MeTV's national clearance hits 45 percent

Charlotte's WCCB added MeTV last month.

Now nearly half of the country will hear the word "Berwyn". 

Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting Co. and MGM announced today its MeTV digital subchannel network has now cleared 45 percent of U.S. households after three and a half months on the air. 

Station groups who have cleared MeTV on their digital subchannels include Bahakel Communications, Bonan Media Group, Capitol Broadcasting, Cox, Gray Television, Hearst Television, London Broadcasting, Media General, Newport Television, Quincy Newspapers, Raycom Media, and more.

Bahakel's Charlotte station (WCCB) already carries MeTV, and just today, Cox's Pittsburgh station (WPXI) announced it was replacing rival RTV with MeTV on its 11.2 subchannel. WPXI's main channel is an NBC affiliate.

MeTV airs mainly classic programming from the 1950's through the 1980's with licensing deals from CBS Television Distribution and Twentieth Television libraries, plus other independent producers and studios. Programming includes The Big Valley, Cannon, Cheers, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke, The Honeymooners, M*A*S*H*, Marshal Dillion (syndication title for half-hour Gunsmoke episodes), The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Perry Mason, The Untouchables (1959-63 series) and The Twilight Zone (1959-64 series).

The announcement comes as MeTV last weekend launched Svengoolie on a national basis with the horror-movie host (played by Rich Koz) serving up horror flicks (and yes, that also describes movies that are just plain bad) Saturday nights at 9 p.m. CT. Svengoolie was a weekend staple on WFLD-TV in the 1970's and 1980's, with Jerry G. Bishop originating in the role, with Koz taking over in 1979 (as "Son of Svengoolie".) A running gag on the show is the frequent use of the word "Berwyn", which is a western suburb of Chicago boarded by Cicero, Oak Park, Forest Park, and Stickney (Berwyn was also home to the now-demolished "car spindle", seen in the movie Wayne's World.)

MeTV, which launched on the old WFBT-CA locally in 2005, was launched in Milwaukee in 2008 and later in South Bend. MeTV officially went national on December 15, 2010.

MGM (now fresh out of bankruptcy) partnered with Weigel to launch This TV in November 2008.