Don't know what a qam tuner is, we use an antennae in the attic to pull in local (which is far more than local) HD channels, don't have cable so don't deal with a cable box, used to have a separate Roku device but that went away with the purchase of a new Roku TV. We pay for Netflix and and have Amazon Prime anyway so also get their viewing options. We're not sports watchers but you can look through the ala carte options through Roku and see what appeals to you and at what price. You can check to see what OTA options are available to you and if PBS is one of them (we get 4 different PBS options OTA) and what type of antennae would be required. There's a mapping tool you can use and there are much more granular charts you can use to narrow it down from there. For us, this works.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html

A qam tuner is something in the tv so you can pull digital signal. Old ones apparently didn't have this. Ours is a 10 year old Sharp Aquos. I read something today saying newer ones would be without.... If you don't have one in the tv you can purchase the DVR box from the cable company (and don't forget - pay extra monthly!) and that is the qam tuner to pull the digital channels. That box is what the guy left here today.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. DH talked about an antennae before but wanted it on the roof and I said no go. It's in your attic? We did try some type of receiver thing that we in the living room near the window but the signal was too weak to receive any channels.

Random about PBS, we have four channels but we only use the one that plays 24/7. - That sounds bad. We don't have the tv on all the time. I like the show line up of this one and the other PBS channels stop playing cartoons earlier in the day.

One of our PBS channels is called Rootle - don't know if that's regional or what, but it seems to be all kids cartoons - can't say for sure as I never watch it! Yes our antennae is in our attic and we had the same set up at our old house. The higher you can get an antennae the better it will pull signals, obviously, which is one reason why those gimmicks shown on late night tv don't work . Get the image out of your head of the old rusty metal multi arm things strapped to a chimney - new antennae look different and depending on the direction you need to pull signals from it may be unseen on your roof. But attics do work. If you're lucky, your signals will all come from one general direction and you can tailor your antennae and where it faces for that. That's how it was when we lived in IL - all our main signals cam from Chicago (south of us) although we could still p/u channels from Milwaukee (North) and Rockford (west). Here our channels are split N, S, E with mountains between each source and us for the major networks so we have a multi-directional antennae. They work, but if you can use a more directed antennae you'll have better reception.

We have a smart tv that is not hooked up to cable in one of our bedrooms. It connects to our Internet (wireless) for Hulu, Netflix and some other streaming stations. So no need for a fire stick. The antenna, a flat plastic thing that we placed inside next to the wall, picks up our local Networks including PBS.

There are websites that will tell you what stations you will be able to get using an antenna. Here is one.

It's an HD antenna, at least that's what ours is, and ours is also in the attic. We don't have cable or satellite. Yes, the smart tv eliminates the need for a streaming device. We like Toshiba and they have a center support. Good luck!

I’ll asked DH later what we tried or other options. It seems we can’t get things in our location half the time. Frustrating.

For now we’re still at it with the cable company. After talking with office again the tech didn’t do all that he was supposed to while here and they seem to agree with me that it’s something their end. They’re adjusting our bill for the month and we don’t have to pay extra for the box at this point. Hopefully they can get it resolved. We still may end up getting a new tv or changing things up.

Not sure about the smart tv but does the PBS streaming channel have what you want? My sister subscribes but not sure if all the cartoons are on it. Might solve part of your problem. Oh and we have Samsung TVs. All with center supports.

https://flixed.io/watch-pbs-without-cable/

When we bought our new tv a few months ago, Costco had some with Roku built right into them. I’d never seen that before, but it might be ideal for your situation (should you end up still in need). I believe that Roku and Fire Stick have very similar programming options.

I love my Roku smart TV. It's a TCL, and was pretty inexpensive.

And Roku has many free streaming or on demand cartoon & kids' apps, as well as Hoopla, which is a free digital service through our local library.

I like Pluto TV as well, it has both on demand and streaming channels. Is it on the Amazon Firestick?