Related: Katz Shows True Grit Building Multicast Empire
It will be High Noon at high noon.
Gary Cooper’s classic Western will be the first thing broadcast when Katz Broadcasting’s new multicast network aimed at men Grit debuts at noon on August 18. Simultaneously, sister network Escape will flip the switch and air Body Heat.
“High Noon is the perfect movie to launch Grit, which will be built around the classic male hero with a focus on western, war and action movies,” says Jonathan Katz, CEO of Katz Broadcasting, which is launching the two new networks. “Kathleen Turner contemporized the femme fatale in Body Heat and her steamy performance is the consummate way to seductively introduce viewers to Escape, which will feature daring and sexy stories of crime and mystery.”
The two new networks are being built on a foundation of movies from Warner Bros and Universal pictures. Long-term, Katz has plans to add original programming to both. Until then, Grit will focus on heroes cut from the strong silent type mold.
After High Noon, Grit will focus on the Duke with a seven-day, 21-movie tribute to John Wayne. Next up is Clint Eastwood in a primetime movie stunt dubbed Eight Days of Eastwood.
The networks have distribution deals that make them available to over-the-air viewers in 50% of the country.
