Me tv fm

[Dr Wayne]

Robert Feeder posted on the expansion of 87.7.

Here is his post.

"The “timeless and memorable music” of 87.7 Me-TV FM is going national, Chicago-based owner Weigel Broadcasting announced Thursday.

Launched in 2015 on a low-power leased signal at WRME LP 87.7 and immediately embraced by a large and loyal audience of baby boomers, the station has signed with Cleveland-based Envision Networks to syndicate the soft rock/oldies format under the Me-TV FM brand in cities across the country.

The syndicated version will be programmed by Weigel Broadcasting from its studios at 26 North Halsted Street in Chicago.

Targeting an underserved audience of “hipsters, hippies, boomers and beyond,” Me-TV FM showcases such artists as Billy Joel, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, The Carpenters, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Simon and Garfunkel, Chicago, Hall and Oates, The Four Seasons, and The Eagles. Many of the songs on its 3,000-plus playlist haven’t been heard on the radio in decades.

The radio station is a spinoff of Weigel Broadcasting’s Me-TV (Memorable Entertainment Television), the digital classic television network covering 98 of the top 100 markets in the United States.


Neal Sabin
“Me-TV FM’s music format has broken many of the radio rules in terms of presentation, depth of playlist and mixing of genres,” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting and the creator of Me-TV among other networks for the company. “Using a challenging dial position in one of the most competitive radio markets in the country, we have proven the validity and viability of the format. We look forward to working with Envision to bring Me-TV FM to many more places.”

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Me-TV FM ranked 14th among all Chicago radio stations with a 2.7 percent share. Despite an inferior signal on a frequency some radios can’t even reach, it tied with CBS Radio classic hits WJMK FM 104.3 and Cumulus Media classic hits WLS FM 94.7. At its peak, Me-TV registered a cumulative weekly audience of 756,000 listeners in the Chicago area.

“Me-TV FM provides the best experience for radio stations to offer their listeners,” said Danno Wolkoff, president and CEO of Envision Networks, billed as the largest independently owned affiliate relations company in the country.

“The format supplies the broadest musical choice in the crowded variety music arena and most of all it is fun for the baby boomers. With promotional tie-ins to the Me-TV network or local affiliates in their markets, radio affiliates will be able to cross-promote and drive listeners directly to their station, as well as back to the TV affiliate, making this a ‘win-win.’”

Me-TV FM broadcasts over a low-power analog station on VHF TV channel 6. Under a local marketing agreement, Weigel Broadcasting leases the signal from Venture Technologies Group.

A model of efficiency, Me-TV FM operates with minimal overhead, forgoing on-air personalities and outsourcing news reports to Tribune Broadcasting news/talk WGN AM 720. Chicago radio veteran Rick O’Dell serves as program director, and production wizard Bill Cochran recently joined as radio image director."

 

[CTListener]

So what happens to the "flagship" of this hoped-for little chain when the FCC, inevitably, stitches shut the Franken-FM loophole?

 

[DavidEduardo]

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Me-TV FM ranked 14th among all Chicago radio stations with a 2.7 percent share.

What they fail to note is that the station hovers around 25th to 29th in 25-54 demos and is essentially a 55 and over format in a very transactional market where there is just about no agency money against 55+.

 

[KeithE4]

So what happens to the "flagship" of this hoped-for little chain when the FCC, inevitably, stitches shut the Franken-FM loophole?

Why not put it on a subchannel of WCIU-TV? Won't help in the car, but it'll have even better coverage at home, at least for those with antennas.

I don't know how many places it's being done, but here in Phoenix, our local PBS outlet, KAET, puts partially co-owned classical FM station KBAQ 89.5 on Channel 8.5. They use various slides (station promos and Arizona landscape photos for the most part) as the picture.

 

[WorldFamous]

Wife and I were in Chicago for our niece's college graduation last weekend. I'm 58. She's 54. Tuned by Me-TV FM on Sunday. Spent about twenty minutes trying to figure out names of the artists on a handful of songs we'd not heard and hadn't missed much in the past thirty years. Finally tuned out to K-Hits where we knew and enjoyed every song played. Me-TV FM would probably have a preset if we lived near one. Certainly not our first choice though.

 

[ThePowerCow]

Since this is technically a TV station, do they send video?

 

[RFCCRadioAudio]

Since this is technically a TV station, do they send video?

Yes. From what has been reported, it's slides of Chicago landmarks and occasional community calendar entries just like some of the CAN-TV cable channels in Chicago.

 

[Groove1670]

Yes. From what has been reported, it's slides of Chicago landmarks and occasional community calendar entries just like some of the CAN-TV cable channels in Chicago.

The other question is what do they do about the three hours a week of educational television programming that I think LPTV's still need to air as per the FCC?

I don't know if they have Class A status. I assume they do.

"Under the Commission's rules, commercial full-power television stations and Class A low-power television (LPTV) stations are required to air programming that is responsive to the educational and informational needs of children aged 16 and younger. Under the Commission's current license renewal guidelines, stations are generally required to air an average of at least three (3.0) hours of core children's programming per week during the calendar quarter.

In general, core children's television programming is defined as programming that is designed to meet the educational and informational needs of children aged 16 years or younger as one of its significant purposes, that is at least 30 minutes in length, that is identified throughout the program with the educational/informational (E/I) symbol, and that is aired weekly at a regularly scheduled time between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Furthermore, the programming must be identified at the time of airing and to program guide publishers as being “core programming” designed for a specific age range of children.

The three-hours-per-week core-programming guideline applies to both digital television (DTV) stations and analog stations (such as Class A low-power television stations that have not yet converted to digital). For DTV stations that choose to multicast other program streams in addition to the main digital program stream, the Commission's rules require an additional amount of core children’s programming in proportion to the amount of additional free programming offered on the multicast channels."

I guess they could play 3 hours of sing along songs.

 

[EricStein]

What they fail to note is that the station hovers around 25th to 29th in 25-54 demos and is essentially a 55 and over format in a very transactional market where there is just about no agency money against 55+.

If the format is "unsellable" (other than to casinos and Buick dealerships), what kind of station are they targeting? Most likely the small AM with an FM translator, since it's impossible to monetize HD2 without a translator (Buicks don't come with HD tuners).

 

[DavidEduardo]

If the format is "unsellable" (other than to casinos and Buick dealerships), what kind of station are they targeting? Most likely the small AM with an FM translator, since it's impossible to monetize HD2 without a translator (Buicks don't come with HD tuners).

The format is not "unsellable". But its sales prospects are limited to mostly local direct accounts. The smaller the market, the better the chance of doing well with this kind of format as the agency revenue in those markets is proportionally small.

 

[cyberdad]

The format is not "unsellable". But its sales prospects are limited to mostly local direct accounts. The smaller the market, the better the chance of doing well with this kind of format as the agency revenue in those markets is proportionally small.

Since I last posted about this a few weeks ago, I've been paying a little more attention to what business is booked on the station. There's still little, if anything, coming to them from what I would describe as major "mainstream" agency buys (McDonald's, Home Depot, Mastercard, or whatever household names), but they seem to be picking up more and more from banks, insurance companies, individual car dealers, travel, home security systems, identity theft protection, etc.).

Unscientific, to be sure, but my impression is there just may be enough "direct and local" out there with a few vertical agency buys sprinkled in for them to make a comfortable living. I certainly hope so. Having just one out of our dozens of available local terrestial signals viable and accessable (sort of) for those of us in the "undesirable demo" is a good thing.

 

[avtosalon]

Since this is technically a TV station, do they send video?

Yes. From what has been reported, it's slides of Chicago landmarks and occasional community calendar entries just like some of the CAN-TV cable channels in Chicago.

No, it isn't. The video is actually live traffic maps of the Chicago area. The traffic maps have appeared for several years during different formats on the station: Adult Contemporary Oldies (WRME-LP), Sports Talk (WGWG-LP), Alternative (WKQX-LP), and Smooth Jazz (WLFM-LP). Last time the TV station aired slides of Chicago landmarks was around 10 years ago when the station aired Alternative Country as WLFM-LP.

Why not put it on a subchannel of WCIU-TV? Won't help in the car, but it'll have even better coverage at home, at least for those with antennas.

Two reasons: 1) The video already appears over-the-air on Analog Channel 6. 2) I believe station ownership (Venture Technologies Group) has an agreement with Comcast to keep the channel OFF any over-the-air digital sub-channels. WRME-LP is carried on cable in the Chicago area on Comcast Channel 877, and Comcast logos are displayed on the video screen. Around the time when that cable carriage started, is when the TV station was no longer simulcast on a sub-channel of Venture Technologies co-owned digital Channel 61 WCHU-LD.

'MeTV FM' is basically a hobby radio station of Weigel Broadcasting presidnet Neil Sabin. The format is the sound of what HE thinks a radio station should sound like.

.

 

[KeithE4]

Why not put it on a subchannel of WCIU-TV? Won't help in the car, but it'll have even better coverage at home, at least for those with antennas.

Two reasons: 1) The video already appears over-the-air on Analog Channel 6.

Not for long. Those analog LPTVs are going away eventually. IIRC, they were supposed to be shut off a couple of years ago.

2) I believe station ownership (Venture Technologies Group) has an agreement with Comcast to keep the channel OFF any over-the-air digital sub-channels. WRME-LP is carried on cable in the Chicago area on Comcast Channel 877, and Comcast logos are displayed on the video screen. Around the time when that cable carriage started, is when the TV station was no longer simulcast on a sub-channel of Venture Technologies co-owned digital Channel 61 WCHU-LD.

But Weigel owns the programming, not Venture Technologies, Comcast, or anyone else. Once analog Channel 6 goes off the air (and it will), Weigel will be able to do with it whatever it pleases. Their old contracts will be null and void because WRME-LP will no longer exist.

 

[avtosalon]

Not for long. Those analog LPTVs are going away eventually. IIRC, they were supposed to be shut off a couple of years ago.

Eventually yes, but to an undetermined date. Several deadlines have been extended by the FCC, and my understanding is that there is no specific shutoff date anymore for low-power analog TV stations.

But Weigel owns the programming, not Venture Technologies, Comcast, or anyone else.

Actually Weigel owns the Audio portion only. The video portion is owned by Venture Technologies Group, therefore Venture controls the combination of Video and Audio. It was Venture that made the agreement with Comcast for exclusive carriage on Comcast Channel 877.

Wife and I were in Chicago for our niece's college graduation last weekend. I'm 58. She's 54. Tuned by Me-TV FM on Sunday. Spent about twenty minutes trying to figure out names of the artists on a handful of songs we'd not heard and hadn't missed much in the past thirty years. Finally tuned out to K-Hits where we knew and enjoyed every song played. Me-TV FM would probably have a preset if we lived near one. Certainly not our first choice though.

You are lucky that you were able to tune in and preset the station. I know that some newer cars do not tune below 88.1. The reason is that 87.9 and 87.7 originally were supposed to become obsolete for analog audio signals, but the FCC kept extending the deadline to the point today where there is no determined deadline. Radios from the same auto manufacturers previously tuned below 88.1, but now they don't.

.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Actually Weigel owns the Audio portion only. The video portion is owned by Venture Technologies Group, therefore Venture controls the combination of Video and Audio. It was Venture that made the agreement with Comcast for exclusive carriage on Comcast Channel 877.

There is no separate license for the audio portion of a TV station. WRME-LP is a TV station licenced to Venture Technologies Group, LLC, located on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angles. While they may have contracted with a third party for use of the channel, it is still the licensed property of Venture. Weigel can not "own" the audio portion.

 

[avtosalon]

There is no separate license for the audio portion of a TV station. WRME-LP is a TV station licenced to Venture Technologies Group, LLC, located on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angles. While they may have contracted with a third party for use of the channel, it is still the licensed property of Venture. Weigel can not "own" the audio portion.

I'm totally aware that Venture Technologies Group owns WRME-LP. I never said that there was a seperate license. I was refering to ownership / control of the programming of the audio content. Weigel pays a fee to Venture for the use. Furthermore, Weigel has nothing to do with video portion that is transmitted, which Venture handles.

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[DavidEduardo]

I was refering to ownership / control of the programming of the audio content. Weigel pays a fee to Venture for the use. Furthermore, Weigel has nothing to do with video portion that is transmitted, which Venture handles.

.

In other words, Wiegel has an LMA with Venture and they are allowed to place programming and ads on the station within the terms of the LMA agreement.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I think that this would be a good fit in areas where there are a lot of retirees, like Florida, Arizona, and Northern Michigan, and where formats like MOYL, Stardust, and similar formats did well. #1 55+ in Leelanau and Benzie Counties, but reviled by Traverse City Hipsters, right David? The Marina, Outdoors Retailers, and Restaurant spots would dominate.

 

[staggmovie]

woofboom

Next time you are in Chicago give them a chance, if you go to their website http://www.metvfm.com you can get the playlist for the last 5 songs that they have played, in less they don't list a song. And if you hear a song you like you can click the play more button and share it with your friends on Facebook if you have it, and followers on twitter if you have it. Or if you don't like a song you can click play less. I like K-Hits expect for they play a lot of Michael Jackson songs, and I am not a fan of him, so I tend to tune out if I hear them played.

 

[WorldFamous]

Interesting. One of the songs we heard MeTV-FM play last weekend was a Michael Jackson stiff.

No pun...oh, wait. That's kinda funny in a sick music industry terminology way. Why not? Pun intended.