Over-the air broadcast TV just got a lot more fun in the Chicago market: "Me TV" - or - WWME-23, a low-power sister station to UPN indie Channel 26 hit the airwaves January 1st with a wall-to-wall lineup of 60's, 70's and 80's classic television programming (a lot like cable's TVLand, but without the cost of cable). Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder details:

With [programming director Neal] Sabin at the helm first as vice president and general manager of Channel 26 and, since 1997 as executive vice president of Weigel Broadcasting, the station has grown in ratings, revenue and respectability. On some days, in some time periods, it's even been known to lead the market. No less an authority than Joe Ahern, who's been president and general manager of both WBBM-Channel 2 and WLS-Channel 7, marvels at what Sabin has done with so little. "He's taken chicken s--- and made chicken salad out of it," an admiring Ahern says.

On Saturday -- 10 years to the day after he launched "The U" -- Sabin will serve up more chicken salad when Weigel's low-power WWME-Channel 23 premieres as "Me-TV" (for "Memorable Entertainment Television"). Boasting a full-time lineup of classic reruns, "Me-TV" will be available initially over the air on Channel 23 as well as on DirecTV, Comcast Digital Cable (in the city of Chicago only), RCN Cable and WOW Cable. Dish Network will begin carrying it later in 2005.

It may not be 'fresh,' but I'll take classic Boomer TV fare over Extreme Makeovers any day. With ingredients like All in The Family, Mary Tyler Moore, The Carol Burnett Show, The Jeffersons, The Addams Family, The Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Barney Miller - and even Underdog, MeTV is pretty tasty chicken s--- - ahem, salad. I wish both the "U" and "Me" best of luck in their new venture.

WCIU and WWME broadcast schedule (from TVtitan.com)

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