WRME-LD

WRME-LD
ATSC 3.0 station
Channels
Programming
Affiliations6.1: Jewelry Television
Ownership
Owner
  • Venture Technologies Group
  • (WLFM, LLC)
OperatorWeigel Broadcasting
WTVK, WCHU-LD, WCIU-TV, WWME-CD, WMEU-CD
History
First air date
May 16, 2003 (21 years ago) (2003-05-16)
Former call signs
  • W55DF (2003–2006)
  • WLFM-LP (2006–2012)
  • WKQX-LP (2012–2014; 2014)
  • WIQI-LP (2014)
  • WGWG-LP (2014–2015)
  • WRME-LP (2015–2021)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 55 (UHF, 2003–2007); 6 (VHF, 2007–2021)
Call sign meaning
Radio MeTV
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID128239
ClassLD
ERP3 kW
HAAT385.1 m (1,263 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°53′56.1″N 87°37′23.2″W / 41.898917°N 87.623111°W / 41.898917; -87.623111
Links
Public license information
Radio station information
Broadcast areaChicago metro area
Frequency87.7 MHz
Branding87.7 MeTVFM
Programming
Format
Technical information
ClassA
Repeater(s)99.1-2 WMYX-HD2 (Milwaukee)
Links
WebcastListen live (via Audacy)
Websitemetv.fm

WRME-LD (channel 33) is a low-power television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with Jewelry Television. The station's audio channel, transmitting at 87.75 MHz (or VHF channel 6), lies within the FM band; as a result, WRME-LD's audio channel operates as a radio station at 87.7 FM. Owned by Venture Technologies Group and operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Weigel Broadcasting, the station airs a soft adult contemporary/oldies format via the 87.75 MHz audio channel under the brand 87.7 MeTV FM, a brand extension of Weigel's MeTV television network. The WRME-LD studios are co-located with Weigel's headquarters in Chicago's Greektown neighborhood, while the transmitter resides atop the John Hancock Center.

Because of the station's low-power status, WRME-LD is not subject to the FCC's educational and informational programming requirements, allowing a full 24/7 format without interruption for other programming. In November 2019, the station (as WRME-LP) began airing news and weather updates from WBBM-TV (channel 2) during the morning and afternoon drive times.[2]

After the 2009 digital television transition for full-power stations, WRME-LP became one of several such "Franken-FM" stations that were actually analog TV stations on channel 6; the video signal aired unrelated material to the audio, including a loop of weather and traffic information. When low-power stations were required to transition to digital, Venture Technologies Group obtained special temporary authority to convert the station to ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV and also maintain an analog audio signal on 87.7 FM. The ATSC 3.0 channel occupies the lower 5.509 MHz of the 6 MHz channel.

Officially, the second HD Radio channel of Audacy-owned WMYX-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a repeater of WRME-LD's audio signal, and both stations identify together as "WRME-LD, Chicago and WMYX-FM-HD2, Milwaukee". The WMYX-HD2 signal also carried by the Audacy app, which is available throughout the United States and on its website.

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRME-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "News Bites: Charlamagne Tha God, Delilah, Elvis Duran, CBS News Radio". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.