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AMC (TV channel)

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AMC
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersNew York, New York, USA
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerAMC Networks

AMC is an American cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however, since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming.[1][2] AMC is owned by AMC Networks and signed on October 1, 1984. AMC's most successful original series include Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead.

History

1980s

AMC was originally a premium cable channel that aired classic movies during the afternoons and early evenings, largely pre-1950s, in a commercial-free, generally unedited, uncut, and uncolorized format;[3] the channel was originally a joint venture between Rainbow Media and Tele-Communications, Inc. It was not uncommon for the channel to host a Marx Brothers marathon, or show classics such as the original Phantom of the Opera. In 1987, the channel first became available on basic cable television systems.[3][4] By 1989, the channel had 39 million subscribers in the United States.[4]

1990s

On December 1, 1990, AMC began broadcasting 24 hours a day. Beginning in 1993, AMC presented an annual Film Preservation Festival to raise awareness of and funding for film preservation. Coordinated with The Film Foundation, an industry group founded by Martin Scorsese, the festival as originally conceived was a multi-day marathon presenting rare and previously lost films, many for the first time on television, along with behind-the-scenes reports on the technical and monetary issues faced by those engaged in archival restoration. Portions of the festival were often dedicated to all-day single artist marathons. During its fifth anniversary year, Scorsese credited the Festival for creating "not only a greater awareness, but (...) more of an expectation now to see restored films."[5] In 1996, curator of the Museum of Modern Art Mary Lee Bandy called the Festival "the most important public event in support of film preservation."[6] By its tenth anniversary, the Festival had raised $2 million from the general public, which The Film Foundation divided among its five member archives.[7]

In 1993, Cablevision bought out Liberty Media's 50% stake in AMC, making Cablevision's Rainbow Media division the majority owner of the channel; incidentally in August of that year, Liberty announced its intent to purchase Cablevision's then-25% stake in the channel, with the Turner Broadcasting System helping to finance the buyout with the option for TBS to eventually buy AMC outright.[8][9] The following year, Time Warner (who would later purchase rival Turner Classic Movies following the company's 1996 acquisition of Turner Entertainment) also attempted to acquire at least part of Liberty Media's stake in AMC.[10]

In June 1995, AMC filed a $250 million breach of contract lawsuit against Turner Entertainment, which alleged that Turner violated AMC's exclusive cable television rights to the RKO Pictures film library approximately 30 times between July 1994 and April 1995. charging that Turner's objective in violating the contract was "to gain unfair advantage for the Turner Classic Movies cable network (which debuted in April 1994) at the expense of AMC."; Turner owns rights to the RKO film library and licensed RKO's films to AMC in an output deal that was slated to last through 2004. Under the terms of the deal, AMC would obtain the RKO titles in exclusive windows.[11]

From 1996 to 1998, AMC aired its first original series, Remember WENN, a half-hour show about a radio station during the peak of radio's influence in the 1930s. Around this time, GE/NBC owned a stake in AMC (which it divested in the early 2000s). The show was well received by both critics and its enthusiastic fans, but was abruptly cancelled after its fourth season when a change of management took over (WENN's replacement was The Lot, and lasted for only 16 episodes). Despite a well publicized write-in campaign to save the series, the show was not renewed for its originally scheduled fifth season.

File:AMC Logo 1999.png
AMC logo shown from 1997 to 2002.

In 1997, AMC started Monsterfest, a week long marathon of scary movies that airs in late October. The final edition of this popular week long theme was aired in 2007, ending without fanfare or mention from AMC until Fall 2008 with the announcement of the new Fearfest. AMC's website has started a Monsterfest blog,[12] chronicling the latest horror news in movies and on television. In addition, late at night every Friday AMC presents Fear Friday, a horror movie double feature. One popular AMC program was American Pop! (originally intended as a preview of a new 24 hour cable channel),[13] which ran from 1998 to 2002 and featured 50s and 60s movies aimed at baby boomers, such as Beach Blanket Bingo and Ski Party. Of particular interest to movie completists were the segments AMC played to fill out the time slot (Saturday nights from 10pm to midnight): classic movie trailers, drive-in movie ads and snipes (bits extolling viewers to visit the snack bar, etc.), plus music videos cribbed from musical movies from the period.

The majority of films presented on AMC during the 1990s had originally been released by Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios. There were occasional showings of silent film classics. The regular hosts of the telecasts were Bob Dorian and, later, Nick Clooney, as well as New York radio personality Gene Klavan from WNEW (1130 AM, now WBBR). Another WNEW-AM alum, Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins, provided his voice for the interstitials "Jazzbo's Swingin' Soundies."

2000s

Format change

For most of its first 18 years, AMC provided uncut and uncolored films without commercial interruption. Its revenue came from the cable providers that offered the channel to subscribers. However, AMC then gradually began to put ads between, and then also within, movies.[14] This began in 1998 when AMC began incorporating limited commercial interruptions between films, while its sister movie channel Romance Classics became an entirely ad-supported channel.[15]

On September 30, 2002, AMC changed its format from a classic movie channel to a more general movie channel, airing movies from all eras, including colorized movies; with the majority of classic movies from the 1950s, '60s, '70s and even from the 1980s airing in late nights, mornings, and early afternoons.[16] Kate McEnroe, then president of AMC Networks, cited lack of cable-operator subsidies as the reason for the addition of advertising, and cited ad agencies who insist on programming relevant to their products' consumers as the reason for the shift to recent movies instead of just classics.[17]

At the time of the format switchover, the company also attempted a spin-off digital cable channel, AMC's Hollywood Classics, which would have required viewers to pay extra to receive the channel. This commercial-free digital cable channel would have aired the black-and-white classics of the '30s, '40s, and '50s that American Movie Classics had been airing up until its format changeover, but the new channel did not come to fruition.[17][18]

On the AMC site, the channel claims to air fewer commercials per hour than most other basic cable channels.[19] As it is now an advertiser-supported channel, the network television version of a movie is aired whenever possible.[20][21] In 2004, AMC aired its first reality show, titled FilmFakers. In this show out-of-work actors were auditioned believing they were getting their big break with a major part in a real movie, and then after a week told it was a prank and there was no movie. A New York Times article on the show said, "FilmFakers may go down as one of the meanest reality series yet."[22]

From 2002 to 2007 AMC has been showing classic films and documentaries about film history such as Backstory and Movies that Shook the World. In 2007, AMC debuted Mad Men—a period piece about Madison Avenue advertising executives in the 1960s. The show was immediately lauded by critics,[23] and has won 15 Emmy awards. The establishment of Mad Men, followed by that of Breaking Bad in 2008, has given AMC a reputation on par with premium cable networks HBO and Showtime, both of which rejected Mad Men before it came to AMC.[23]

Expansion of the new AMC

On September 1, 2006, AMC officially became available in Canada for customers of Shaw Communications (both the cable service and the Shaw Direct satellite system), marking the first time the channel was made available outside of the United States. Other cable companies, including Rogers Cable and Telus, have followed by adding AMC to their lineup as well.

On September 26, 2008, AMC announced the arrival of their latest October horror-themed movie marathon called "Fearfest" (replacing the popular Monsterfest). Coinciding with this was the "Monsterfest" blog now being called the "Horror Hacker" blog. In May 2009, AMC unveiled a new slogan: "Story Matters Here"; the new slogan can be seen on the channel's website (as part of the title of the website's front page). AMC's other promotional slogans are "The Future of Classic" and "Long Live Cool." Also in 2009, AMC acquired FilmCritic.com and FilmSite.org.[24]

On November 2, 2009, Bell Canada announced that it would add both the SD and HD versions of AMC to its Bell TV lineup on November 11, 2009. [25] On January 4, 2010, AMC began airing infomercials on Monday-Saturday mornings from 6-9 a.m. ET (the Saturday morning infomercial block was eliminated after March 25, 2011); as such it is one of only three English-language cable movie channels in the United States to air infomercials (along with Hallmark Movie Channel and Lifetime Movie Network); others, including sister channels Sundance Channel and IFC, run a 24-hour schedule of films with some series programming.

2010s

In July 2011, Rainbow Media was spun off from Cablevision as AMC Networks, named after the network.[26] In 2012 AMC premiered four reality television shows: Inside the DHS,[27] The Pitch,[27] Comic Book Men [28] and Small Town Security.[28]

As of July 2012, AMC was dropped from Dish Network, in conjunction with a dispute with the provider.

AMC HD

AMC HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of AMC. In the United States, it is available nationally on DirecTV, and regionally on Cablevision, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable, Charter Cable, Suddenlink Communications, Mediacom, Brighthouse Networks, Insight Communications, and Blue Ridge Communications. In Canada, it is available on Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct, Telus, and Bell TV.

AMC on the Web

AMCtv.com offers streaming video and program notes via its website. In August 2011, they launched AMC Digital to produce original web series, the first being The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks.[29] Also in 2011, AMC released a 6-webisode prequel to The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Torn Apart. AMC also owns the website Filmsite.org.

Programming

Original programs

Title First broadcast No. of seasons No. of episodes Emmy wins Emmy noms Status
Remember WENN 1996 4 56 1 5 Canceled 1998
The Lot 1999 2 16 0 0 Ended 2001
DVD TV 2002 6 72 0 0 Ended 2008
Shootout 2003 5 192 0 0 Ended 2008
FilmFakers[30] 2004 1 6 0 0 Ended 2004
Movies That Shook the World 2005 1 13 0 0 Ended 2005
Broken Trail 2006 1 2 4 (1) 16 (1) Ended (miniseries)
Mad Men 2007 5 65 15 (4) 85 (5) Current Returns 2013
Breaking Bad 2008 5 62 6 (0) 29 (3) Current Returns 2013
The Prisoner 2009 1 6 0 2 (0) Ended (miniseries)
Rubicon 2010 1 13 0 1 (0) Canceled 2010
The Walking Dead 2010 2 19 1 6 (0) Current Returns Oct 2012
The Killing 2011 2 26 0 6 (0) Canceled 2012
Talking Dead 2011 1 13 0 0 Current Returns Oct 2012
Hell on Wheels 2011 2 10 0 1 (0) Current Season 2
Comic Book Men 2012 1 6 0 0 Current Returns Fall 2012
The Pitch 2012 1 8 0 0 Current Return TBA
Small Town Security [31] 2012 1 8 0 0 Current Season 1

(*) = Number of Outstanding Drama or Mini-Series Nominations/Wins

Future programming

Reality genre

Starting in 2012, AMC will debut several unscripted series:

Scripted projects

  • Low Winter Sun - Based on the British series starring Mark Strong. It's a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred. Its writer, executive producer and showrunner is Chris Mundy. No premiere date has been announced yet.[32] On May 3, 2012, AMC greenlit production on the pilot [33]
  • Untitled Legal Thriller - Legal thriller with major political, personal and ethical stakes. It centers on a District Attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the reinvestigation of a sensational murder case. The series is an exploration of personal morality and how people struggle with the shades of grey found in the absence of a simple, ordered moral universe. Richard LaGravenese serves as writer, Tony Goldwyn as executive producer and Andrew Sugarman will serve as co-executive producer. AMC greenlit the pilot in May 3, 2012 along with Low Winter Sun.[33]
  • Thunderstruck.[34] - An original sci-fi series. A UFO crashes in a small town in Montana. The locals try to grasp the reality and prepare for more occurrences.
  • Untitled Diamond Trade Drama - A drama set in the world of diamond trading executive produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. No premiere date or official title announced yet.[32]
  • How To Cheat On Your Wife - Comedy by Rob Roy Thomas starring Todd Stashwick, Steve Little, David Furr, and Seth Morris. No premiere date announced yet.[32]
  • Thief of Thieves.[35] - Based on the comics by The Walking Dead producer, Robert Kirkman. Chic Eglee will serve as showrunner. It is about a thief named Conrad Paulson who, while trying to reconcile with his estranged wife and son, realizes he's addicted to stealing; therefore, he decides to feed his addiction by stealing only what has been stolen.

Syndicated programs

References

  1. ^ Gildemeister, Christopher (October 16, 2006). "What Your Kids are Discovering on Discovery Channel". Parents Television Council. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  2. ^ "When TV network changes name, look close". CNN.com. Associated Press. March 3, 2003. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Gildemeister, Christopher. The Fine Arts Are Hard To Find. Parents Television Council, October 2, 2006.
  4. ^ a b Gomery, Douglas. American Movie Classics. Museum of Broadcast Communications
  5. ^ King, Susan (October 2, 1997), "Save That Movie! - After a slow start, AMC's Film Preservation Festival has raised $1.3 million," Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  6. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence, (June 30, 1996) "Restoring Films to a Former Glory", New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  7. ^ "Elber, Lynn (2002-08-30), "Even 1970s Rock Fests Need Film Preservation"". Articles.latimes.com. August 30, 2002. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  8. ^ Higgins, John M., "Cablevision makes moves on AMC", Multichannel News, September 20, 1993. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from HighBeam Research.
  9. ^ Higgins, John M., "Liberty eyes Cablevision's share of AMC", Multichannel News, August 23, 1993. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from HighBeam Research.
  10. ^ Higgins, John M., "Warner seeks AMC stake", Multichannel News, June 13, 1994. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from HighBeam Research.
  11. ^ Katz, Richard. "AMC sues TBS for $250M over RKO films rights", Multichannel News, June 26, 1995. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from HighBeam Research.
  12. ^ Posted by AMCtv.com on Apr 6, 2010 (April 6, 2010). "AMC TV: Monsterfest". Amctv.typepad.com. Retrieved June 4, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ ""AMC Ushering In Nostalgic American Pop" (1998-06-20), Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-9-20 via". Allbusiness.com. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  14. ^ Battaglio, Stephen. It now has enough commercials to make movie watching almost as intolerable as any other commercial channel."Old-Movie Channels Nearing Showdown." New York Daily News. June 28, 2002.
  15. ^ AMC on sponsorships: 'roll 'em!', Multichannel News (via HighBeam Research), March 24, 1997.
  16. ^ Why did AMC change its format? From the AMCtv.com FAQ
  17. ^ a b Dempsey, John. "AMC Unveils More Contemporary Slate, Extra Ads." Variety. May 13, 2002.
  18. ^ Battaglio, Stephen. "Old-Movie Channels Nearing Showdown." New York Daily News. June 28, 2002.
  19. ^ Why did AMC add commercials?[dead link‍]
  20. ^ Does AMC edit movies for content?[dead link‍]
  21. ^ Hofstede, David (2004). What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History. New York, New York: Back Stage Books. pp. 3–4. ISBN 0-8230-8441-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (October 26, 2004). "Quiet on the Fake Set; Cue the Unsuspecting Actor". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  23. ^ a b Stanley, Alessandra (July 19, 2007). "Smoking, Drinking, Cheating and Selling". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  24. ^ Ali, Rafat (June 30, 2009). "AMC buys two movie-related websites". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  25. ^ "Bell TV to launch AMC, bringing viewers Mad Men and hundreds of movies each month". Bce.ca. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  26. ^ AMC Networks Goes Public With Hot Shows, And Analysts Looking For A Sale Deadline New York July 1, 2011
  27. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (April 15, 2011). "AMC Enters Unscripted Arena, Orders Two Docu Series From Top Producers". Deadline. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  28. ^ a b AMC Greenlights Two Unscripted Series Multichannel News September 1, 2011
  29. ^ AMC Launches AMC Digital Studios With The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks on Aug. 22
  30. ^ FilmFakers at IMDb
  31. ^ website for AMC's Small Town Security
  32. ^ a b c d "AMC Developing Diamond Drama From Ridley and Tony Scott". The Hollywood Reporter. October 13, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  33. ^ a b "AMC Greenlights Pilots On Low Winter Sun and Untitled Legal Thriller". AMC Blogs. May 3, 2012.
  34. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 11, 2011). "AMC Buys Sci-Fi Drama From Paul Boardman, Scott Derrickson & David Eick". Deadline. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  35. ^ "AMC Developing New Comic-Based Series From 'The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman=April 11, 2012".
  36. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 27, 2012). "AMC Developing 'Area 51' Drama With 'Walking Dead' EP". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  37. ^ David Caruso and 'CSI: Miami' repeats coming to AMC, Los Angeles Times, December 9, 2011.
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