AMC (TV network)
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| AMC | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Launched | October 1, 1984 |
| Owned by | Rainbow Media |
| Slogan | TV For Movie People |
| Sister channel(s) | IFC, WE |
| Website | AMCTV.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 254 |
| Dish Network | Channel 130 |
| StarChoice | Channel 609 |
| Cable | |
| Comcast | Channels Vary |
| Time Warner Cable | Channels Vary |
| Charter | Channels Vary |
| Cox Cable | Channels Vary |
| Cablevision | Channels Vary |
| Bright House Networks | Channels Vary |
| Shaw Cable | Channels Vary |
AMC is a cable television network that primarily airs movies. Its acronym originally stood for American Movie Classics. However, since 1998 the full name has been deemphasized (as is the case for TLC, and formerly TNN) as a result of a major shift in programming. AMC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation, and signed on October 1, 1984.
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 format. It was not uncommon for the channel to host a Marx Brothers marathon, or show such classics as the original Phantom of the Opera. In the early 1990's, the channel shifted to a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week format.
The network has since dramatically changed its programming, shifting from premium to basic cable, emphasizing more recent movies, adding a new logo, with a lowercase a (seen above at right) and using a new slogan: "TV For Movie People." With competitors such as Turner Classic Movies and Fox Movie Channel, AMC changed its format from a classic movie network to a broader movie network, airing movies from the 1970's onwards. They also began editing movies to fit timeslots and censoring for content.
The commercial-free format has also been abandoned. AMC airs fewer classic movies than they did years ago. Currently, AMC claims to air fewer commercials per hour than any other basic cable channel. [1]
From 1996 to 1998, before the format change, 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. The show was generally a success, and was originally renewed for a fifth season, but the change in management led to its abrupt cancellation in favor of a new show, The Lot. "The Lot" only lasted two seasons, at 16 episodes (a 4-episode run in 1999, and a 13-episode run in 2001), and was considered a failure, both in ratings and by critics. Hardly any original television shows on AMC since have ever reached the popularity that was found in Remember WENN.
Another notable original series for AMC was AMC Backstory (2000-2002, 71 episodes, and 2004, 3 episodes), a half-hour series about the "backstory" (or behind the scenes look) at various movies, ranging from classic (All About Eve) to contemporary (There's Something About Mary). While glossy and somewhat more of a 22-minute trivia and anecdote session, it featured interviews with the cast and crew of the films, along with movie critics and film historians. Episodes dealing with films from 20th Century Fox can normally be found on the DVD release as well.
AMC officially became available in Canada for cable customers of Shaw Cable and Satellite customers of StarChoice since September 1, 2006. This marks the first time the network will be available outside of the United States.
On October 22, 2006 AMC started hosting its tenth Monsterfest, a weeklong marathon of scary movies.
