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MeTV

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Not to be confused withMTV,MyNetworkTV,We TV,orFETV.

MeTV
TypeBroadcasttelevision network(classic TV)
CountryUnited States
Broadcast area93% OTA coverage[1]
HeadquartersChicago,Illinois
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format
Ownership
OwnerWeigel Broadcasting
ParentMe-TV National Limited Partnership[2]
Key people
Sister channelsMeTV+
MeTV Toons
Movies!
Heroes & Icons
Catchy Comedy
Start TV
Story Television
Dabl
History
Launched
  • January 6, 2003;21 years ago(2003-01-06)
  • (as a programming block onWFBT-CA)
  • January 1, 2005;19 years ago(2005-01-01)
  • (as a programming format, inChicago)
  • March 1, 2008;16 years ago(2008-03-01)
  • (as aMilwaukeesubchannel onWDJT-TV)
  • December 15, 2010;13 years ago(2010-12-15)
  • (as a national network)
Links
Websitewww.metvEdit this at Wikidata
Availability
Terrestrial
See:List of affiliates
Streaming media
MeTVService(s):DirecTV Stream,DIRECTV,Verizon FiOS,AT&T U-Verse,Frndly TV,Philo
MeTV PlusService(s): Frndly TV, Philo

MeTV,an acronym forMemorable Entertainment Television,is an Americanbroadcasttelevision networkowned byWeigel Broadcasting.Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television programs from the 1930s through the 1990s.

The concept began as a 1950s to 1980s programming block on Chicago'sWFBT-CAin 2003, growing until becoming a national network in 2010. Since 2010, the network has spun off six sister networks:MeTV+,the action/adventure-orientedHeroes & Icons,the comedy-orientedCatchy Comedy,the film-centeredMovies!(joint venture withFox Television Stations), the drama-orientedStart TV(joint venture withCBS News and Stations), the history/documentary networkStory Television,and the classic cartoon-centricMeTV Toons(in partnership withWarner Bros. Discovery).

MeTV is carried ondigital subchannelsof affiliatedtelevision stationsin most markets; however, some MeTV-affiliated stations carry the network as a primary affiliation on their main channel, and a small number of stations air select programs from the network along with their regular general entertainment schedules, with a few carrying the network inhigh definition.The network is also available nationwide onDirecTVandDirecTV Stream,free-to-airC bandsatellite viaSES-1in theDVB-S2format,[4]and in some markets onAT&T U-verseandVerizon FiOSandcable televisionthrough cable TV providers nationwide.[5]As of March 28, 2022,MeTV is available on the streaming serviceFrndly TV.[6]As of August 9, 2022,MeTV is available on another streaming servicePhilo.[7]MeTV's operations are located in Weigel Broadcasting's corporate headquarters onNorth Halsted StreetinChicago,Illinois.

History

[edit]

Chicago beginnings

[edit]

MeTV was originally developed as a programming block that launched on January 6, 2003, onClass Atelevision station WFBT-CA (channel 23) inChicago,Illinois,anindependent stationowned by Weigel that otherwise maintained a format featuring programming aimed at themarket's diverse ethnic demographics. The block – which initially aired for three hours daily from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., before expanding to seven hours a day (from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) by 2004 – featured a broad mix of series from the 1950s to the 1980s, which included among othersThe Honeymooners,I Love Lucy,Perry Mason,The Carol Burnett Show,One Day at a Time,andHogan's Heroes;although the programs that aired as part of the lineup changed occasionally.[8]

On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened the Chicagolow-powerstation asWWME-CAand removed the ethnic-oriented programming that filled its late afternoon and nighttime schedule, adopting the MeTV format and on-air branding full-time. Channel 23's former ethnic programming and WFBT-CA call letters were transferred to itssister stationonUHFchannel 48, which used the W48DD call letters prior to the format change.[9]

On August 4, 2007, WWME launched a weekend morningblockthat primarily featured Spanish dubs of select classic series, "Sí! MeTV" (the first two parts of the moniker were based on the phrase "see me", although "Sí" is the Spanish word for "yes" ). Most of the programs carried as part of the "Sí! MeTV" lineup – which ran on the station until its discontinuation on January 25, 2009 – were sourced from theUniversal Televisionlibrary (includingHercules: The Legendary Journeys,Xena: Warrior Princess,Miami Vice,Quantum Leap,andThe Incredible Hulk), with syndication restrictions imposed on the original English-language versions resulting in some of the programs being made available to the station only in Spanish.[10]

Weigel expanded the format to its station on UHF channel 48 on March 1, 2008 – which adopted the WMEU-CA call letters at that time – under the "MeToo" extension brand, with the twolow-powerstations also being broadcast locally on separate digital subchannels of Weigel'sflagship stationWCIU-TV(channel 26).[11][12]The two stations eventually carved out their own identities, culminating in a format shift on September 14, 2009, when WWME began to exclusively carry off-network sitcoms (such asI Love Lucy,Leave It to Beaver,The Andy Griffith Show,The Bernie Mac Show,All in the Family,The Honeymooners,andFrasier),[13]while MeToo on WMEU began running only off-network drama series.[14]

Milwaukee expansion

[edit]

On March 1, 2008, Weigel expanded the MeTV format toMilwaukee,Wisconsin,where it began airing on the third digital subchannel of the group'sCBSaffiliate in that market,WDJT-TV(channel 58).[15][16]The Milwaukee version of the service featured much of the same programming as that aired on the Chicago outlets (some of which aired in different timeslots than on WWME and WMEU), as well as certain programs that were exclusive to the Milwaukee service.

The following month on April 21, Weigel moved the MeTV programming to its dedicated full-powered channel – WJJA (channel 49) inRacine,aJewelry Television-affiliated station that the group had recently purchased from Kinlow Broadcasting and had its call letters changed toWBME-TVon April 29.[17][18]It later began transmitting the station's signal from a new digital transmitter on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park on October 20 of that year, after WBME officially transferred its operations into theWest Allisstudios of WDJT and sister stationsWMLW-CAandWYTU-LP.MeTV continued to be carried on digital channel 58.3 until October 30, 2008, when it was replaced by newly launched sister networkThis TVon the same channel. The station also airedpublic affairsprogramming includingRacine & Me,and because of its full-power status at the time of the move of MeTV programming to channel 49, programming compliant with FCCeducational programmingrequirements such asGreen Screen Adventures(a children's program produced for Weigel's Chicagoflagship stationWCIU-TV) andSaved by the Bell.

National expansion

[edit]

On November 22, 2010, Weigel announced that it would take the MeTV concept national and turn it into a full-fledged network with a standardized schedule, available to any station that wished to affiliate. As a result, MeTV would compete fully with theRetro Television Networkand the then yet-to-launchAntenna TV,while complementing successful then-sister network This TV, which carried library product fromMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(with a limited number of classic television series featured alongside its movie-dominated schedule) and – untilTribune Broadcastingtook over Weigel's operational interest in This TV on November 1, 2013 – children's programming from the Canada-basedCookie Jar Entertainment(now WildBrain).[19]The national MeTV network launched in December 2010. As with This TV, MGM handled distribution of the network to prospective affiliate stations.[2]

As part of the standardization with the new network, Chicago's local version of MeTV was integrated with MeToo, combining a selection of comedy and drama programming that had respectively been featured on WWME and WMEU onto the latter station's schedule under the MeToo brand as a locally programmed service. In the Chicago market, the national MeTV is carried on WCIU subchannel 26.3 and WWME-CA (the latter of which serves as itsflagshipstation, and through its ownership by Weigel, anowned-and-operated stationof the network); the new MeToo moved to WCIU subchannel 26.4 and remained on WMEU-CA.[20]

Low-poweredWBME-CDin Milwaukee carries the national feed of MeTV in its entirety on digital channel 41.1; as a full-power station, prior to an August 2012licenseswap that saw sister independent stationWMLWmove to full-power channel 49, while WBME moved to low-power channel 41 (the latter of which resulted in MeTV returning to its former secondary 58.2 slot to allow the latter to reach the entire market and to provide cable providers with a quality source of its signal),[21]Weigel-owned ABC affiliateWBND-LD(channel 57) in South Bend began carrying MeTV on its 57.2 subchannel on December 15, 2010.

On April 1, 2013,Nielsenbegan to tabulate national viewership for MeTV, including the network in itsprime timeand total day ratings reports. In February 2016, the network began to transmit its master feed in16:9widescreenstandard definition (which is also the preferredaspect ratiofor sister networks Heroes & Icons and Decades), after conducting beta-testing in the format on WWME-CD months earlier. Although most affiliates continue to carry the MeTV feed in the4:3format due to technical considerations regarding transmission of their primary channel in high-definition and/or carriage of other subchannels, the switch to a widescreen feed was done mainly to accommodate national and local advertisers that produce commercials exclusively in the 16:9 format and prefer not to have their advertisingletterboxedinto a 4:3 presentation, and stations which carry newscasts and other local programming on their MeTV subchannels that prefer to present them in widescreen. With the conversion, MeTV also began to carry remastered widescreen prints of some programs (such asLeave It to Beaver,I Love Lucy,The Honeymooners,andThe Monkees) and present its program promotions in the 16:9 format; most other programming to which Me-TV has only obtained 4:3 prints are presented in ananamorphic14:9format. According to Nielsen, MeTV averaged 719,000 viewers in prime time for 2019, a 2% increase over 2018.[22]

Programming

[edit]
Main article:List of programs broadcast by MeTV

MeTV's program schedule relies primarily on the extensive library of television programs that are currently owned byCBS Media Venturesand20th Television(the latter now part ofDisney-ABC Domestic Television), along with select programs from other distributors. The only original programs on MeTV areSvengoolie,a hosted movie series that had been airing on WCIU since 1994, and cartoon-centeredToon In With Me.Similar to the former local MeTV and MeToo formats, the network maintains a broad variety of classic television programs, carrying approximately 60 program titles on its weekly schedule;[23]the network's slate of programming is regularly altered at the start of its fall, winter and summer programming seasons, which respectively begin onLabor Day,New Year's DayandMemorial Day.Since MeTV broadcasts programs that it acquired through the syndication market, episodes of these shows are usually edited to fit into the allotted running time with commercials factored in.

The network does not air asplit-screen credit sequence[broken anchor]or feature voice-overs promoting upcoming network programming during theclosing credits(borrowing a format standard in local broadcast syndication). The network'scontinuityannouncersare staff members Richard Malmos and Carol Gallagher, who both do equal share of announcing duties. Carol Gallagher is a Chicago-based voice-over artist, who has served as MeTV's staff announcer since its existence as a local programming format on WWME-CA and WMEU-CA, prior to its establishment as a national network; longtime voice-over artist Richard Malmos, who has been the continuity announcer for Weigel's flagship station WCIU since December 1994 (and is also known as the continuity announcer for many stations owned by, among other groups, theSinclair Broadcast Group).

Unlike other digital multicast networks such as former sister network This TV and competitors Antenna TV and Rewind TV, MeTV does not usually run day-long marathons of its programs on major national holidays. Instead, the network airs holiday-themed episodes of its shows on occasional holidays (such asHalloween,ThanksgivingandChristmas) as part of its regular schedule, which air in the program's normal time slot but are shown out-of-order from their regular episode rotation. Since its inception as a national network, MeTV has also aired marathons ofThe Doris Day ShowonChristmas Eveas well as Christmas-themed specials during the month of December. In December 2014, the network aired Christmas episodes of its programs each weeknight from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as part of the "MeTV Christmas Conundrum" stunt block,[24]along with airing Christmas episodes of its programs from late Christmas Eve through Christmas night (this was repeated in 2015, albeit in an earlier prime time slot, featuring Christmas-themed episodes of series feature on the network's schedule and other shows from its program distributors that were not part of the regular lineup).

The network occasionally pays tribute to a recently deceased actor or actress with a marathon showcasing episodes of their past television roles (either those that the performer had starred in as a regular or appeared as a guest star) to which MeTV has access to broadcast through its distributors, pre-empting episodes originally scheduled to air that day; however, these have aired in a significantly decreased usage since the discontinuance of the "MeTV Sunday Showcase" block in September 2012.

MeTV premiered its first original series since the introduction ofSvengoolie,a reality show calledCollector's Call,in 2019, later with more original series in 2021,Toon In with Meand in 2022,Sventoonie.

Current lineup

[edit]

The network's schedule is a mix of programming ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Weekdays featureToon In with Me(mornings), crime/legal dramas (late mornings),westerns(afternoons), sitcoms (evenings through prime time), and a black and whitenoirblock late nights.

On Saturday, there are blocks of cartoons (mornings), westerns (afternoons),The Three Stooges(early evenings),Svengoolie(prime time), and sci-fi programs late evenings through the overnight hours.

Sundays feature theSaved by the Bell"Sunday School"E/Iblock early mornings, then sitcoms all through the day into the late night hours.

Movies

[edit]

Despite access to program content from the Universal Television, CBS Media Ventures and20th Century Foxlibraries, movies have a relatively limited presence on MeTV's weekly schedule. The network airs theRich Koz-hostedhorrorandsci-fifilm showcaseSvengoolie,which is syndicated by sister CW-affiliate station WCIU-TV, on Saturday evenings.

From September 2013 to January 2014, MeTV aired a prime-time film block on Friday evenings, "The MeTV Made for TV Movie", which showcasedmade-for-television filmsfrom the 1970s to the 1990s. Until September 2013, the network also airedLaurel and Hardymovies andshortsSunday mornings.

MeTV's weekly showing ofColumboon Sunday nights had been the only program that appeared regularly in any feature length form. For a brief period in the 2010s, MeTV aired reruns of severalNBC Mystery Movieseries (includingColumbo) as part of a daily late night block called "The MeTV Mystery Movie". Columbo departed the network on November 21, 2021. From 2022 to 2023, MeTV airedPerry MasonTV movies from the 1980s/90s on Sunday nights until the program left the schedule in early February.

Morning programming blocks

[edit]

Former

[edit]

In order to comply witheducational programming requirementsmandated by theFederal Communications Commission'sChildren's Television Acton behalf of the network's affiliates, MeTV carried an hour-long block ofGreen Screen Adventures(Weigel's Chicago-based program originally meant for local viewing) on Saturday mornings and a two-hour block of theteen sitcomSaved by the Bell(which has long been used to meet E/I – or educational and informative – requirements, including by the original Chicago MeTV on WWME-CA prior to the national network's launch, and theTNBCblock it formerly anchored) on Sunday mornings.

In September 2013, MeTV began customizing its weekend morning lineup in order to allow its affiliates to choose between running both Saturday and Sunday E/I blocks, or running the children's lineup on one weekend day and a three-hour block of classic series in place of the children's programs on the other, allowing stations to fulfill educational programming quotas by running the minimum three-hour requirement or an overall total of six hours of E/I content (this was reconfigured in January 2015 to allow stations the option of pre-empting the last two hours of the Saturday E/I block to carry onlyGreen Screen AdventuresandSaved by the Bellto reach their weekly E/I requirements). The network moved its children's programming to Sunday mornings in October 2016 for more classic television programming on Saturday morning includingThe Little Rascalsand three additional hours of westerns. Starting on October 2, MeTV’s educational/informational block on Sunday mornings was overhauled with the addition ofBeakman’s WorldandBill Nye the Science Guy,the latter acquired fromDisney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution.Saved by the Bellalso continued to air on the station on Sunday mornings (as it still does).

MeTV also previously ran a children's program block on Saturday mornings called "AniMeTV" (which despite how the name – due to the network's use of the "Me" moniker as a branding avenue for its blocks – makes it appear, aired no Japanese-originatedanimeprogramming), that was handled byNew York-basedClassic Media[25](which, along withNBCUniversal,NelvanaandScholastic Entertainment,previously co-owned the now-defunct digital multicast networkQuboin conjunction withIon Media Networks,later acquired byThe E. W. Scripps Companyin 2021). The three-hour block premiered on April 7, 2012, to compete withThe CW'sToonzaiandThis TV'sCookie Jar Toons/This Is for Kids.The block featured animated series such asHe-Man and the Masters of the UniverseandShe-Ra: Princess of Power,along withGumbyandMr. Magooanimated shorts;[26][27]the block officially ended on October 6, 2012, renderingVortexx(which replaced Toonzai in 2012) and Cookie Jar Toons/This Is for Kids as the only children's blocks on a broadcast network without a strictly-E/I lineup. MeTV began airing thecult classicSid & Marty KrofftproductionsH.R. PufnstufandLand of the Lostduring the 2013 Christmas season; the shows became part of the regular Saturday morning lineup on December 28, 2013, as part of an hour-long block called "Sid & Marty Krofft and Me".[28]

Current

[edit]

As of Fall 2019, MeTV's E/I programming obligations are covered by the weekly three-hour Sunday morningSaved by the Bell"Sunday School" block (7-10 a.m. ET).

In addition,Toon In With Me– a block of classic cartoons and original skits, airing for one hour on weekday mornings – premiered on January 4, 2021, and a three-hour block of classic cartoons airs Saturday mornings under the branding ofSaturday Morning Cartoons.[29]Its companion network, MeTV Plus, airs the three-hour block of classic cartoons Sunday nights under the branding ofSunday Night Cartoons,and airsToon In With Meweeknights.

Affiliates

[edit]
Main article:List of MeTV affiliates

As of November 2017,MeTV has current or pending affiliation agreements with 203 television stations in over 185 television markets encompassing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the border regions of Canada, covering approximately 92.54% of the United States; this makes MeTV the largest subchannel network by population reach percentage (a distinction once held by former sister network This TV), and the seventh largest commercial broadcast television network in the U.S.-based on total number of affiliates. Of these affiliates, 24 stations carry the network as a formal primary channel affiliation and two are general entertainment stations that air select MeTV programs on atape-delayedbasis.[30][31]In almost all of its affiliation agreements, the network's channel slot is mandatorily required to be slotted on either a station's primary channel, or its secondary digital subchannel; in San Diego, this stipulation required the move of MeTV from CBS affiliateKFMB-TV's second subchannel, to ABC affiliateKGTV's second subchannel upon KFMB's launch of a subchannel forThe CWto replaceXETV-TDT's affiliation.

Like former sister networkThis TV,many of MeTV's affiliates (some of which replaced This TV with MeTV, after the former was partially acquired by Tribune Broadcasting) include regional descriptors reflecting the station's primary broadcast area underneath thelogo bugdisplayed during the network's programming (these descriptors are also used in the customizedstation identificationsshown at the top of each hour between programs or during commercial breaks, which differ from the silentlower thirdin-program IDs seen on This TV). Some stations either display customized logos using adapted versions of their current logo with the subchannel number below the main MeTV logo bug (such asWPXIinPittsburgh) or in order to fit in with the network's "retro" format, a logo formerly used by the station (such asWHIO-TVinDayton). Others display their callsign andcity of license(and in some cases, the affiliate's virtual channel number) below the MeTV bug full-time in case the full-screen ID sequence malfunctions in some manner. From August 2014 to August 2015, station identifications for MeTV were based on the motif "Thank You for Making Us America's #1 All Classic TV Network", allowing local affiliates to customize their IDs to refer to their individual viewing area (for example, "Thank You, Chicago" on WWME-CD).

Although MeTV prefers that its local affiliates carry the entire schedule,[32]some affiliates regularly pre-empt certain network programs in order to air morning and/or prime time newscasts produced by the station specifically for the subchannel or public affairs programs (such as withWLKY-TVinLouisvilleandWBAL-TVinBaltimore); this has become particularly more common since September 2015, when other Hearst Television-owned stations in markets where the group does not maintain aduopoly(as is the case with WBAL and WLKY, which launched theirs earlier) gradually began launching prime time newscasts on their MeTV-affiliated subchannels. Some of the major network affiliates that carry MeTV full-time (such as WBAL, WLKY andWCVB-TVinBoston) use the affiliated subchannel as a buffer during network sports coverage,breaking newsorsevere weathercoverage situations to carry regularly scheduled network and/or syndicated programming seen on its main channel.[32]

Some affiliates may also preempt select MeTV programs to airinfomercials(such as withWZMEinBridgeport, Connecticutpre-2021, which pre-empted much of the network's morning and late night schedule with paid programming), locally acquiredsyndicated programming(such as withWJLA-TVinWashington, D.C.,which aired events from theAmerican Sports Network,a syndicated college sports distributor owned by WJLA parent Sinclair Broadcast Group, over its former MeTV subchannel on some weekends), local live sporting events (such asWTOV-TVinWheeling, WV-Steubenville, OHwhich has pre-empted the schedule forWheeling NailersECHLhockey game broadcasts and local high school sporting events), or in some cases, because the local syndication rights to a particular program are held by a station other than the MeTV affiliate (such as withThe Andy Griffith Show,which since the network began airing the program in September 2014, is substituted in many markets with an alternate feed of its spin-offMayberry R.F.D.).[32]To address these variances, MeTV includes thefine printnotation "On most MeTV stations"at the end of itsprogram promotionsregardless of whether a program or block is specifically promoted, typically during the timeslot card. Additionally, stations may also air select MeTV programs that are recorded in advance on their main channels in order to fill unprogrammed time slots or for use as a backup source of programming in the event that a network-televised sports event isdelayed or postponed due to inclement weatheras well as during theChristmas seasonto provide supplementary holiday-themed programming.

Two of MeTV's subchannel-only affiliates –WBBJ-TVinJackson, Tennessee(which primarily affiliates its7.3 subchannelwithCBS)[33][34]andWIBW-TVinTopeka, Kansas(which primarily affiliates its13.2 subchannelwithMyNetworkTV)[35]– carry its programming on a secondary basis while nominally serving as an affiliate of a major broadcast network due to the lack of enough available stations in their markets for a standalone main channel affiliation (though despite the 'secondary' status, these stations still carry the majority of MeTV's broadcast schedule). One other affiliate,WBBZ-TVinSpringville, New York(which serves theBuffalomarket), operates as anindependent stationcarrying the network's programming part-time within its main channel's regular schedule, while running the full MeTV network feed on a separate subchannel. Over time however, MeTV's ratings strength and popularity have actually caused some of these split situations to end, with MeTV going full-time on two affiliates,Charlottesville, Virginia'sWAHU-CD2 andPaducah, Kentucky'sWQWQ-LDat the start of 2019 and 2020, ending their runs as MeTV affiliates carrying MyNetworkTV and CW programming under secondary affiliation agreements. The MeTV channel in theCleveland, Ohiomarket,WOIO-DT2,also carries MyNetworkTV, though as a non-prime contractualburn-offin thegraveyard slotin lieu of sister stationWUAB,which switched toThe CWin 2018.

On January 7, 2011,KCTU-LDinWichita, Kansasbecame the first television station not owned by Weigel to carry the MeTV network.[36]However, KCTU's affiliation with the network lasted only about one week, as that station's owner, Great Plains Television Network LLC, and Weigel could not come to terms on a long-term affiliation contract.[37]Afterwards, on September 7, 2012, another Wichita station (KAKE) became the Wichita MeTV affiliate, and is still around to this date.[38]In early 2011,Bahakel Communicationsbecame the first non-Weigel station group to sign selected stations to carry MeTV on their digital subchannels, with its stations inCharlotte, North Carolina(WCCB) andColumbia, South Carolina(WOLO-TV) adding the network in early March of that year. On April 4, 2011, Weigel announced affiliation agreements for MeTV with 14 broadcasting companies, most notablyHearst Television,Hubbard Broadcasting,Graham Media Group,Nexstar Media Group,Gray Television,Cox Media Group,andTegna Inc.[39]Also of note, in December 2013, the network moved itsDallas-Fort Worthaffiliation to a newly created subchannel of independent stationKTXA(replacingGreenville-basedKTXD-TV,which abruptly disaffiliated from MeTV three months earlier), marking CBS Television Stations' first affiliation deal involving a major subchannel network (Weigel and CBS would later partner to create Decades, a similar classic television-focused network that launched on May 25, 2015[40]). On August 31, 2022, 12 affiliates owned bySinclair Broadcast Groupand 4 affiliates owned by theE. W. Scripps Companydropped their affiliation with MeTV.[41]

[edit]

MeToo (WMEU-CD/WCIU-DT2)

[edit]
Main article:WMEU-CD

MeToowas a companion programming format, which launched on March 1, 2008, on WMEU-CA in Chicago as anextensionof the local MeTV format on sister station WWME-CA. It initially maintained a wide selection of off-network sitcoms and drama series from a variety of distributors (similar to WWME's locally exclusive MeTV format, but differing from the limited distributor output of the present-day national MeTV network). Initially, WMEU maintained a similar programming schedule as WWME; however by the fall of 2008, their formats were modified to feature one station focusing mainly on sitcoms and the other largely focusing on dramas.[11][12]When WWME adopted a sitcom-intensive format for its MeTV schedule on September 14, 2009, the MeToo schedule on WMEU-CA was similarly streamlined to feature only off-networkdramaticprograms (such asPerry Mason,Star Trek,Star Trek: The Next Generation,The Rockford FilesandThe Twilight Zone) and films.[14]

As WWME became a charter station of the national network on December 15, 2010, WMEU concurrently reverted to a general entertainment format – combining some of its existing inventory of drama programming with a selection of comedy programs aired by WWME prior to MeTV's format-to-network conversion; however it continued to carry a mix of both classic and recent programs, resulting in the local MeToo channel airing a broader variety of programming than that provided by the national version of MeTV, which largely restricts its acquired programming to series that debuted prior to 1985. The MeToo format was relegated to WWME's analog signal and WCIU digital subchannel 26.4 on November 1, 2013, when WMEU was converted into a standalone extension of WCIU's "The U Too" subchannel, itself an extension of the general entertainment independent station format carried by that station's primary channel, albeit with some classic series remaining on the schedule. The MeToo format was discontinued outright on December 29, 2014, when it was replaced on WCIU-DT4 by Weigel's new male-targeted classic television networkHeroes & Icons.[42]

Weigel Broadcasting had planned to expand the MeToo format to Milwaukee, intending to launch a similar locally programmed subchannel on WBME-TV in early 2011. However, these plans were delayed and ultimately scuttled due to the launch of sister networkMovies!onMay 27,2013, which took the 49.3 channel slot that had been proposed to carry the Milwaukee MeToo service.[2]After Movies! moved to a newly created second digital subchannel of ABC affiliateWISN-TV(channel 12) in August 2014, WMLW-DT3 became a charter affiliate of Heroes & Icons.

MeTV FM

[edit]
See also:WRME-LD

Through alocal marketing agreementwith owner Venture Technologies Group, Weigel operatesWRME-LD(channel 6) in Chicago as a co-branded radio station, known as "MeTV FM", which maintains anoldiesformat focusing on classic music from the 1950s to the 1980s. The format change, announced on February 9, 2015, and formally commencing on February 23, coincided with Weigel's assumption of an LMA first formed in April 2012 between Venture Technologies and Merlin Media (the LMA was transferred fromCumulus Mediato Tribune Broadcasting – which had operated it as asports talkstation – in February 2014, before switching to an FM simulcast of sister station720 WGNin December of that year).[43][44][45][46][47]

WRME-LD is licensed as a low-power television station, but operates as aradio stationdue to a technical anomaly with theanalogVHF channel 6 frequency for television transmissions that allows the audio feed of such stations to be heard on87.75MHzon theFM band(with a visualstation identificationslide used on the station's television broadcasts to fulfill FCC licensing requirements).

In May 2017, it was announced that Weigel had partnered with Envision Networks, nowSun Broadcast Group,to syndicate the MeTV FM brand and format as aradio network,with Weigel handling programming and Envision handling distribution. The company cited the success of the original station (which, by then, was tied for audience share with its closest full-power competitorsWJMKandWLS-FM,and by March 2018, was the 6th highest-rated station in the market), as well as the possibility of cross-promotional opportunities with MeTV television affiliates.[48][49]In April 2018, Northern States Broadcasting, which just acquired purchased WHHQ AM inBridgeport, Michigan(serving theSaginaw-Bay City-Midlandradio market), affiliated with MeTV FM at its relaunch asWJMK,using the call sign vacated by one of MeTV FM's Chicago competitors, which had changed its call sign toWBMX.[50]

Affiliates

[edit]
  • WRME-LD-FM687.7, Chicago, Illinois
  • WJMK (AM)1250 AM, Bridgeport, Michigan (market of Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City, Michigan); April 2018
  • WMYX-FMHD2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; August 2018[51]
  • WXZO96.7 FM, Willsboro, New York (market of Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York); January 11, 2019[52]
  • WGTO910 AM, Cassopolis, Michigan; July 2020
  • WMEX (AM)1510 AM, Quincy/Boston, Massachusetts; 2020
  • WMEEHD4, Fort Wayne, Indiana; November 2021
  • WTUG-FMHD3, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; February 2022
  • KVOL1330 AM/97.7 FM, Lafayette, Louisiana; March 2022
  • KSLO-FM105.3, Simmesport, Louisiana; March 2022
  • KMEE103.1,Palm Springs, California;March 2023
  • KGGM93.9,Monroe, Louisiana;July 2023
  • WOCO-FM107.1 Oconto Wisconsin; 2023

MeTV+

[edit]
MeTV+ logo since its launch in 2021.

On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Weigel would launch MeTV Plus (MeTV+), a new 24/7 digital network that extends the brand and expands the audience of MeTV. The new channel launched on Saturday, May 15 onWCIU-TV26.5 Chicago, Illinois andKMOH-TV6.3 Kingman, Arizona, later spreading to other Weigel stations.[53][54]In September 2021, MeTV Plus expanded their carriage beyond the two stations.[55]The streaming serviceFrndly TVadded MeTV Plus to their lineup in October 2023.[56]The streaming servicePhilo TValso added MeTV Plus to their lineup in October 2023.

Affiliates[57]

  • Streaming service Frndly TV
  • Streaming service Philo
  • WMEU-CD48.4, Chicago, Illinois; March 2022
  • KMOH-TV6.3, Kingman, Arizona; May 2021
  • KCSG8.5, Cedar City, Utah; September 2021
  • WCWW-LD25.4, South Bend, Indiana; September 2021
  • KFFV44.5, Seattle, Washington; September 2021
  • KVOS-TV12.6, Bellingham, Washington; September 2021
  • KHTV-CD6.1, Los Angeles, California; September 2021
  • KTLN-TV68.4, Palo Alto/San Francisco, California; September 2021
  • WZME43.2, Bridgeport, Connecticut/New York; March 2022
  • WJFB44.6, Lebanon/Nashville, Tennessee; September 2021[58]
  • KYAZ51.3, Katy/Houston, Texas; September 2021
  • WHCT-LD35.6, Hartford, Connecticut; October 2021
  • WJLP33.8, Middletown, New Jersey/New York; March 2022
  • WDME-CD48.4, Washington, D.C.; May 2022
  • WYTU-LD63.3, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; June 2024
  • KAZD55.4, Lake Dallas/Dallas, Texas; November 2021
  • KNLC24.7, St. Louis, Missouri; February 2022
  • KREG-TV3.6, Glenwood Springs/Denver, Colorado; March 2022
  • WMEI31.4, Green Bay/Shawano, Wisconsin; June 2024[59]

Programming blocks

[edit]

MeTV+ arranges the bulk of its lineup in organized genre-basedprogramming blocks,most of which use the "Me" moniker (in some cases, as an intentional pun) for brand unification purposes.

Weekdays
  • Toon In with Me– Introduced on May 17, 2021, as the branding for the network's one-hour morning block of classic cartoons and original skits, usually a repeat of the show aired earlier the same day on the main MeTV network. Episodes on MeTV+ were dropped after the launch of MeTV Toons in June 2024.
  • Comedy Classics– Introduced on May 17, 2021, as the nighttime block of comedy shorts featuringThe Three Stooges,Laurel and Hardy,andOur Gang.
Weekends
  • Sunday Night Cartoons– Introduced on May 16, 2021, as the branding for MeTV+'s weekly three-hour cartoon block on Sundays, complementingToon in with Meon weekdays. This block was dropped after the launch of MeTV Toons in June 2024.
  • MeTV Sunday Block Party– Introduced on June 5, 2022, as the five-hour programming block that features selected episodes of classic sitcoms and series from the 1950s to the 1980s, centered around a selected series each week.
Seasonal
  • The Summer of Me– A seasonal schedule of programming that runs annually from Memorial Day until Labor Day.
  • Spooky Sunday Block Party– A programming block of Halloween-themed episodes that runs annually on Sundays in October.
  • A Very Merry Sunday Block Party– A programming block of Christmas-themed episodes that runs annually on Sundays in December.

MeTV Toons

[edit]
Main article:MeTV Toons

On May 2, 2024, Weigel announced that it would be partnering withWarner Bros. Discoveryto launch MeTV Toons, a 24/7 free-to-air television network dedicated to broadcasting classic animation programming, on June 25, 2024.

References

[edit]
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