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AMC
Launched	October 1, 1984
Owned by	Rainbow Media
Slogan	The Future Of Classic
Headquarters	Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Sister channel(s)	IFC, WE
Website	AMCTV.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV	Channel 254
Dish Network	Channel 130
StarChoice	Channel 609
Cable
Available on many cable systems	Check local listings for channels

AMC is a cable television network that primarily airs movies. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics. However, since 2003, the full name has been deemphasized (as is the case for TLC, and formerly TNN) as a result of a major shift in programming. Some have suggested that the channel's acronym could now stand for American Movie Channel or All Movie Channel since most of the movies they air aren't classics whatsoever. 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. Along with Turner Classic Movies (and Ted Turner himself), AMC supported the restoration of historic, classic films, including the pre-1950 silver nitrate prints commonly used in Hollywood. (Many of the older films had already been lost to nitrate deterioration, prompting Turner and others to finance restoration of surviving films, often by utilizing original negatives whenever possible.) Unlike TCM, AMC rarely showed widescreen films, such as those filmed in CinemaScope, in the letterbox format. Bob Dorian and Nick Clooney were regular hosts of AMC's telecasts, offering interesting production details on the films as well as some trivia. They are now gone.

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 narrower movie network, airing movies from the 1970's onwards. Earlier films are seldom aired. In August 2007, AMC unveiled a new slogan: "The Future Of Classic"; the new slogan can be seen on the channel's newly redesigned website (as part of the website's title in the top of a viewer's computer browser). The AMC logo has also been streamlined; a smaller version now adorns the lower right of the viewer's TV screen. [1]

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. [2] As it is now an advertiser supported network, movies are edited for nudity, sexuality, language and other objectionable content. Whenever possible, the network television version of a movie is aired. ^[1]

From 1996 to 2003, 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.

One popular AMC program from 1998-2002 was American Pop!, which 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.

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.

On Thursday, July 19, 2007, AMC's newest original series, Mad Men debuted at 10PM.

In December 2006, The Hollywood Reporter reported that AMC was developing a series remake of the 1960s British TV series The Prisoner to run at least six to eight episodes, beginning in January 2008. AMC plans to re-air the original series at about the same time. [3]

In 1997, AMC started Monsterfest, a weeklong marathon of scary movies that airs in late October. The 10th edition started on October 22, 2006. AMC's website has started a Monsterfest blog [4], 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.

AMC officially became available in Canada for cable customers of Shaw Cable and satellite customers of StarChoice on September 1, 2006, marking the first time the network was made available outside of the United States. Rogers Cable followed suit on December 12, 2006.

1. ^ AMC's FAQ

• Official Site
• Official Site (Canada)