MeTV FM
One year ago it was the laughingstock of Chicago radio, with ratings so small you needed a magnifying glass to see them. That’s when it was going nowhere as a sports/talk station known as The Game 87.7 FM.
Nobody’s laughing now. Rebranded in February by Weigel Broadcasting as soft rock/oldies Me-TV FM, WRME FM 87.7 is moving up fast. In Nielsen Audio ratings released Tuesday, the station more than tripled the audience share it had last June under Tribune Media.
For the period from May 21 to June 17, Me-TV FM ranked 25th overall with a 1.6 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 507,700. Among listeners between 35 and 64, it tied for 22nd with a 1.9 share, outdrawing ESPN’s sports/talk WMVP AM 1000, iHeartMedia’s new country WEBG FM 95.5, and Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS AM 890, among others.
Not bad for a low-power television signal masquerading as a radio station that can’t even be heard on many car radios.
It still has a long way to go before it’s even a challenger for the money demographic — listeners between 25 and 54 — but its rapid growth isn’t going unnoticed. In just the past month, Me-TV FM increased its overall share by an impressive 77 percent.
“Serving an adult audience with a wide variety of memorable and timeless music is working for ‘Me,’ ” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting and the creative force behind the new format. “The passionate engagement our listeners have demonstrated via emails, phone calls and encounters at sponsor venues is now evident in the currency of Nielsen Audio Ratings.”
Here are the top 40 radio stations in the Chicago area followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday, as measured by Nielsen Audio from May 21 to June 17:
1) WVAZ FM 102.7 6.5
2) WTMX FM 101.9 5.0
3) WBBM AM 780 4.6
4) WGN AM 720 4.3
5) WKSC FM 103.5 4.1
6) WJMK FM 104.3 4.0
7) WGCI FM 107.5 3.8
8) WLIT FM 93.9 3.6
9) WOJO FM 105.1 3.5
10) WBBM FM 96.3 3.3
11) WDRV FM 97.1 3.2
12) WKQX FM 101.1 3.1
13) WXRT FM 93.1 3.0
14) WLS FM 94.7 2.8
15) WUSN FM 99.5 2.7
16) WLUP FM 97.9 2.6
17) WSHE FM 100.3 2.3
18) (tie) WBEZ FM 91.5 2.1
18) (tie) WCFS FM 105.9 2.1
18) (tie) WPPN FM 106.7 2.1
18) (tie) WPWX FM 92.3 2.1
22) (tie) WEBG FM 95.5 1.9
22) (tie) WLEY FM 107.9 1.9
22) (tie) WSCR AM 670 1.9
25) WRME FM 87.7 1.6
26) (tie) WJKL FM 94.3 1.5
26) (tie) WMVP AM 1000 1.5
28) WFMT FM 98.7 1.3
29) (tie) WIIL FM 95.1 1.1
29) (tie) WLS AM 890 1.1
29) (tie) WVIV FM 93.5 1.1
32) (tie) WERV FM 95.9 0.9
32) (tie) WSRB FM 106.3 0.9
34) (tie) WGRB AM 1390 0.6
34) (tie) WIND AM 560 0.6
34) (tie) WMBI FM 90.1 0.6
34) (tie) WSSR FM 96.7 0.6
38) (tie) WCCQ FM 98.3 0.5
38) (tie) WCPT AM 820 0.5
38) (tie) WXLC FM 102.3 0.5
38) (tie) WXRD FM 103.9 0.5
Here are Chicago’s top 10 morning shows followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, as measured by Nielsen Audio in June (with previous month’s share in parentheses):
1) WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 (simulcast) Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 9.9 (10.9)
2) WTMX FM 101.9 Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 6.7 (6.5)
3) WVAZ FM 102.7 Steve Harvey 6.3 (6.6)
4) WGN AM 720 Steve Cochran 6.0 (4.8)
5) WOJO FM 105.1 Raul Molinar, Sylvia del Valle and Andres Maldonado 4.1 (4.1)
6) (tie) WDRV FM 97.1 Pete McMurray and Dan McNeil 3.6 (3.2)
6) (tie) WKSC FM 103.5 Christopher “Fred” Frederick and Angi Taylor 3.6 (3.7)
8) WLIT FM 93.9 Paul “Cubby” Bryant; Kristina Zsenyuk 3.5 (3.2)
9) WBEZ FM 91.5 NPR Morning Edition; Morning Shift with Tony Sarabia 3.2 (3.4)
10) WSCR AM 670 Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley 2.9 (2.6)
Here are Chicago’s top 10 afternoon shows followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, as measured by Nielsen Audio in June (with previous month’s share in parentheses):
1) WVAZ FM 102.7 Doug Banks 5.8 (6.0)
2) WTMX FM 101.9 Koz (Kevin Koske) 4.8 (4.4)
3) WKSC FM 103.5 Jordan (Ryan Gorman); Brady Broski 4.7 (4.6)
4) WGCI FM 107.5 DJ MoonDawg (Michael Muniz) 4.2 (3.6)
5) (tie) WBBM FM 96.3 Dougie Stylz and Justin Roman 3.9 (4.0)
5) (tie) WJMK FM 104.3 Gary Spears 3.9 (3.2)
7) (tie) WBBM AM 780 Kris Kridel and Keith Johnson; Cubs baseball 3.7 (4.1)
7) (tie) WLIT FM 93.9 Mick Lee 3.7 (3.6)
9) WKQX FM 101.1 Walter Flakus 3.4 (3.3)
10) (tie) WOJO FM 105.1 Oswaldo Diaz 3.1 (2.4)
10) (tie) WUSN FM 99.5 Shila Nathan 3.1 (3.5)