Music & Entertainment Television
An Austin, Texas independent music television channel that succeeded the Austin Music Network.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Music & Entertainment Television, also known as ME Television or ME TV, was an independent music television channel associated with Austin, Texas. The service developed from the Austin Music Network, a nonprofit channel that began broadcasting on April 1, 1994. ME Television was relaunched under that name in October 2005 after Austin Music Partners received a city contract to operate the service. The channel was owned by the Austin Music Commission, a municipal agency, while day-to-day operation was handled by Austin Music Partners. The channel's programming reflected the format of early music television and music-radio outlets. Its schedule commonly consisted of music videos, prerecorded live performances, music-related documentaries, and rebroadcasts of recordings associated with Austin City Limits. Short presenter segments were used to introduce or connect programming, and some presenters developed their own shows in a style influenced by public-access television. Viewers were encouraged to submit music requests by email, giving the channel a participatory local-media character. ME Television's editorial identity was closely tied to the breadth and diversity of the Central Texas music scene. Although it served multiple musical tastes, it placed particular emphasis on genres and communities that were less prominent on mainstream national music television, including indie, punk, blues, country, and jazz. This local and non-mainstream orientation distinguished it from heavily commercial national music-video networks and positioned it as a civic and cultural outlet for Austin's music ecosystem. The channel's predecessor initially operated without advertising. In 1998, the Austin City Council awarded a contract to Music Management Co. to revamp and run the network, after which advertising was introduced. According to reference accounts, that operating period did not produce the hoped-for growth in audience or advertising support, and programming and production quality declined. In 2004, the operating contract went to Austin Music Partners. The company relaunched the service as Music & Entertainment Television in October 2005, introducing new sets, programs, crew, and a more polished office on South Congress Avenue. The relaunch produced some improvement in presentation and programming, but the operator continued to face difficulty attracting viewers and advertisers. By August 2008, the channel was under severe financial pressure. ME Television laid off most of its employees and retained only a small crew to keep the station operating while it sought additional financial support. Plans to expand into San Antonio were discussed, but depended on securing investment. The available reference material does not establish the channel's later operating status, ownership changes, or whether the expansion occurred. Its documented significance rests primarily in its role as a locally oriented Austin music television outlet and as the successor to the Austin Music Network.
History
Music & Entertainment Television traces its roots to the Austin Music Network, a nonprofit independent music television channel launched in Austin on April 1, 1994. The predecessor was modeled in part on the early style of MTV and on music-radio programming. Rather than relying on a tightly formatted national schedule, it combined continuously played music videos and prerecorded live sessions with brief presenter segments. Presenters frequently developed their own programs, and viewers could send music requests to email addresses displayed on screen. This gave the station a hybrid identity combining music television, local cultural programming, and public-access production practices. The Austin Music Network documented the breadth of the Central Texas music community. Its schedule included music videos, live-performance recordings, documentaries about people and scenes in the region, and reruns of Austin City Limits recordings. The channel accommodated varied musical tastes but gave notable attention to independent and non-mainstream genres, including indie, punk, blues, country, and jazz. This emphasis reflected Austin's reputation as a live-music center and helped the station serve artists and audiences who were not always well represented by national commercial music television. At first, the network operated without commercials. In 1998, the Austin City Council awarded Music Management Co. a contract to revamp and run the service. Advertising was introduced during this period as an attempt to establish a more sustainable operating model. The available account states that Music Management did not succeed in materially increasing the audience or attracting sufficient advertisers. It also reports a decline in channel quality during that management period. A change in operating arrangements followed in 2004, when Austin Music Partners received the contract. The company relaunched the station in October 2005 under the name Music & Entertainment Television. The new identity was also shortened to ME Television and ME TV. The relaunch included new sets, new shows, a new crew, and improved office facilities on South Congress Avenue. These changes represented an effort to make the service more polished while retaining its local music orientation. The channel remained owned by the Austin Music Commission, a municipal agency, rather than becoming a conventional national commercial network. The relaunch did not resolve the channel's structural difficulties. Austin Music Partners continued to struggle to attract a sufficiently large audience and advertising base, and reference material describes another decline in channel quality. On August 22, 2008, ME Television laid off most of its employees. A small remaining staff continued operating the station while the company looked for new financial support. The operator also considered expansion into San Antonio, but that plan depended on the availability of investment. Reference material identifies ME Television's Austin distribution through Spectrum government-access television, including channel 15 and digital channel 577. It does not provide enough information to establish the service's later history, current programming, present ownership arrangements, or definitive closure date. Consequently, the channel's current status is recorded as unknown. Historically, its importance lies in maintaining a local television platform for Austin's music culture and in preserving a community-oriented alternative to mainstream music-video networks.
- 2008
Major staff reductions
[1]The channel dismisses most of its employees on August 22 while seeking financing and retaining a small operating crew.
- 2005
Relaunch as Music & Entertainment Television
[1]Austin Music Partners relaunches the service in October under the ME Television name, with refreshed production facilities and programming.
- 2004
Austin Music Partners takes over the operating contract
[1]The operating contract is awarded to Austin Music Partners.
- 1998
Commercial advertising is introduced
[1]Advertising is added after Music Management Co. receives an Austin City Council operating contract.
- 1994
Austin Music Network begins broadcasting
[1]The nonprofit predecessor to ME Television starts broadcasting in Austin on April 1, presenting music videos, live sessions, local documentaries, and presenter-led programs.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted, independent music television service focused on Austin's diverse music culture and on artists and genres that received less exposure from mainstream music networks.
Music television channel · 2005
ME Television / ME TV channel
The core offering was an Austin-based independent music television channel. Programming included music videos, prerecorded live performances, presenter-led segments, locally produced shows, music documentaries, and rebroadcasts of Austin City Limits recordings. The service emphasized Austin and Central Texas music while giving substantial attention to indie, punk, blues, country, jazz, and other non-mainstream genres.
Predecessor music television channel · 1994
Austin Music Network
The Austin Music Network was the nonprofit predecessor from which ME Television developed. It used a community-oriented format with continuously scheduled music videos and recorded performances, short host appearances, viewer email requests, local documentaries, and public-access-style presenter programs.
Brand decisions
2008
Cost reduction and search for financingStrategyBackground
ME Television faced serious financial pressure after continued difficulty building audience and advertising support.
Action taken
Most employees were laid off on August 22, leaving a small crew to continue operating while new financing sources were sought.
Aftermath
The channel discussed possible expansion to San Antonio, but the plan depended on obtaining investment. Later operating outcomes are not established in the available sources.
2005
Relaunch under the ME Television brandProduct launchBackground
After Austin Music Partners received the operating contract in 2004, the service required a refreshed identity and production operation.
Action taken
The Austin Music Network was relaunched in October 2005 as Music & Entertainment Television, with new sets, programs, staff, and office facilities.
Aftermath
The presentation and programming improved somewhat, but the channel continued to face difficulty attracting viewers and advertisers.
1998
Introduction of advertisingStrategyBackground
The predecessor network had initially operated without commercials. A new operating contract with Music Management Co. created an opportunity to pursue a more commercially supported model.
Action taken
Advertising was added to the channel's operation.
Aftermath
The available account says the operator did not generate significant audience or advertiser growth and that channel quality declined.
Recent events
- 2008
ME Television cuts most staff amid financial difficulties[1]
Other
On August 22, ME Television laid off most employees and retained a skeleton crew while seeking new sources of financing.
- 2005
Music & Entertainment Television relaunches[1]
Product launch
Austin Music Partners relaunched the Austin Music Network under the Music & Entertainment Television name in October, with new sets, shows, crew, and facilities.
- 2004
Austin Music Partners receives operating contract[1]
Leadership change · Other
Austin Music Partners was awarded the contract to operate the local music television service, setting the stage for its later relaunch as ME Television.
- 1998
Advertising introduced under Music Management Co. operating contract[1]
Other
After the Austin City Council awarded Music Management Co. a contract to revamp and operate the network, advertising was added to the previously commercial-free service.
- 1994
Austin Music Network begins broadcasting[1]
Other
The nonprofit Austin Music Network, the predecessor to Music & Entertainment Television, began broadcasting in Austin on April 1.
Sources1 sources
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