What is MeTV?
You may come to this project asking what exactly is MeTV. Originally a block on an independent Chicago station, MeTV is a national broadcast network created and managed by Weigel Broadcasting that is typically found on digital subchannels in most markets. The channel focuses on classic television programs from the golden age of the medium from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (though a few shows from the 1990s and early 2000s have appeared on MeTV).
MeTV airs a variety of shows, including crime shows, dramas, westerns, sitcoms, variety shows, cartoons, and horror/genre movies.
MeTV has one of the best lineups and selection of classic shows on television today. Over 50 shows every week and a reliable, comfortable environment. Tons of black-and-white shows, westerns, and sci-fi trailblazers. It's also the only nationally broadcast network that still has animation on every day of the week, including a great non-E/I three-hour block of cartoons on Saturday mornings. I wouldn't change a thing on the schedule.
Well, maybe put something other than an hour of Hogan's Heroes and an extra hour of M*A*S*H every weeknight, but I digress.
It's presentation and continuity, however, has been a bit stagnant and could use a bit of a shakeup.
And that's what I'm going to do, starting with the MeTV logo
This is MeTV. Memorable Entertainment Television.
The colors and style emulate the 2003 logo in spirit yet modernizes it. There is an emphasis on the TV, which reflects today's wider and more modern sets as well as it still acknowledges the power of the television medium. The "me" is more personal and cozier than the current Me. The channel is about, well, "me."
MeTV is co-branded with its market and its channel position. On-air and online, you usually see the market prominently displayed. For instance, the MeTV affiliate in my part of the world in Southeastern Virginia is marketed as MeTV Hampton Roads.
This logo revision includes the logo, the market, and the channel position in a clear design.
Here are examples of the translucent bug on-screen with a 4:3 screen on a 16:9 display (featuring Bugs Bunny) and a 16:9 display (featuring Svengoolie).
Yes, using a "bug" on Bugs and Sven was intentional on my part. Ain't I a stinker?
Anyway, now I want to talk about the network continuity.
MeTV has been pretty much using the same continuity presentation. It's solid to a point, but there are a few qualms I have about them.
The time is prominent here as is the daypart. You can see the shows start times and the fact that they're on "Today" or "Tonight." You also see a character from the series on the continuity card.
What you can't see so prominently or legibly are the show's name and a disclaimer. Yeah, you'll see that The Flintstones and Gunsmoke are about to come on, but you barely see the show's name, which is in a small typeface.
Also, you can barely see the "On Most MeTV Stations" disclaimer on the Flintstones card. It's there because on some MeTV affiliates, they don't air all of the shows on the lineup. It's more legible on the Gunsmoke card but still barely legible.
I made a few adjustments to the continuity cards:
I tweaked up the look of the continuity cards. The biggest change is the time banner.
MeTV has a bicoastal feed. East Coast and West Coast feeds start at the same time on both coasts. If a show starts at 7 AM in the EST, it'll air at 7 AM in the PST.
The Central time remains intact mostly because it's an hour behind the East and prominent because, well, MeTV was launched in Chicago in the Central Time Zone.
The show's name and daypart are more prominent as well and not in a tiny typeface.
The screen on the right could feature characters from the show coming up or, in an ad, clips from a show. It echoes the wider screen on the new logo. Beneath it are the words "On Most MeTV Affiliates" above the dividing line and right above the corner logo.
There are three dayparts I'm focusing on in the continuity: Daytime, Primetime, and Overnight. Each one has a unique gradient over the four main hues currently used on the network: Blue, Red, Yellow, and Purple.
MeTV could also make this vital change in its continuity.
Instead of just saying "TODAY/TONIGHT on MeTV," they could also show and say what's coming on next in sequence. NEXT, THEN, and LATER markers in addition to the time banner would be an easier transition.
Primetime's gradient shifts from a bold color to black. As the sun sets, settle in for the night and enjoy iconic shows and memorable entertainment every evening.
As the night grows later, the continuity also gets darker in shade, reflective of the slightly darker shows that air in the late-night slots like Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, The Fugitive, Mannix, Cannon, and others.
The Saturday Morning Cartoons block uses bright the brightest versions of the MeTV colors. The MeTV blue is the color that connects the weekly block with the daily Toon In With Me block. When you're showcasing one of the best collections of cartoons on the planet every day, you have to pop out and go bold.
Speaking of cartoons...
...there is a very strong rumor that Weigel is planning to expand the Me-TV brand into a new all-animation channel , MeTV Toons, in the near future with a large volume of titles from Warner Bros Animation, not unlike the deal Me-TV current has with the studio for The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Toon In with Me, and its Saturday Morning Cartoons block.
While I'm not one to address such rumors or even if it'll launch officially, I couldn't resist creating a teaser image for the channel. featuring Bugs Bunny, a character who has almost seamlessly become part of Me-TV cavalcade of stars for nearly half a decade.
I might come back to MeTV TOONS one day.
Maybe.
Here are a few more continuity card examples:
Is there a lot more that could have been done? Probably. I don't want to reinvent the whole channel from the ground up. I think MeTV is a fine channel. It just needs a bit of a visual shakeup.
Nothing major, mind you, just something to give it new life and show the country why MeTV is the best classic TV channel in the nation.
Call 'em classics,
Call 'em the best.
Call 'em favorites,
Be our guest.
Every day,
There's more to come.
Watch and see
There's only one... MeTV.
Memorable Entertainment Television.
