MeTV
Encyclopedia
Me-TV is a television network
owned by Weigel Broadcasting
and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
that airs classic television sitcoms, dramas and classic commercials from the 1950s through the 1980s. The network is a sister network to This TV
. Like similar networks RTV
and Antenna TV
, Me-TV is designed to air on the digital subchannel
s of local stations; however, Me-TV also maintains a small number of affiliates who carry its programming as a primary affiliation on their main channel.
On December 15, 2010, Me-TV launched as a full-fledged network with a standardized schedule, available to any station wishing to affiliate.
channel 23) in Chicago. Shows included Jack Benny
, Sergeant Bilko
, Carol Burnett
, Maude
, and One Day at a Time
, though the lineup changed occasionally.
On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened Chicago ethnic station as WWME-CA, with Me-TV full-time. The station's former ethnic programming and call letters (WFBT Chicago) moved to channel 48. On March 1, 2008, that station became WMEU-CA
and became MeToo, an extension of the original station. The two low-power stations also air locally on WCIU-TV
's digital subchannels. Initially, the two stations ran similar schedules, but by 2008, one would air sitcoms while the other aired dramas, and vice-versa.
On September 14, 2009, the two stations carved their own identities, as Me-TV began to run only off network sitcoms (such as The Bernie Mac Show
, All in the Family
, The Three Stooges and Frasier
) and was positioned as the station for comedy while MeToo began running only off network drama shows (such as Perry Mason
, Star Trek
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
and The Twilight Zone
) and became known as the choice for drama.
station, WDJT, a CBS
affiliate, on March 1, 2008. The Milwaukee version of the station featured much of the same programming, with some different shows and time slots.
On April 21, 2008, Weigel moved the Me-TV programming to its own dedicated full-powered channel, the newly acquired WJJA in Racine
, changing the call letters to WBME-TV, and later launched the station's new digital transmitter on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park. Me-TV was still carried on channel 58.3 until November 1, 2008, with the launch of This TV
on the same channel. The station also airs public affairs
programming including Racine & Me, and because of their full power status, E/I
programming such as WCIU's Green Screen Adventures
and Saved by the Bell
.
and Antenna TV
, while complementing successful sister network This TV
, which carries library product from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
and Cookie Jar Entertainment
. The national Me-TV network launched on December 15, 2010. As with sister network This TV, MGM is handling the distribution of the network.
As part of the standardization with the new network, Chicago's local version of Me-TV merged with MeToo, airing both comedy and drama programming together as locally-programmed channel MeToo. The national Me-TV airs on WCIU subchannel 26.3 and WWME-CA, while the new MeToo moved to WCIU subchannel 26.4 and WMEU-CA.
WBME in Milwaukee carries the entire national feed of Me-TV on 49.1, though they will add their own locally-programmed MeToo subchannel in early 2011. Weigel-owned WBND-LP
in South Bend began carrying the network on its subchannel 57.2 on December 15, 2010.
On January 7, 2011, KCTU-LD in Wichita
became the first non-Weigel owned station to carry the Me-TV network. However, that station's affiliation with the network lasted only about one week and ended after KCTU-LD and Me-TV could not come to terms on a contract.
In early 2011, Bahakel Communications
became the first non-Weigel station group to sign selected stations to carry Me-TV on their digital subchannels, with the WCCB
(Charlotte, North Carolina
) and WOLO-TV
(Columbia, South Carolina
) subchannels beginning transmissions in early March of that year. On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Me-TV had signed with 14 broadcasting companies, most notably Hearst Television, Raycom Media
, Cox Television, Media General
, and Titan Broadcast Management to begin airing Me-TV; this brings the national Me-TV clearance mark to over 45%.
As of November 2011, Me-TV will have affiliation agreements in 108 television markets.
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
owned by Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
that airs classic television sitcoms, dramas and classic commercials from the 1950s through the 1980s. The network is a sister network to This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
. Like similar networks RTV
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
and Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, Me-TV is designed to air on the digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s of local stations; however, Me-TV also maintains a small number of affiliates who carry its programming as a primary affiliation on their main channel.
On December 15, 2010, Me-TV launched as a full-fledged network with a standardized schedule, available to any station wishing to affiliate.
Beginnings in Chicago
Me-TV was initially a programming block which aired from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm on WFBT (now WWME-CAWWME-CA
WWME-CA is a class A station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, which also owns sister stations WCIU-TV and WMEU-CA. This station is the flagship of the Me-TV network. Me-TV is also broadcast on WCIU's digital subchannel 26.3....
channel 23) in Chicago. Shows included Jack Benny
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
, Sergeant Bilko
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
, Carol Burnett
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
, Maude
Maude (TV series)
Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with...
, and One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
, though the lineup changed occasionally.
On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened Chicago ethnic station as WWME-CA, with Me-TV full-time. The station's former ethnic programming and call letters (WFBT Chicago) moved to channel 48. On March 1, 2008, that station became WMEU-CA
WMEU-CA
WMEU-CA is a class A station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, which also owns sister stations WCIU-TV and WWME-CA. The station is an extension of WWME's classic programming format, and brands as "MeToo"...
and became MeToo, an extension of the original station. The two low-power stations also air locally on WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV is an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates on UHF digital channel 27 and is Chicago's oldest UHF station, signing on the air in 1964. WCIU-TV is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, a locally-based broadcaster which has owned the station since...
's digital subchannels. Initially, the two stations ran similar schedules, but by 2008, one would air sitcoms while the other aired dramas, and vice-versa.
On September 14, 2009, the two stations carved their own identities, as Me-TV began to run only off network sitcoms (such as The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....
, All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, The Three Stooges and Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
) and was positioned as the station for comedy while MeToo began running only off network drama shows (such as Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
, Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
) and became known as the choice for drama.
Milwaukee expansion
Weigel expanded Me-TV to the DT3 subchannel of their MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
station, WDJT, a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate, on March 1, 2008. The Milwaukee version of the station featured much of the same programming, with some different shows and time slots.
On April 21, 2008, Weigel moved the Me-TV programming to its own dedicated full-powered channel, the newly acquired WJJA in Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, changing the call letters to WBME-TV, and later launched the station's new digital transmitter on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park. Me-TV was still carried on channel 58.3 until November 1, 2008, with the launch of This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
on the same channel. The station also airs public affairs
Public affairs (broadcasting)
Public affairs, a broadcasting industry term, refers to television programs which focuses on matters of politics and public policy. Among commercial broadcasters, such programs are often only to satisfy Federal Communications Commission regulatory expectations and are not scheduled in prime time...
programming including Racine & Me, and because of their full power status, E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
programming such as WCIU's Green Screen Adventures
Green Screen Adventures
Green Screen Adventures is a children's television series which premiered in 2007. The series was originally produced for local broadcast on WCIU-TV in Chicago, which is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, and is designed to fit the FCC's educational and information programming...
and Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
.
National expansion
On November 22, 2010, Weigel announced that they would take the Me-TV concept national and compete fully with RTVRetro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
and Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, while complementing successful sister network This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
, which carries library product from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
and Cookie Jar Entertainment
Cookie Jar Entertainment
The Cookie Jar Group is an American and Canadian producer of children’s entertainment, consumer products and educational materials...
. The national Me-TV network launched on December 15, 2010. As with sister network This TV, MGM is handling the distribution of the network.
As part of the standardization with the new network, Chicago's local version of Me-TV merged with MeToo, airing both comedy and drama programming together as locally-programmed channel MeToo. The national Me-TV airs on WCIU subchannel 26.3 and WWME-CA, while the new MeToo moved to WCIU subchannel 26.4 and WMEU-CA.
WBME in Milwaukee carries the entire national feed of Me-TV on 49.1, though they will add their own locally-programmed MeToo subchannel in early 2011. Weigel-owned WBND-LP
WBND-LP
WBND-LP, channel 57, is the ABC-affiliated television station serving the South Bend, Indiana designated market area. The station is owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting. The station broadcasts a low-power digital signal on UHF channel 49, using its analog channel assignment of channel 57 as...
in South Bend began carrying the network on its subchannel 57.2 on December 15, 2010.
On January 7, 2011, KCTU-LD in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
became the first non-Weigel owned station to carry the Me-TV network. However, that station's affiliation with the network lasted only about one week and ended after KCTU-LD and Me-TV could not come to terms on a contract.
In early 2011, Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based communications company that owns radio and television stations in the United States...
became the first non-Weigel station group to sign selected stations to carry Me-TV on their digital subchannels, with the WCCB
WCCB
WCCB is the Fox affiliate television station in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station's headquarters are located just outside Uptown, off Independence Boulevard across from Bojangles' Coliseum at . It is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Bahakel Communications...
(Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
) and WOLO-TV
WOLO-TV
WOLO-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Midlands licensed to Columbia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on Rush Road in unincorporated Southwestern Kershaw County. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable...
(Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
) subchannels beginning transmissions in early March of that year. On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Me-TV had signed with 14 broadcasting companies, most notably Hearst Television, Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
, Cox Television, Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
, and Titan Broadcast Management to begin airing Me-TV; this brings the national Me-TV clearance mark to over 45%.
As of November 2011, Me-TV will have affiliation agreements in 108 television markets.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by Me-TV
- This TVThis TVThis TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
- Retro Television NetworkRetro Television NetworkThe Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
- Antenna TVAntenna TVAntenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...