Z Channel

The Z Channel was one of the first pay television stations in the United States best known for its devotion to the art of cinema due to the eclectic choice of films"Film-News and Notes." ''Daily News of Los Angeles'' October 3, 1986 by the programming chief, Jerry Harvey.

History

Z Channel was launched in 1974 by Theta Cable (a division of TelePrompTer Corporation and Hughes Aircraft Co.) which was acquired by Group W (Westinghouse) in 1981. Operations were located in Santa Monica, California. Jerry Harvey was hired as program director in 1980. As program director, Harvey was given permission to program the network the way he saw fit. As such, the network featured a wide variety of films not typically shown on other pay television services at the time.

These included many B movies, silent films, foreign films, and original unedited versions of films.
On Christmas Eve 1982, Harvey made the decision to show the original (previously unreleased in two years) version of '' Heaven's Gate'', a movie that had been considered a disaster by all accounts. His decision was a success as the movie became the most watched feature ever shown on Z Channel. Other networks soon followed and aired ''Heaven's Gate.''

By the mid-1980s, Z Channel had 90,000 subscribers. In 1987, Group W sold Z Channel to Seattle-based Rock Associates for $5 million. Both increased competition and lack of interest by Group W leading up to the sale led to a decrease in subscribers. In January 1988, Rock Associates merged with American Spectacor.

Demise

In April 1988, there were two major changes to the network: the death of Jerry Harvey and the addition of sports to regular programming. (It had broadcast a UCLA–USC basketball game around 1978.) Deals were made to show games from the Los Angeles Angels, Clippers and Dodgers. This increased the numbers of subscribers to 110,000. The sports deals were funded by selling advertising during the games. However, a lawsuit ensued with a court ruling that contracts with the movie studios stipulated that the service be commercial-free.

Out of options, the channel was sold to Cablevision and NBC on March 16, 1989, who were partners in the joint-venture SportsChannel and set to launch Consumer News and Business Channel (now CNBC). On June 29, 1989, Z Channel faded to black"Z Channel Fading To Black Amid Film Industry Tributes." ''The Hollywood Reporter'' April 27, 1989 and was replaced by SportsChannel Los Angeles."Hollywood Freeway." ''Daily News of Los Angeles'' June 26, 1989 The last film shown on Z Channel was the John Ford film ''My Darling Clementine.''

Legacy

Z Channel popularized the use of letterboxing on television, as well as showing "director's cut" versions of films (which is a term popularized after Z Channel's showing of '' Heaven's Gate''). Z Channel's devotion to cinema and choice of rare and important films had an influence on such directors as Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino, and Jim Jarmusch.

The channel was the subject of the 2004 documentary '' Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession'', which was directed by Alexandra Cassavetes, daughter of John Cassavetes.

Selected films that aired on Z Channel

*'' Blazing Saddles''
*''Freebie and the Bean''
*''American Graffiti''
*'' MacArthur''
*'' Valentino''
*''Love and Death''
*''Jesus Christ Superstar''
*'' Black Christmas''
*'' The Great American Cowboy''Z Magazine: The Entertainment Guide for Subscribers to the Z Channel and Theta Cable Television - July/August, 1976 - Vol. 3, No. 3 - The Towering Inferno on cover
/ref>
*''The Wind and the Lion''
*''Airport 1975''
*''The Yakuza'' Z Magazine: The Entertainment Guide for Subscribers to the Z Channel and Theta Cable Television - Sept/Oct, 1975 - Vol. 2, No. 4 - Lenny on cover
/ref>
*''The Seduction of Mimi''
*'' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' Z Magazine: The Entertainment Guide for Subscribers to the Z Channel and Theta Cable Television - Aug/Sept, 1975 - Vol. 2, No. 3 - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore on cover
/ref>
*''The Prisoner of Second Avenue''
*'' Thieves Like Us''
*'' At Long Last Love'' Z Magazine: The Entertainment Guide for Subscribers to the Z Channel and Theta Cable Television - June/July, 1975 - Vol. 2, No. 2 - Harry & Tonto on cover
/ref>
*''Harry and Tonto''
*'' A Touch of Class''
*'' On Golden Pond'' GALAXY MAGAZINE..Z CHANNEL. HEAVENS GATE,RICH AND FAMOUS, TAPS , ON GOLDEN POND
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*''Chan Is Missing''
*''Whose Life Is It Anyway''
*''Prince of the City''
*'' Same Time, Next Year'' VINTAGE Z MAGAZINE. THE Z CHANNEL . LOT OF 5
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*'' Coal Miner's Daughter''
*''Corvette Summer''
*'' One on One''
*'' Silver Streak''
*''The Wild Bunch'' Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) - Trailer - YouTube
/ref>
*''A Clockwork Orange''
*''How I Won the War''
*'' Dressed to Kill''
*''Rocky''
*''Diva''
*''Death Race 2000''
*''The Last Starfighter''
*''Videodrome''
*'' Heaven's Gate''
*''Once Upon A Time in America''
*''Overlord''
*''Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid''
*''McCabe and Mrs. Miller''
*''Das Boot''
*'' That Most Important Thing: Love''
*''The Leopard''
*''1900''
*''Ride the High Country''
*'' Salvador''
*''Black Orpheus''
*''Paths of Glory''
*''My Darling Clementine''
*''California Suite''
*'' The Turning Point''
*''Eyes of Laura Mars''
*''The Goodbye Girl''
*''Julia''
*''An Unmarried Woman''
*''Magnum Force'' Southern California 1975 Z-Channel Line up Cable Tv - Obsolete Video on YouTube
/ref>
*''Throne of Blood''
*''I Vitelloni''
*''The Spider's Stratagem''
*'' Straw Dogs''
*''Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia''
*''The Story of Adele H''
*'' The Song Remains the Same''
*''Time Bandits''Z Channel break - January 1982- The Media Hoarder on YouTube
/ref>
*''The Charge of the Light Brigade''
*''Something for Everyone''
*''City Lights''
*''Rear Window''
*''Midnight Cowboy''
*'' Ikuru''
*''Johnny Guitar''
*''The Onion Field''
*''Los Olvidados''
*''The Man Who Fell to Earth''
*''The Front''Z Channel break- December 1977 - The Media Hoarder on YouTube
/ref>
*''The Front Page''
*''Let It Be''
*'' It's Alive''
* Both the 1937 and 1976 versions of '' A Star is Born''
*''Westworld''1975 Theta Cable Tv Z Channel - Obsolete Video on YouTube
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*''The Great Gatsby''
*''The Super Cops''
*''Electra Glide in Blue''
*''Thunderbolt and Lightfoot''
*''The Sting''
*''Scarecrow''
*'' Somewhere in Time''JULY/AUG 1981 Z VINTAGE MOVIE MAGAZINE MGM STORY, Worthpoint.com
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*''The Blues Brothers''
*'' Fatso''
*''The Great Santini''
*''The Parallax View''
*''North Dallas Forty''
*''Airplane!''SEPT/OCT 1981 Z vintage movie magazine AIRPLANE - CADDYSHACK, Worthpoint.com
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*''Stardust Memories''
*'' Private Benjamin''
*''Vertigo''
*''Beverly Hills Cop''
*''Ordinary People''OCT/NOV 1981 Z VINTAGE MOVIE MAGAZINE BLUE LAGOON - ORDINARY PEOPLE, Worthpoint.com
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*'' The Blue Lagoon''
*'' Running Scared''
*'' ...And Justice for All''NOV/DEC 1980 Z VINTAGE MOVIE MAGAZINE ALIEN - 10 - HOT STUFF, Worthpoint.com
/ref>
*''Fiddler on the Roof''
*'' All That Jazz''FEB/MARCH 1981 Z VINTAGE MOVIE MAGAZINE APOCALYPSE NOW - ALL THAT JAZZ, Worthpoint.com
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*''Apocalypse Now''
*''The Electric Horseman''
*''Desperately Seeking Susan''
*''Candleshoe''VINTAGE Z CHANNEL GUIDES . Z MAGAZINE. GREASE , JAWS 2 , PRIVATE BENJAMIN, Worthpoint.com
/ref>
*''Caddyshack''
*''National Lampoon's Vacation''VINTAGE Z CHANNEL GUIDES . Z MAGAZINE. STAYING ALIVE , VACATION, Worthpoint.com
/ref>
*''The Dark Crystal''
*''The China Syndrome''VINTAGE Z MAGAZINE. THE Z CHANNEL. THE CHINA SYNDROME, DRESS TO KILL , HAIR, Worthpoint.com
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*''Crocodile Dundee''VINTAGE Z MAGAZINE. THE Z CHANNEL. A VIEW TO A KILL, DRAGNET, THE MISSION, Worthpoint.com
/ref>
*'' The Mission''
*'' Weird Science''VINTAGE Z MAGAZINE. THE Z CHANNEL. 48 HRS, WEIRD SCIENCE. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, Worthpoint.com
/ref>
*'' 48 Hrs.''

See also

*The Criterion Collection, similar in content
*Home Box Office, one of Z's competitors
*Showtime, also one of the competitors

References

External links

*

Official homepage of ''Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession''SelectedvintageZChannelmagazinesatWorthpoint.com

{{U.S. television movie channels

Sports in Los Angeles
Television channels and stations established in 1974
Television channels and stations disestablished in 1989
American subscription television services
Film preservation
Defunct television networks in the United States
Film and video fandom
TelePrompTer Corporation