TV Talk: MeTV turns 10, adds original programs

Break out the birthday candles: Digital subchannel MeTV, the over-the-air equivalent of cable’s TV Land in its heyday, turns 10 on Dec. 15.

Digital subchannels came online after the 2009 conversion from analog to digital TV signals, offering local stations the opportunity to broadcast not just one channel but multiple streams of programming.

Among commercial diginets, MeTV is one of the most established brands, airing reruns of “Bonanza,” “Perry Mason” and “M*A*S*H.” MeTV is also the highest-rated digital subchannel.

In Pittsburgh, where MeTV is available over the air on WPXI’s Channel 11.2 and on cable (Comcast Ch. 190/207/1169, Verizon’s FiOS TV Ch. 465, Armstrong Ch. 92 and DISH Network Ch. 247), the channel attracted a 25% larger audience of adults 25-54 in total day ratings in the third quarter than it did nationally, perhaps unsurprising given how Western Pennsylvania’s older demographics pair well with the network’s lineup of “Memorable Entertainment” shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Currently in the midst of its “A Very Merry MeTV” Christmas programming stunt, 5-8 p.m. Sundays, MeTV brings out holiday-themed episodes of decades past including this weekend’s lineup of “The Odd Couple” (5 p.m.), Mama’s Family” (5:30 p.m.) and the 1988 made-for-TV movie “A Very Brady Christmas” (6 p.m.). (Christmas Day MeTV offers “Holiday Greetings from The Ed Sullivan Show,” a Bob Newhart-hosted retrospective, at 10 a.m.)

Neal Sabin, vice chairman of MeTV parent company Weigel Broadcasting, said moving forward MeTV will likely add more recent shows to help the network skew younger, but he said it has to be the right show. (“The Cosby Show” is a series the network would have considered adding, Sabin said, if not for Bill Cosby’s indecent assault convictions that sullied the sitcom’s legacy.)

MeTV has broadcast-exclusive rights to most of its programs, but many of its shows are also available on CBS-owned, ad-supported free streamer PlutoTV, including “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

“Some people who are super-duper ‘Laverne & Shirley’ fans may go through the science project of watching it on their phone,” Sabin said, noting he’s not overly worried about losing Boomers to PlutoTV.

But the overall competition for eyeballs across all content platforms is one reason MeTV has tip-toed into original programming with “Collector’s Call,” which features profiles of collectors of vintage pop culture ephemera. (A new episode about a collector of Christmas movie props airs at 10 p.m. Dec. 13.)

Coming in January, MeTV adds the original weekday morning series “Toon in With Me” (tentatively set to launch at 7 a.m. Jan. 4), reminiscent of classic kids’ morning shows with a host who introduces classic “Looney Tunes” and “Merry Melodies” theatrical animated shorts (Bugs Bunny, Tom Jerry, Roadrunner and Coyote). It’s intended to be “Laugh-In” meet’s “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” meets “Captain Kangaroo.”

“It’s created for Boomers who grew up watching hosts and co-hosts with puppets or shows with clowns who showed cartoons,” Sabin said. “It’s an all-family morning show but the characters and the way it’s written is for adults.”

Each one-hour episode, hosted by Chicago actor/radio host Bill Leff (“Major League”), will have just 10 minutes of original content to start – comedy sketches, special guests — because MeTV viewers tend to initially bristle at anything new and then they come around (this was the trajectory of the response to “Collector’s Call,” Sabin said).

On Jan. 2 MeTV debuts “Saturday Morning Cartoons,” a three-hour cartoon block, beginning at 7 a.m., featuring cartoon shorts starring Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn and more.

Project Bundle-Up launches

The 35th annual “WTAE-TV Project Bundle-Up Telethon” benefitting area children and senior citizens in need of winter outerwear will take place Friday 5 a.m.-8 p.m. during breaks in Channel 4 newscasts and regular programming. (There will be no culminating telecast at 7 p.m. as in years past due to covid-19.)

The long-standing partnership between WTAE and the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania has raised more than $15.5 million and helped more than 290,000 children and seniors. Donations can be made at 1-855-660-ARMY or via WTAE.com throughout the day.

Sebak special

WQED-TV producer Rick Sebak’s latest pledge special, “A Ho Ho Ho Healthy Holidays Hodgepodge,” featuring clips from vintage WQED holiday specials along with new recipes and Christmas tunes, premieres at 12 p.m. Sunday on Channel 13.

Kept/canceled

Amazon ordered a sixth and final season of “The Expanse” ahead of its Dec. 16 fifth season premiere while the service canceled “Utopia” after one season.

Pop TV/CBS canceled the former Netflix sitcom reboot of “One Day at a Time.”

Channel surfing

For viewers who missed the finale of filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Manhunt: Deadly Games” when it was pre-empted for political news coverage on CBS, the whole series will be available on Netflix on Monday. … According to Variety, filmed-in-Pittsburgh rom-com “Happiest Season” broke premiere records for Hulu over the Thanksgiving holiday, garnering the most viewers of any Hulu original film in its opening weekend and attracting more new subscribers than any previous original film. … Pittsburgh native Billy Porter, who will direct his first feature film with the coming of age drama “What If?,” will be among the Broadway stars making an appearance on the Tina Fey-hosted “One Night Only: The Best of Broadway” (8 p.m. Dec. 10, NBC), featuring performances from the casts of “Chicago,” “Rent,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “Diana: The Musical.” … NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” closes out 2020 with three shows, including host Jason Bateman with musical guest Morgan Wallen this weekend, Timothee Chalamet with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Dec. 12 and Kristen Wiig with Dua Lipa on Dec. 19. … HBO’s “Euphoria” will air two special episodes this winter in advance of season two with the first scheduled for 9 p.m. Sunday. … Hulu will raise rates on its live TV streaming offering from $55 to $65 beginning Dec. 18. … Comcast will raise prices 3.2% in January with the company citing rising programming costs for broadcast TV (up to a $4.50 per month increase per customer) and sports (a $2 hike in the regional sports network fee) as the culprit. … The 2013 NBC crime drama “Crossing Lines” re-airs its first season on Ovation beginning at 7 p.m. Monday with the U.S. premiere of season two coming at 7 p.m. Jan. 11 (a third season will make its U.S. TV debut in February).