Apparently, kids don't matter to Me-TV anymore........

Until recently, Me-TV had been running a 3 hour block each Saturday & Sunday morning to accomodate the FCC's E/I mandates. In recent weeks, though, at least in my market, that is not the case anymore.

Even though the cable guide---and Me-TV's website---shows programs like Green Screen Adventures airing at 8 am (ET) on those days, it's getting bumped aside all of a sudden. Over the last month or better, at least locally, reruns of Gomer Pyle, USMC have been filling the Green Screen slot on the schedule, at least on Sundays. Don't know about Saturdays. From what I can gather, there are now two separate feeds for affiliates to choose from between 8-11 am (ET), and in Albany, they've chosen to dump Green Screen, Edgemont, and others.

Me-TV's Summer schedule is now available on their website, and it shows the two separate feeds, with the alternate feed including Leave it to Beaver, which would replace Gomer on Sundays, effective June 1.

So why the changes? I'm guessing the E/I block isn't generating ratings, and that, of course, is always the bottom line. Effective May 31, the alternate feed on Saturdays will see the return of Westerns like Branded & The Guns of Will Sonnett, which have been off Me-TV for a while now. The Rebel would also gain an extra berth, at 10:30 (ET). Otherwise, there are few cosmetic changes to the summer schedule, which says to me that Me-TV isn't really trying too hard to diversify. The only children's programs left are HR Pufnstuf & Land of the Lost, which will no longer have a 2 hour block, and He-Man & the Masters of the Universe, which will return June 1, airing at 5 am (ET), as before.

The big acquisition for the summer seems to be The Mod Squad, which will replace Ironside at 11 am (ET) on weekdays, while Love Boat adds a morning berth (pardon the pun) at 10, cutting Perry Mason  down to one showing a day.

If anyone can enlighten me as to the network's thought process, other than what I've deduced, I'd appreciate it.