WBME-CD

WBME-CD (channel 41) is a low-power, Class A television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, airing programming from the classic television network MeTV. It is owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting alongside CBS affiliate WDJT-TV (channel 58), independent station WMLW-TV (channel 49) and low-power Telemundo affiliate WYTU-LD (channel 63). The stations share studios in the Renaissance Center office complex on South 60th Street in West Allis; WBME-CD's transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.

Due to WBME-CD's low-power status, the broadcasting radius does not reach all of southeastern Wisconsin. Therefore, the station is simulcast in 16:9 widescreen standard definition on WDJT's second digital subchannel in order to reach the entire market. This relay signal can be seen on channel 58.2 from the same Lincoln Park transmitter facility.

The station that is currently WBME-CD had existed in one way or another since the early 1980s on low-power translator stations: first on UHF channel 55 as W55AS, then by 1989, moving to channel 65 as W65BT. The station has been owned by Weigel Broadcasting since it signed on the air. Until the late 1990s, the station would air the Stock Market Observer business news block, which was produced by Chicago sister station WCIU-TV, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; in fact, the station launched as a full translator of WCIU, receiving that station via a microwave link between WCIU's transmitter on the Sears Tower and a receiver dish atop the First Wisconsin/Firstar Center, and was Weigel's first successful attempt since trying to acquire the channel 49 license in Racine in 1965 to establish a station in Milwaukee. At night, the station ran a mix of home shopping programs, infomercials, religious shows, Spanish programming from Univision (before the launch of W46AR in 1990) and low-cost programming, including plenty of public domain and low-cost films. The station was watched by few because of insufficient cable carriage and better television choices in the Milwaukee market, along with Weigel trying to establish WDJT's presence in the market, especially after acquiring the market's CBS affiliation from WITI (channel 6) in December 1994. A harbinger of the station's future happened that month, when some of WDJT's syndicated programming that would have aired during CBS timeslots moved over to W65BT after the switch to fulfill existing contracts for those programs.

In 1999, Weigel obtained construction permits for new channel positions in the wake of having to move its Milwaukee low-power operations (which included then-Univision station W46AR (channel 46; now Telemundo affiliate WYTU-LD, channel 63) to accommodate WDJT's digital signal on channel 46, along with the inauguration of Weigel's new Lincoln Park transmitter for WDJT and the low-power stations, which united the company's transmitter operations into one facility. Towards the end of September 2000, the programming from channel 65 moved to the new channel 41 under the callsign W41CI, with the station's on-air brand becoming "TV-41".

In its first year, the station improved its programming, airing Weigel/Bridge Information Systems' WebFN financial news service during the day, and entertainment programs at night. The America One network aired during the overnight and morning hours (also to fulfill educational programming requirements), along with local news updates produced by WDJT that aired throughout the day. Then in mid-November 2001, channel 41 would acquire low-power status, allowing it to have a lettered call sign, which would end up being WMLW-LP (the WMLW call letters were previously used from 1982 to August 1989 by Watertown radio station WJJO (94.1 FM), with the calls standing for "mellow" as part of that station's then-soft rock format).

In 2002, the station began transitioning to become more of a true independent station, with the WebFN venture folding in the wake of the dot-com crash, freeing up the 7 a.m.–5 p.m. timeslot for other programming. Weigel acquired more syndicated programs for the station and found itself in a unique position as Milwaukee's only true independent television station.

Sinclair Broadcast Group–owned WVTV (channel 18) and WCGV-TV (channel 24) decided to focus more on their WB and UPN programming (which were later replaced by The CW and MyNetworkTV in September 2006) instead of running occasional sports coverage (which often preempted the network schedules, much to the annoyance of the local fanbases of each of the two network's shows); WCGV retained broadcast rights for the Milwaukee Bucks until the end of the 2006–07 season, and took themselves out of the race for local college and high school sports rights; there was also a lack of interest on the part of FSN North, which wanted to focus on teams with statewide interest, not just within the Milwaukee metro area. Therefore, Weigel decided to use channel 41 in order to take the rights for these sporting events and use the lure of the teams to gain carriage on local cable providers, knowing that it would be the only way to make channel 41 a viable player in Milwaukee broadcasting.

Time Warner Cable was strongly opposed to adding channel 41 to its Southeastern Wisconsin systems, arguing that the station was not a full-power signal and the sports were only a lure to add another unneeded station to their lineups. This came after must-carry rules pushed them to air religious station WWRS-TV (channel 52), and move Madison's PBS member station, WHA-TV, to digital cable to free up a basic channel. Weigel then encouraged viewers to call and write TWC and Charter Communications to add the station to their lineups in the wake of being the Milwaukee station that would air the WIAA high school basketball championships, using promotions on WDJT and in local newspapers to send the message.