Chicago Radio: Rick O'Dell Named PD At MeTV FM

Rick O'Dell

Radio veteran Rick O’Dell has been named program director of Weigel Broadcasting’s WRME-LP 87.7FM, the soft rock/oldies station branded as Me-TV FM, reports Chicago Media write Robert Feder.

O'Dell programmed the frequency periouvsly, when it was Chicago’s Smooth 87.7 FM.

“It’s great to have someone of Rick O’Dell’s caliber on board, and we’re excited to have him at Me-TV FM,” Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, said in a statement Wednesday. “Rick’s career in Chicago radio elevates what we’ve already started, and I’m confident we’ll see more good things to come with him on our team.”

O’Dell, 56, replaces Mark Zander, who resigned to join Hubbard Radio classic hits WDRV97.1 FM as weekend and fill-in personality.

O'Dell launched the SmoothJazzChicago.net Internet radio station in November 2012. With no Smooth Jazz or Smooth AC found anywhere on the Chicago radio landscape at that time, O'Dell's website has become a haven for fans of this genre, according to Chicago Radio&Media.

87.7 MeTV FM made its debut in late February of this year. WRME-LP is run as a radio station, but is technically an analog television station, seen on OTA channel 6, and whose audio channel can be heard on many (but not all) radios at 87.7 FM. The station is owned by Venture Technologies and leased by Weigel Broadcasting.

While it rose quickly in the ratings after its launch -- no easy task considering the station before it had ratings just barely above zero and Weigel Broadcasting had initially not put much effort into publicizing the station -- in recent months the station has seemingly hit a plateau after four months of rising numbers. In the all ages Nielsen Audio ratings, WRME-LP had a 1.8 share for the July and August ratings, slipping down to a 1.6 share in the most recent September ratings. The station had an estimated audience cume of 577,400 for that month.