WWME-CA
Encyclopedia
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.
The low-powered station that is currently WWME-CA started as W23AT, a translator of WFBT. Until January 1, 2005, WFBT-CA was a brokered-time ethnic station. This was originally the format of sister station WCIU from 1964 until December 31, 1994.
The "Me-TV" moniker originated on then-WFBT-CA as a block of TV shows from 12:00PM–3:00PM. This consisted of shows like Jack Benny
, Sergeant Bilko
, Carol Burnett
, Maude
, and One Day at a Time
. The Me-TV branding was never used on WCIU. This block of programming underwent several changes adding and subtracting shows and expanding time periods.
On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened Chicago ethnic station as WWME-CA, and began carrying the Me-TV lineup 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. WWME also broadcasts Chicago Public Schools
Public League
events.
On March 11, 2008 WWME-CA signed on RF Channel 39 at 1.8kW becoming Chicago's first low-power digital station. From early 2009 to December 2010, its subchannel on the WCIU-DT signal also appeared as Virtual Channel 23.1, while WWME-CA was mapped to Virtual Channel 23.2.
On September 14, 2009, MeToo to aired many off-network dramatic programs (such as Perry Mason
, Star Trek
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
and The Twilight Zone
). The original Me-TV likewise switched to a sitcom-intensive format (running such shows as The Bernie Mac Show
, All in the Family
, The Three Stooges and Frasier
).
On December 1, 2010, WCIU dropped their FBT foreign broadcasting digital subchannel and for two weeks aired a simulcast of WCIU-TV on WCIU digital subchannel 26.6. The new digital subchannel, The U Too, was officially launched on January 5, 2011. The new digital network is airing on WCIU digital subchannel 26.2, replacing Me-TV, which moved to WCIU digital subchannel 26.3 on December 15, 2010. Digital subchannel 26.6 disappeared on that day while 26.2 aired a simulcast of WCIU-TV. In addition, PSIP channel 48.1 was discontinued (to be later used by the future WMEU-CA) while 23.1 reverted to being the virtual channel number for WWME-CA (23.2 was also discontinued). WWME added Bounce TV
, an upstart digital subchannel network aimed at African-Americans, on its September 2011 launch as part of affiliation agreement with Weigel Broadcasting.
of Weigel's flagship full-power station WCIU-TV
. From June 13 to July 12, 2009, WWME also carried WMAQ-TV
(Channel 5)'s morning and early evening newscasts, along with sports partner WGN-TV
(Channel 9)'s 9pm newscasts, excepting nights with sports coverage. Me-TV continues to air its regular schedule on WCIU-TV (virtual channel 26.3) and WWME-LD 39 (virtual channel 23.1).
On January 10, 2011, WWME-CA analog signal replaced its simulcast of WCIU's main channel in favor of simulcasting The U Too's programming from WCIU's digital channel 26.2.
and Antenna TV
, while complimenting its successful sister network This TV
.
With the national network, Chicago's local Me-TV merged with MeToo, and airs 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.
, Xena
, Miami Vice
, Quantum Leap and The Incredible Hulk. Some programs seen in that block were available to the station only in Spanish, due to restrictions imposed on the English-language originals. Sí! Me-TV also offered a Spanish public affairs program in the block, which began at a later date.
The "Sí" in "Sí! Me-TV" was the Spanish
word for "yes". However, the first two parts of the "Sí! Me-TV" moniker were based on the phrase "see me".
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
station in Chicago, Illinois. It is 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...
, which also owns sister stations 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...
and 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"...
. This station is the flagship of the Me-TV network. Me-TV is also broadcast on WCIU's digital subchannel 26.3.
Programming
| Channel | Video Display resolution The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection... |
Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.1 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | WWME-CA | Me-TV |
| 23.2 | Bounce | Bounce TV Bounce TV Bounce TV is a United States television network airing on digital terrestrial television stations. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created exclusively for African Americans," Bounce TV launched on September 26, 2011 and features programming geared toward blacks in... |
The low-powered station that is currently WWME-CA started as W23AT, a translator of WFBT. Until January 1, 2005, WFBT-CA was a brokered-time ethnic station. This was originally the format of sister station WCIU from 1964 until December 31, 1994.
The "Me-TV" moniker originated on then-WFBT-CA as a block of TV shows from 12:00PM–3:00PM. This consisted of shows like 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...
. The Me-TV branding was never used on WCIU. This block of programming underwent several changes adding and subtracting shows and expanding time periods.
On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened Chicago ethnic station as WWME-CA, and began carrying the Me-TV lineup 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. WWME also broadcasts Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
Public League
Chicago Public High School League
The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League , is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools...
events.
On March 11, 2008 WWME-CA signed on RF Channel 39 at 1.8kW becoming Chicago's first low-power digital station. From early 2009 to December 2010, its subchannel on the WCIU-DT signal also appeared as Virtual Channel 23.1, while WWME-CA was mapped to Virtual Channel 23.2.
On September 14, 2009, MeToo to aired many off-network dramatic programs (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...
). The original Me-TV likewise switched to a sitcom-intensive format (running such shows 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...
).
On December 1, 2010, WCIU dropped their FBT foreign broadcasting digital subchannel and for two weeks aired a simulcast of WCIU-TV on WCIU digital subchannel 26.6. The new digital subchannel, The U Too, was officially launched on January 5, 2011. The new digital network is airing on WCIU digital subchannel 26.2, replacing Me-TV, which moved to WCIU digital subchannel 26.3 on December 15, 2010. Digital subchannel 26.6 disappeared on that day while 26.2 aired a simulcast of WCIU-TV. In addition, PSIP channel 48.1 was discontinued (to be later used by the future WMEU-CA) while 23.1 reverted to being the virtual channel number for WWME-CA (23.2 was also discontinued). WWME added Bounce TV
Bounce TV
Bounce TV is a United States television network airing on digital terrestrial television stations. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created exclusively for African Americans," Bounce TV launched on September 26, 2011 and features programming geared toward blacks in...
, an upstart digital subchannel network aimed at African-Americans, on its September 2011 launch as part of affiliation agreement with Weigel Broadcasting.
Analog nightlight programming
To provide a full-schedule analog nightlight signal for the Chicago area, WWME's analog signal was converted on June 12, 2009 to carry a simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of Weigel's flagship full-power station 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...
. From June 13 to July 12, 2009, WWME also carried WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
(Channel 5)'s morning and early evening newscasts, along with sports partner WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
(Channel 9)'s 9pm newscasts, excepting nights with sports coverage. Me-TV continues to air its regular schedule on WCIU-TV (virtual channel 26.3) and WWME-LD 39 (virtual channel 23.1).
On January 10, 2011, WWME-CA analog signal replaced its simulcast of WCIU's main channel in favor of simulcasting The U Too's programming from WCIU's digital channel 26.2.
Me-TV Network
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 complimenting its 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....
.
With the national network, Chicago's local Me-TV merged with MeToo, and airs 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.
Sí! Me-TV
From Saturday, August 4, 2007 to Sunday, January 25, 2009, WWME expanded its classic television brand by introducing Sí! Me-TV, classic television in Spanish. Programming in that block featured Spanish-dubbed versions of American shows from the Universal library, such as HerculesHercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
, Xena
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
, Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, Quantum Leap and The Incredible Hulk. Some programs seen in that block were available to the station only in Spanish, due to restrictions imposed on the English-language originals. Sí! Me-TV also offered a Spanish public affairs program in the block, which began at a later date.
The "Sí" in "Sí! Me-TV" was the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word for "yes". However, the first two parts of the "Sí! Me-TV" moniker were based on the phrase "see me".