
- Audit your streaming apps. If you’re paying for a "Live TV" streaming service plus Netflix, Max, and Disney+, you’re probably spending more than a basic HTC cable bundle. Sometimes, the old-school way is actually cheaper once you add up the "subscription creep."
- Invest in a mesh Wi-Fi system. Myrtle Beach homes are often long and narrow, or they have a lot of "dead spots" caused by coastal construction materials. A single router in the living room won't reach the back bedroom TV.
The landscape of tv in Myrtle Beach is constantly shifting as the population explodes. We're adding thousands of residents every year, and the infrastructure is trying to keep up. Whether you’re a lifelong local or just here for the golf, getting your setup right means you won't miss the next hurricane tracking update or the opening kickoff of the Panthers game.