Z Channel

The Z Channel was one of the first pay cable stations in the United States. Launched in 1974 from Los Angeles, California, this station was known for its devotion to the art of cinema due to the eclectic choice of films by the programming chief, Jerry Harvey. It also 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). In the late 1970s, Z Channel created its two subscription services (SelecTV & ON TV) and a sports channel (Prime Ticket). In 2004 a documentary was made Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession by director Alexandra Cassavetes.

Prime Ticket eventually was sold to the Fox Television Stations Group, parent company of KTTV, which had lost Los Angeles Dodgers rights after the 1992 baseball season. An affiliate of the Prime Sports network, Prime Ticket became the current FSN West when Prime Sports became Fox Sports Net in 1997. Fox Television Stations, Inc., still owns FSN West. On April 3rd, 2006, FSN West's additional outlet, FSN West 2, changed its name to FSN Prime Ticket.

Notable Films Shown on Z Channel

• The Blue Angel (1930)
• The Leopard (1963), in its longer Italian-language version, unreleased on video in the U.S. until 2003
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
• Overlord (1975)
• 1900 (film) (1976), shown in its 5-hour form for the first time in the U.S. on this station; the 5-hour cut wasn't released on video in the U.S. until 1992
• Eraserhead (1977)
• Bad Timing (1980), in its uncut form
• Heaven's Gate (1980), in its 219-minute cut, which caused many critics to reverse their decision on the film.
• Das Boot (1981), in its theatrical, director's cut, and mini-series versions
• Once Upon a Time in America (1984), shown back to back in its severely cut two-hour version, and Leone's 224-minute director's cut. Many critics reversed their negative reviews once they saw this version.
• Salvador (1986), many think that the showing of this on Z Channel lead to its multiple Oscar nominations.
• The Sicilian (1987), shown in its extended form, which didn't come out on video until the early 90s

External links

• Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession at the IMDB