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MeTV (acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television) is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television programs from the 1930s through the 1990s.
Key Information
The concept began as a 1950s to 1980s programming block on Chicago's WFBT-CA in 2003, growing until becoming a national network in 2010. Since 2010, the network has spun off multiple sister networks: MeTV+, the action/adventure-oriented Heroes & Icons, the comedy-oriented Catchy Comedy, the film-centered Movies! (joint venture with Fox Television Stations), the drama-oriented Start TV (joint venture with CBS News and Stations), the history/documentary network Story Television, and the classic cartoon-centric MeTV Toons (in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, in 2025 the western-oriented WEST).
MeTV is carried on digital subchannels of affiliated television stations in 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 in high definition. The network is also available nationwide on Dish Network, DirecTV and DirecTV Stream, on the C band satellite via SES-1 in the DVB-S2 format where it was free-to-air until being encrypted in December 2024,[5] and in some markets on AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS and cable television through cable TV providers nationwide.[6] As of March 28, 2022,[update] MeTV is available on Frndly TV.[7] As of August 9, 2022,[update] MeTV is available on Philo.[8] As of June 26, 2025,[update] MeTV is available on FuboTV.[9] MeTV's operations are located in Weigel Broadcasting's corporate headquarters on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois.
History
[edit]Chicago beginnings
[edit]MeTV was originally developed as a programming block that launched on January 6, 2003, on Class A television station WFBT-CA (channel 23) in Chicago, Illinois, an independent station owned by Weigel that otherwise maintained a format featuring programming aimed at the market's 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 others The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, The Carol Burnett Show, One Day at a Time, and Hogan's Heroes; although the programs that aired as part of the lineup changed occasionally.[10]
On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened the Chicago low-power station as WWME-CA and 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 its sister station on UHF channel 48, which used the W48DD call letters prior to the format change.[11]
On August 4, 2007, WWME launched a weekend morning block that 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 the Universal Television library (including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, and The 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.[12]
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 two low-power stations also being broadcast locally on separate digital subchannels of Weigel's flagship station WCIU-TV (channel 26).[13][14] 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 as I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Bernie Mac Show, All in the Family, The Honeymooners, and Frasier),[15] while MeToo on WMEU began running only off-network drama series.[16]
Milwaukee expansion
[edit]On March 1, 2008, Weigel expanded the MeTV format to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it began airing on the third digital subchannel of the group's CBS affiliate in that market, WDJT-TV (channel 58).[17][18] 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) in Racine, a Jewelry Television-affiliated station that the group had recently purchased from Kinlow Broadcasting and had its call letters changed to WBME-TV on April 29.[19][20] 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 the West Allis studios of WDJT and sister stations WMLW-CA and WYTU-LP. MeTV continued to be carried on digital channel 58.3 until October 30, 2008, when it was replaced by newly launched sister network This TV on the same channel. The station also aired public affairs programming including Racine & Me, and because of its full-power status at the time of the move of MeTV programming to channel 49, programming compliant with FCC educational programming requirements such as Green Screen Adventures (a children's program produced for Weigel's Chicago flagship station WCIU-TV) and Saved 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 the Retro Television Network and the then yet-to-launch Antenna TV, while complementing successful then-sister network This TV, which carried library product from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (with a limited number of classic television series featured alongside its movie-dominated schedule) and – until Tribune Broadcasting took over Weigel's operational interest in This TV on November 1, 2013 – children's programming from the Canada-based Cookie Jar Entertainment (now WildBrain).[21] The national MeTV network launched in December 2010. As with This TV, MGM handled distribution of the network to prospective affiliate stations.[3]
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 its flagship station, and through its ownership by Weigel, an owned-and-operated station of the network); the new MeToo moved to WCIU subchannel 26.4 and remained on WMEU-CA.[22]
Low-powered WBME-CD in Milwaukee carries the national feed of MeTV in its entirety on digital channel 41.1; as a full-power station, prior to an August 2012 license swap that saw sister independent station WMLW move 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),[23] Weigel-owned ABC affiliate WBND-LD (channel 57) in South Bend began carrying MeTV on its 57.2 subchannel on December 15, 2010.
On April 1, 2013, Nielsen began to tabulate national viewership for MeTV, including the network in its prime time and total day ratings reports. In February 2016, the network began to transmit its master feed in 16:9 widescreen standard definition (which is also the preferred aspect ratio for 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 the 4:3 format 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 advertising letterboxed into 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 as Leave It to Beaver, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and The Monkees) and present its program promotions in the 16:9 format; most other programming to which MeTV has only obtained 4:3 prints are presented in an anamorphic 14:9 format. According to Nielsen, MeTV averaged 719,000 viewers in prime time for 2019, a 2% increase over 2018.[24]
Programming
[edit]MeTV's program schedule relies primarily on the extensive library of television programs that are currently owned by CBS Media Ventures, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal and 20th Television (the latter now part of Disney–ABC Domestic Television), along with select programs from other distributors. The only original programs on MeTV are Svengoolie, a hosted movie series that had been airing on WCIU since 1994, and cartoon-centered Toon 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;[25] the network's slate of programming is regularly altered at the start of its fall, winter and summer programming seasons, which respectively begin on Labor Day, New Year's Day and Memorial 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 a split-screen credit sequence or feature voice-overs promoting upcoming network programming during the closing credits (borrowing a format standard in local broadcast syndication). The network's continuity announcers are 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, the Sinclair 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 as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) 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 of The Doris Day Show on Christmas Eve as 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,[26] 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 of Svengoolie, a reality show called Collector's Call, in 2019, later with more original series in 2021, Toon In with Me and in 2022, Sventoonie.
Current lineup
[edit]The network's schedule is a mix of programming ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s.
Weekdays feature Toon In with Me (mornings), crime/legal dramas (late mornings), westerns (afternoons), sitcoms (evenings through prime time), a black and white noir block late nights and detective fiction/police procedural series in the early mornings.
On Saturday, there are blocks of cartoons (mornings), westerns (afternoons), The Three Stooges (early evenings), Svengoolie (prime time), and sci-fi/superhero programs late evenings through the overnight hours.
Early Sunday mornings, MeTV airs a three-hour block of classic episodes of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom to fulfill FCC mandated E/I obligations,[27] with the rest of the day dedicated to sitcoms.
Movies
[edit]Despite access to program content from the Universal Television, CBS Media Ventures and 20th Century Fox libraries, movies have a relatively limited presence on MeTV's weekly schedule. The network airs the Rich Koz-hosted horror and sci-fi film showcase Svengoolie, 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 showcased made-for-television films from the 1970s to the 1990s. Until September 2013, the network also aired Laurel and Hardy movies and shorts Sunday mornings.
MeTV's weekly showing of Columbo on 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 several NBC Mystery Movie series (including Columbo) 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 aired Perry Mason TV movies from the 1980s/90s on Sunday nights until the program left the schedule in early February.
Seasonal
[edit]- 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.
Morning programming blocks
[edit]Former
[edit]In order to comply with educational programming requirements mandated by the Federal Communications Commission's Children's Television Act on behalf of the network's affiliates, MeTV carried an hour-long block of Green Screen Adventures (Weigel's Chicago-based program originally meant for local viewing) on Saturday mornings and a two-hour block of the teen sitcom Saved 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 the TNBC block 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 only Green Screen Adventures and Saved by the Bell to 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 including The Little Rascals and three additional hours of westerns. Starting on October 2, MeTV’s educational/informational block on Sunday mornings was overhauled with the addition of Beakman’s World and Bill Nye the Science Guy, the latter acquired from Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. Saved by the Bell also continued to air on the station on Sunday mornings up to June 29, 2025.
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-originated anime programming), that was handled by New York-based Classic Media[28] (which, along with NBCUniversal, Nelvana and Scholastic Entertainment, previously co-owned the now-defunct digital multicast network Qubo in conjunction with Ion Media Networks, later acquired by The E. W. Scripps Company in 2021). The three-hour block premiered on April 7, 2012, to compete with The CW's Toonzai and This TV's Cookie Jar Toons/This Is for Kids. The block featured animated series such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power, along with Gumby and Mr. Magoo animated shorts;[29][30] the block officially ended on October 6, 2012, rendering Vortexx (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 the cult classic Sid & Marty Krofft productions H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost during 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".[31]
Current
[edit]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 of Saturday Morning Cartoons.[32] Its companion network, MeTV Plus, previously aired a three-hour block of classic cartoons Sunday nights under the branding of Sunday Night Cartoons, as well as Toon In With Me weeknights, until MeTV Toons was launched.
Affiliates
[edit]As of November 2017[update], 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 a tape-delayed basis.[33][34] 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 affiliate KFMB-TV's second subchannel, to ABC affiliate KGTV's second subchannel upon KFMB's launch of a subchannel for The CW to replace XETV-TDT's affiliation.
Like former sister network This 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 the logo bug displayed during the network's programming (these descriptors are also used in the customized station identifications shown at the top of each hour between programs or during commercial breaks, which differ from the silent lower third in-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 as WPXI in Pittsburgh) or in order to fit in with the network's "retro" format, a logo formerly used by the station (such as WHIO-TV in Dayton). Others display their callsign and city 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,[35] 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 with WLKY-TV in Louisville and WBAL-TV in Baltimore); this has become particularly more common since September 2015, when other Hearst Television-owned stations in markets where the group does not maintain a duopoly (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 and WCVB-TV in Boston) use the affiliated subchannel as a buffer during network sports coverage, breaking news or severe weather coverage situations to carry regularly scheduled network and/or syndicated programming seen on its main channel.[35]
Some affiliates may also preempt select MeTV programs to air infomercials (such as with WZME in Bridgeport, Connecticut pre-2021, which pre-empted much of the network's morning and late night schedule with paid programming), locally acquired syndicated programming (such as with WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., which aired events from the American 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 as WTOV-TV in Wheeling, WV-Steubenville, OH which has pre-empted the schedule for Wheeling Nailers ECHL hockey 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 with The 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-off Mayberry R.F.D.).[35] To address these variances, MeTV includes the fine print notation "On most MeTV stations" at the end of its program promotions regardless 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 is delayed or postponed due to inclement weather as well as during the Christmas season to provide supplementary holiday-themed programming.
Two of MeTV's subchannel-only affiliates – WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee (which primarily affiliates its 7.3 subchannel with CBS)[36][37] and WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas (which primarily affiliates its 13.2 subchannel with MyNetworkTV)[38] – 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-TV in Springville, New York (which serves the Buffalo market), operates as an independent station carrying 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's WAHU-CD2 and Paducah, Kentucky's WQWQ-LD at the start of 2019 and 2020, ending their runs as MeTV affiliates carrying MyNetworkTV and CW programming under secondary affiliation agreements.
On January 7, 2011, KCTU-LD in Wichita, Kansas became the first television station not owned by Weigel to carry the MeTV network.[39] 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.[40] Afterwards, on September 7, 2012, another Wichita station (KAKE) became the Wichita MeTV affiliate, and is still around to this date.[41] In early 2011, Bahakel Communications became the first non-Weigel station group to sign selected stations to carry MeTV on their digital subchannels, with its stations in Charlotte, North Carolina (WCCB) and Columbia, 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 notably Hearst Television, Hubbard Broadcasting, Graham Media Group, Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television, Cox Media Group, and Tegna Inc.[42] Also of note, in December 2013, the network moved its Dallas-Fort Worth affiliation to a newly created subchannel of independent station KTXA (replacing Greenville-based KTXD-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[43]). On August 31, 2022, 12 affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and 4 affiliates owned by the E. W. Scripps Company dropped their affiliation with MeTV.[44]
Related services
[edit]MeToo (WMEU-CD/WCIU-DT2)
[edit]MeToo was a companion programming format, which launched on March 1, 2008, on WMEU-CA in Chicago as an extension of 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.[13][14] 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-network dramatic programs (such as Perry Mason, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Rockford Files and The Twilight Zone) and films.[16]
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 network Heroes & Icons.[45]
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 network Movies! on May 27, 2013, which took the 49.3 channel slot that had been proposed to carry the Milwaukee MeToo service.[3] After Movies! moved to a newly created second digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WISN-TV (channel 12) in August 2014, WMLW-DT3 became a charter affiliate of Heroes & Icons.
MeTV FM
[edit]Through a local marketing agreement with owner Venture Technologies Group, Weigel operates WRME-LD (channel 6) in Chicago as a co-branded radio station, known as "MeTV FM", which maintains an oldies format 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 from Cumulus Media to Tribune Broadcasting – which had operated it as a sports talk station – in February 2014, before switching to an FM simulcast of sister station 720 WGN in December of that year).[46][47][48][49][50]
WRME-LD is licensed as a low-power television station, but operates as a radio station due to a technical anomaly with the analog VHF channel 6 frequency for television transmissions that allows the audio feed of such stations to be heard on 87.75 MHz on the FM band (with a visual station identification slide 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, now Sun Broadcast Group, to syndicate the MeTV FM brand and format as a radio 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 competitors WJMK and WLS-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.[51][52] In April 2018, Northern States Broadcasting, which just acquired purchased WHHQ AM in Bridgeport, Michigan (serving the Saginaw-Bay City-Midland radio market), affiliated with MeTV FM at its relaunch as WJMK, using the call sign vacated by one of MeTV FM's Chicago competitors, which had changed its call sign to WBMX.[53]
Affiliates
[edit]- WRME-LD 87.7, Chicago, Illinois
- WJMK (AM) 1250 AM, Bridgeport, Michigan (market of Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City, Michigan); April 2018
- WMYX-FM HD2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; August 2018[54]
- WXZO 96.7 FM, Willsboro, New York (market of Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York); January 11, 2019[55]
- WGTO 910 AM, Cassopolis, Michigan; July 2020
- WMEX (AM) 1510 AM, Quincy/Boston, Massachusetts; 2020
- WMEE HD4, Fort Wayne, Indiana; November 2021
- WTUG-FM HD3, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; February 2022
- KVOL 1330 AM/97.7 FM, Lafayette, Louisiana; March 2022
- KMEE 103.1, Palm Springs, California; March 2023
- KGGM 93.9, Monroe, Louisiana; July 2023
- WOCO-FM 107.1 Oconto Wisconsin; 2023
MeTV+
[edit]
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 on WCIU-TV 26.5 Chicago, Illinois and KMOH-TV 6.3 Kingman, Arizona, later spreading to other Weigel stations.[56][57] In September 2021, MeTV Plus expanded their carriage beyond the two stations.[58] Frndly TV and Philo TV added MeTV Plus to their lineups in October 2023.[59] FuboTV added MeTV Plus to its lineup in June 2025.[60]
Programming blocks
[edit]MeTV+ arranges the bulk of its lineup in organized genre-based programming blocks, most of which use the "Me" moniker (in some cases, as an intentional pun) for brand unification purposes.
- Current MeTV+ blocks[61]
- Weekday dramas - Consists of TV drama programs such as Police Woman, Hardcastle and McCormick, T.J. Hooker, The Mod Squad, and The Streets of San Francisco.
- Comedy Classics – Introduced on May 17, 2021, as the weeknight block of comedy shorts featuring The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Our Gang.
- Saturday daytime sitcoms - This block features shows that currently air on the original MeTV as well as others that don't such as Love, American Style, The Flying Nun, and Bridget Loves Bernie.
- Sunday dramas - The weekly block features shows such as Family, Twin Peaks, and Honey West.
- Former MeTV+ blocks
- 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.
- Sunday Night Cartoons – Introduced on May 16, 2021, as the branding for MeTV+'s weekly three-hour cartoon block on Sundays, complementing Toon in with Me on weekdays. This block was dropped after the launch of MeTV Toons in June 2024.
- Western series - Aired Monday - Saturday evenings and all day Sunday, featured shows such as Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, and Guns of Paradise. All Westerns were removed from the MeTV+ schedule on August 18, 2025, with the upcoming launch of WEST.[62]
Affiliates
[edit]Partial list of MeTV Plus affiliates.[63] [needs update]
- Streaming service Frndly TV
- Streaming service FuboTV
- Streaming service Philo
- WMEU-CD 48.4, Chicago, Illinois; March 2022
- KMOH-TV 6.3, Kingman, Arizona; May 2021
- KCSG 8.5, Cedar City, Utah; September 2021
- WCWW-LD 25.4, South Bend, Indiana; September 2021
- KFFV 44.5, Seattle, Washington; September 2021
- KVOS-TV 12.6, Bellingham, Washington; September 2021
- KHTV-CD 6.1, Los Angeles, California; September 2021
- KTLN-TV 68.4, Palo Alto/San Francisco, California; September 2021
- WZME 43.2, Bridgeport, Connecticut/New York; March 2022
- WJFB 44.6, Lebanon/Nashville, Tennessee; September 2021[64]
- KYAZ 51.2, Katy/Houston, Texas; September 2021
- WHCT-LD 35.6, Hartford, Connecticut; October 2021
- WJLP 33.8, Middletown, New Jersey/New York; March 2022
- WDME-CD 48.4, Washington, D.C.; May 2022
- WYTU-LD 63.3, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; June 2024
- KAZD 55.4, Lake Dallas/Dallas, Texas; November 2021
- KNLC 24.7, St. Louis, Missouri; February 2022
- KEJR-LD 40.1, Phoenix, Arizona; January 2023
- KREG-TV 3.6, Glenwood Springs/Denver, Colorado; March 2022
- WMEI 31.4, Green Bay/Shawano, Wisconsin; June 2024[65]
MeTV Toons
[edit]On May 2, 2024, Weigel announced that it would be partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch MeTV Toons, a 24/7 free-to-air television network dedicated to broadcasting classic animation programming, on June 25, 2024.
References
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External links
[edit]History
Launch in Chicago
MeTV originated as a programming block launched by Weigel Broadcasting on January 6, 2003, airing on low-power station WFBT-CA (channel 23, now WWME-CD) in Chicago. The block featured reruns of classic television series from the 1950s through the 1970s, including staples like The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, aimed at leveraging unused digital subchannel bandwidth amid the early rollout of digital television broadcasting.[14][15] Neal Sabin, Weigel's vice president of programming at the time, curated the initial content, emphasizing a low-cost, nostalgia-focused model that relied on affordable rerun rights to appeal to older demographics seeking familiar entertainment. Over the following years, Sabin invested significant resources—reportedly "tens of millions" of dollars—in negotiating deals to amass a robust library of classic shows, enabling the block's growth.[16] By January 1, 2005, the format had proven viable enough for Weigel to rebrand the station as WWME-CA and adopt MeTV as its full-time programming schedule, marking a shift from a limited block to round-the-clock operations. This expansion capitalized on the station's digital capabilities to deliver continuous classic TV content.[15] Early performance in the Chicago market validated the approach, with Nielsen sweeps data from November 2008 indicating MeTV's household ratings tied or surpassed those of established cable channels such as Animal Planet, Bravo, CNBC, and E! in overall viewership, underscoring its local appeal and efficiency as a subchannel offering.[17]Expansion in Weigel markets
Following its successful launch in Chicago, Weigel Broadcasting expanded the MeTV format to its Milwaukee market in 2008, debuting it on the third digital subchannel (58.3) of CBS affiliate WDJT-TV on March 1. The service adapted the Chicago prototype by offering a lineup of classic television series, movies, and shorts targeted at older demographics, while incorporating local adjustments such as simulcasting on additional Weigel-owned stations in the market to broaden over-the-air availability. For instance, on April 21, Weigel replaced home shopping content on full-power WJJA-TV (channel 49) with MeTV, marking its fourth subchannel offering in Milwaukee alongside WDJT, WMLW-CA, and WYTU-LP.[18][1] The rollout continued across other Weigel-owned stations in the Midwest by 2009, with programming tailored for regional tastes, such as emphasizing popular genres like Westerns in areas with strong local interest. This pre-national phase focused on Weigel's portfolio, including markets like South Bend, Indiana, where preparations aligned with the company's station holdings before broader syndication.[6][15] Technically, these expansions leveraged digital multicasting under ATSC standards, enabling multiple programming streams on a single 6 MHz channel without incurring costs for new spectrum licenses. This subchannel strategy allowed Weigel to repurpose unused digital capacity from its primary affiliates, facilitating low-cost deployment in existing markets post the FCC's 2009 full-power digital transition.[19] Key milestones included securing partnerships for syndicated content, such as shorts from classic libraries, to enrich the schedule and achieve significant penetration in Weigel markets by late 2009. However, early challenges arose from cable operators' reluctance to carry subchannels, often prioritizing main signals amid bandwidth constraints; these were largely resolved through FCC must-carry rules effective after the June 12, 2009, DTV transition, which mandated carriage of digital multicast streams upon broadcaster election.[20][21]National syndication
MeTV officially launched as a national syndication network on December 15, 2010, expanding beyond Weigel Broadcasting's owned-and-operated stations to non-Weigel affiliates, with initial distribution handled by MGM Television. The network debuted with clearances in approximately 20 markets, marking the transition from a local Chicago format to a syndicated service targeting classic television enthusiasts across the country.[22] In the following year, Weigel secured affiliation agreements with multiple broadcasting groups, significantly accelerating growth; by fall 2011, MeTV had achieved clearances in over 60% of U.S. television markets through both subchannel and primary channel placements. Key expansions included deals with 14 major station groups such as Hearst Television, Hubbard Broadcasting, and Raycom Media on April 4, 2011, further solidifying its footprint in urban areas. These partnerships exemplified MeTV's strategy of leveraging digital subchannels on existing local stations to minimize costs while maximizing reach.[23] The network's expansion continued steadily, reaching 95% of U.S. television households by 2020 with over 200 affiliates, driven by ongoing syndication efforts in mid-sized and smaller markets. Recent developments in 2024 and 2025 have included new affiliations in underserved regions, such as Hawaii, where MeTV now airs on stations like KITV 4.2 in Honolulu, enhancing national penetration to over 96% coverage with more than 177 affiliates as of late 2025. This growth reflects Weigel's focus on syndication as a low-barrier entry for affiliates seeking cost-effective programming to fill subchannel capacity.[1][24] Strategically, MeTV reinforced its identity by prominently branding itself as "Memorable Entertainment Television," emphasizing nostalgic content to differentiate from competitors. The network introduced on-air hosts like Svengoolie in April 2011 to foster viewer loyalty and engagement through personality-driven presentation. Ownership remained under Weigel Broadcasting's control, distributed by MGM Television since the national launch, providing access to its extensive classic film and television library while ensuring a steady supply of syndicated content.[25]Programming
Core lineup
MeTV's core lineup centers on a consistent rotation of classic sitcoms and dramas from the mid-20th century, forming the backbone of its primetime and weekend programming. As of November 2025, flagship series air in fixed evening slots on weekdays, with MASH* airing back-to-back episodes at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by The Andy Griffith Show at 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET.[26][7] On Sundays, MASH* shifts to 7:00 p.m. ET, maintaining its prominence as a viewer favorite drawn from CBS's library of 251 episodes.[27] These slots highlight MeTV's emphasis on wholesome, character-driven narratives from the 1960s and 1970s, such as the small-town antics in The Andy Griffith Show, which boasts 249 episodes across its run.[28] Weekend programming reinforces this focus with dedicated blocks for Westerns and horror-comedy. Saturdays feature Gunsmoke as a staple, airing episodes in the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET to showcase its 635-episode catalog from CBS, often paired with action-oriented dramas.[29] The night culminates in Svengoolie at 8:00 p.m. ET, a long-running hosted horror series that has been a Saturday fixture since MeTV's early days, presenting classic B-movies with comedic commentary.[30] Cartoons round out the mornings via Toon In with Me, but primarily on weekdays at 7:00 a.m. ET, featuring restored shorts from Warner Bros. libraries like Looney Tunes.[31] The lineup has remained largely stable since 2015, with minimal rotations to preserve viewer loyalty to its core of 1960s-1980s sitcoms and dramas, including acquisitions from CBS, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery that provide exclusive broadcast rights to vast episode libraries—such as 234 episodes of Leave It to Beaver in weekday mornings. This consistency stems from strategic content deals emphasizing high-volume, repeatable programming without frequent overhauls. In late 2024 and 2025, updates included the addition of Everybody Loves Raymond to weekday evenings at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET starting October 13, 2025, expanding the sitcom rotation alongside established hits like The Carol Burnett Show.[32][25][26]Movies and specials
MeTV's movie programming centers on its signature Saturday night slot, where classic sci-fi and horror films are presented under the hosting of Svengoolie. Since April 2011, Rich Koz has portrayed the character nationally on the network, reviving a Chicago-area tradition that dates back to the late 1970s.[30] Each episode features a curated B-movie or cult classic, such as "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) or "The Valley of Gwangi" (1969), aired typically at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the host interrupting the film for comedic skits, puns on titles and plot points, trivia about the production, and props like a rubber chicken for emphasis.[33] This format blends nostalgia with lighthearted parody, drawing from a library of licensed titles spanning Universal, Hammer Films, and other studios known for genre fare. The network supplements its regular movie slots with occasional specials and themed events that highlight cinematic gems outside the core series lineup. For instance, Svengoolie episodes in November 2025 included double features, allowing viewers to experience multiple films in one night, such as pairings of horror classics to build retrospective tributes to monsters and mad scientists.[33] These events often tie into broader network initiatives, like expanded summer scheduling under the "Summer of MeTV" banner, which incorporates additional film airings alongside series to appeal to fans of classic cinema.[34] MeTV's film selections stem from 2010s licensing deals that secured rights to over 500 public domain and proprietary B-movies, enabling a diverse rotation of titles focused on entertainment value rather than high-budget spectacles.[30] Western films appear sporadically in MeTV's weekend programming, complementing the network's emphasis on genre storytelling, with examples drawn from iconic libraries featuring stars like John Wayne in titles such as Republic Pictures classics. These movies air on Sundays as part of a thematic block, providing a counterpoint to the Saturday horrors and reinforcing MeTV's commitment to vintage Hollywood output. Special marathons, including New Year's countdowns and holiday retrospectives, occasionally spotlight film compilations, with 2025 additions emphasizing horror-themed tributes to boost seasonal engagement. Movie-driven blocks, led by Svengoolie, account for a notable portion of the network's primetime audience.[35]Seasonal programming
MeTV incorporates seasonal programming through themed blocks and marathons that highlight holiday-specific episodes and films from its existing library of classic television, typically spanning 1 to 2 weeks per season without introducing new content acquisitions. These events integrate seamlessly with the network's core lineup, emphasizing nostalgic themes to engage viewers during key times of the year.[7] For the winter holidays, MeTV airs "A Very Merry MeTV," a festive programming block that begins on November 23, 2025, and continues through Christmas Day, featuring over 100 Thanksgiving- and Christmas-themed episodes from series such as The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, and Perry Mason. The event dedicates November 23 to 28 to Thanksgiving specials, followed by holiday-focused content in December, including heartwarming family episodes that evoke seasonal cheer.[36][37] Halloween programming centers on spooky content via "Svengoolie's Halloween BOO-Nanza," a month-long October event in 2025 that presents double features of classic horror movies each Saturday night, hosted by the network's signature horror presenter Svengoolie, alongside eerie episodes from sitcoms and dramas to build anticipation for the holiday. This block runs throughout October, culminating in All Hallows' Eve with intensified fright-themed selections from the library.[38][39] In summer, MeTV launches "The Summer of Me," an annual schedule adjustment from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, which extends blocks of lighthearted and adventure-oriented programming, such as additional Western episodes from Gunsmoke and beach-themed installments from Hawaii Five-0 to capture vacation vibes. This seasonal shift includes themed Sundays, like vacation escapades, airing for several hours to promote relaxed viewing.[40][41] Other thematic events include "Back to School with MeTV," a late-summer marathon in August 2025 dedicated to educational classics, featuring episodes about classrooms, teachers, and school life from shows like The Brady Bunch and Happy Days, typically spanning a full day on Sundays to mark the transition to the school year. For patriotic themes, particularly in non-election years like 2025, MeTV occasionally rotates episodes highlighting American values from series such as The Waltons during Independence Day weekends, lasting 1-2 days.[42] To boost viewer engagement, MeTV complements these blocks with on-air promotions, online quizzes, and contests tied to the themes—such as holiday recipe shares or costume ideas—encouraging interaction via the network's website and social channels while maintaining the focus on its classic content.[43]Morning blocks
Prior to 2020, MeTV's morning programming featured limited short-form content, including early bird cartoons and comedy shorts such as The Little Rascals, often aired on Sunday mornings as part of local or syndicated filler before transitioning to more structured live-action fare like westerns to meet E/I requirements. These elements were phased out nationally in favor of expanded classic TV series, reflecting the network's focus on evening syndication during its early years.[44] In early 2021, MeTV established a hosted morning format with the launch of Toon In with Me, airing weekdays from 7:00 a.m. ET, featuring classics like Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and Popeye shorts. This initiative marked a deliberate shift to family-oriented programming, designed to recapture the nostalgia of traditional morning broadcasts while introducing timeless animated content to younger viewers alongside their parents. The block includes adventure series such as Jonny Quest and Speed Racer, blending animation with light family sitcoms like Leave It to Beaver to fill weekday mornings, while weekends remain focused on series repeats without a national animated block.[45][46][47] By 2024, following the June 25 launch of sister network MeTV Toons—a 24/7 dedicated animation channel—the morning block on MeTV underwent adjustments to prioritize more animated programming, such as extended Bugs Bunny and Friends segments and Popeye and Pals, serving as a promotional lead-in to the new service while maintaining the family-friendly ethos. This evolution aimed at building long-term viewer loyalty through shared generational viewing, even as morning slots typically draw lower ratings compared to primetime. MeTV provides syndicated feeds calibrated for Eastern and Pacific time zones, allowing affiliates to insert local adjustments for seamless delivery across markets.[48][49][50][51]Distribution
Affiliates
MeTV is distributed through a network of over 177 owned-and-operated and affiliate stations across the United States, reaching more than 96% of television households as of 2025.[1] The network primarily occupies digital subchannels of local broadcasters, with affiliation agreements typically structured as multi-year contracts for subchannel space, often including provisions for promotional support and revenue sharing from advertising. These agreements emphasize reliable carriage in exchange for MeTV's established programming appeal, contributing to the network's broad national footprint without significant disruptions in recent years. Weigel Broadcasting, MeTV's parent company, operates several owned-and-operated (O&O) stations that serve as flagship outlets with priority carriage in key markets. These include WWME-CD in Chicago, Illinois (channel 23.1), where MeTV originated; KAZA-TV in Los Angeles, California (channel 54.1); WBME-CD in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (channel 41.1); and WBND-LP in South Bend, Indiana (channel 57.2), among others. Weigel's O&Os ensure direct control over signal quality and local integration, often pairing MeTV with complementary Weigel networks on additional subchannels.[52] Among major broadcast groups, Gray Television maintains a substantial affiliation portfolio with MeTV, carrying the network on subchannels in numerous markets following acquisitions and renewals, such as in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG-TV 9.2), and Portland, Maine (WMTW 8.2). These affiliations expanded notably in 2021 when Gray assumed MeTV carriage from Quincy Media in markets including Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Madison, Wisconsin.[53] Sinclair Broadcast Group previously affiliated over a dozen stations with MeTV, including WGN-TV in Chicago (channel 9.2) until August 2022, when the group dropped the network from those outlets to reallocate subchannel capacity.[54]| Designated Market Area (DMA) | Lead Affiliate Station | Channel | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | WJLP | 33.1 | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Los Angeles | KAZA-TV | 54.1 | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Chicago | WCIU-TV | 26.3 | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | KAZD-TV | 55.2 | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Philadelphia | WDPN-TV | 2.1 | Maranatha Broadcasting Company |
