Providence’s WJAR Dropping MeTV Network, Adding Charge! TV

The beloved MeTV television network is being dropped from its Providence-New Bedford carrier, meaning as of next month, SouthCoast viewers will no longer be able to see its reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, The Honeymooners, MASH, Matlock, Svengoolie and other classic television favorites.

WJAR has confirmed to WBSM that as of September 1, MeTV will no longer air on the WJAR virtual 10.2 channel, which on the SouthCoast is broadcast over Channel 290 on Comcast, Channel 460 on Verizon FiOS, Channel 810 on Cox Cable, and Channel 247 on DISH.

In its place, WJAR will carry Charge! TV, described as “Where the Action Is.” Charge! TV runs programs such as CHiPS, Hunter, The Commish, Knight Rider, Magnum P.I., CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, in addition to various action movies.

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Although no official word has been given as to the reason for the switch, internet message boards have speculated it is because Sinclair Broadcasting, owner of WJAR, likely would prefer to have Sinclair-owned Charge! TV on its “subchannels” as opposed to the Weigel Broadcasting-owned MeTV.

Many of the programs seen on MeTV have also been surfacing on streaming platforms, including the subscription-free services such as Tubi, Pluto TV (see below), and Amazon’s Freevee service. In addition to being standalone apps, all three are also available through devices such as the Comcast Xfinity digital box.

Boston’s WCVB 5, which is owned by Hearst Television, is also a MeTV affiliate. No word on any changes to that signal or if another Providence station is looking to pick up MeTV, but considering it is consistently one of the highest-rated subchannels, it’s likely someone will pick it up. We have reached out to Weigel Broadcasting for more information and will update this story if more becomes available.