24994J 5276 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Weigel Broadcasting, the parent company of classic television diginet MeTV, and several television stations across the midwest, will be taking the dive into radio for the first time in the operator's 50-year history. MeTV FM (WRME), heard on LP station 87.7 FM in Chicago will bring back the pop classics of the 50s and 60s, long-neglected or eliminated from other stations up the dial. The new format will effectively replace Tribune's ill-fated sports talker "The Game", which went off the air on New Year's Eve, and has since been simulcasting WGN-AM. Weigel will take control of the station on February 23rd, with MeTV FM debuting next month. There's no word on if they intend on expanding to other markets, but I have my doubts. http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/7170-87-7-metv-fm-new-oldies-station-to-launch-in-march http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/02/09/weigel-broadcasting-to-launch-oldies-on-87-7-metv-fm/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToriElectra 291 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 WCBS-AM for Chicago... this could work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 737 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Actually it seems very similar to some of the Soft AC stations I've heard down in Florida (WDUV and WJPT). Usually the format just works in markets where there's a large boomer population (there's a similar station in Phoenix as well). But it's slowly been expanding to other markets. Chicago would be a bold experiment to see how well the format would work in markets that don't have a large retiree population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Newsroom 1150 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 This really could work. And the name would be better if it's MeFM or MeFM 87.7 or 87.7 MeFM. The third to me is so much catchier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easttxtv 7 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 This really could work. And the name would be better if it's MeFM or MeFM 87.7 or 87.7 MeFM. The third to me is so much catchier. "MeFM"... that is kinda catchy. Weigel really should have gone with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 I wonder if having "MyFM" up the dial had any influence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.L. Hughes 751 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 "MeFM"... that is kinda catchy. Weigel really should have gone with that. One on hand I agree "MeFM" would make more sense as the brand, but on the same token, WGWG-LP, is a radio station that broadcasts using a low-power analog television frequency, so "MeTV FM" fits in a way... sorta, kinda. My question is will what becomes WRME's transmission method change, assuming the digital transition for LPTVs is still set to happen in September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleSeven 1944 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 One on hand I agree "MeFM" would make more sense as the brand, but on the same token, WGWG-LP, is a radio station that broadcasts using a low-power analog television frequency, so "MeTV FM" fits in a way... sorta, kinda. My question is will what becomes WRME's transmission method change, assuming the digital transition for LPTVs is still set to happen in September. The FCC has put the LPTV digital transition on hold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4167 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 It's a rather shrewd marketing move for Weigel. They can use it as a cross-promotional tool for MeTV in their flagship market. And it gives the license holder for channel 6 (Venture Technologies) something to air after Tribune's attempt at brand extension for WGN 720 (The Game) failed rather badly. Weigel has the resources to offset whatever losses MeTV FM will incur**, and make no mistake, this will be a money-loser right off the bat. Being on channel 6 notwithstanding (which has fairly and/or unfairly attached stigma), the format won't draw any audiences desirable to advertisers, because most advertisers focus on the 18-49 demo, and now seemingly ignore anyone over 54. And that was the basis of Weigel's press release: they will be playing artists left behind when AC stalwarts across the country "freshened up" the basic format. I wish Weigel the best. But you will not be seeing this format rolled out in other markets, and that's about it. **For those who doubt me on this, I have two words: Touch Vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2878 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 The FCC has put the LPTV digital transition on hold. And that means that there will be analog television in the US—but not in Mexico—come January 1, 2016 (if things stand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie56 3066 Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Bumping this because METV FM is going national. I liked what I heard when I listened to the station. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/05/25/boomer-friendly-tv-fm-roll-national-syndication/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago's Very Own 104 Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 Bumping this because METV FM is going national. I liked what I heard when I listened to the station. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/05/25/boomer-friendly-tv-fm-roll-national-syndication/ You can tell it's done on a very minimalist budget (there isn't even any on-air talent, which typically costs the most for a station), but it works, so I'm guessing they were actually able to turn a profit! And they play some pretty good music, too. You actually hear something different every day, unlike WLS-FM and K-Hits playing the same stuff seemingly every other day and getting repetitive (and those two also stick to the songs that were actually big hits that everyone has heard a million times, MeTV FM's music feels more less-known and kind of hipster-ish in a way). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie56 3066 Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 You can tell it's done on a very minimalist budget (there isn't even any on-air talent, which typically costs the most for a station), but it works, so I'm guessing they were actually able to turn a profit! And they play some pretty good music, too. You actually hear something different every day, unlike WLS-FM and K-Hits playing the same stuff seemingly every other day and getting repetitive (and those two also stick to the songs that were actually big hits that everyone has heard a million times, MeTV FM's music feels more less-known and kind of hipster-ish in a way). I agree. WRME has a wide variety of songs that aren't the same shit every day and they all sound good. I discover songs I never heard before that I end up liking. I kinda like the DJ-less format, as well. I listened to it more often than I did WLS-FM and K-Hits (the latter of which I rarely listen to anymore). I hope it comes to Dallas. KLUV is getting stale and KEOM can't be heard from where I live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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