Great American Country
Great American Country (GAC) is an American multinational pay television network owned by Discovery, Inc. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, the channel primarily broadcasts lifestyle programming pertaining to "country" settings, including the Heartland and south, some of which is sourced from the libraries of its sibling channels. The channel was previously established primarily with a focus on country music-related content.
 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Discovery, Inc. |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | December 31, 1995 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Cable | |
| Available on most American cable systems | Channel slots vary on each operator |
| Satellite | |
| Orby TV | Channel 297 |
| Dish Network |
|
| DirecTV |
|
| IPTV | |
| Verizon FiOS | Channel 160 (SD) Channel 660 (HD) |
| Google Fiber | Channel slots may vary |
| AT&T U-verse | Channel 529 (SD) Channel 1529 HD) |
| Streaming media | |
| Fubo TV | Internet Protocol television |
| Philo | Internet Protocol television |
| Hulu with Live TV | Internet Protocol television |
| Sling | Internet Protocol television |
As of February 2015, GAC is available to approximately 59.547 million television households (51.2% of pay television customers) in the United States.[1]
History
The channel was launched on December 31, 1995, with the first music video to be broadcast on the channel, Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls".[2] The channel was originally owned by the Centennial, Colorado-based Jones Radio Network. Scripps Networks, which was spun off from the E. W. Scripps Company in July 2008, acquired Great American Country from Jones Radio Network on October 12, 2004.
In late 2005, television industry trade publication Broadcasting & Cable named GAC as one of TV's "Breakout Networks"[3] heading into 2006, saying of the channel: "The emerging GAC is a younger, hipper version that respects Nashville's country roads but widens the boulevards."
Great American Country and ABC Radio Networks (now Cumulus Media) formed a partnership to produce a nightly radio show called GAC Nights: Live From Nashville hosted by Suzanne Alexander, and co-hosted by Storme Warren and Nan Kelley. It was broadcast from its studios at Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The show ran from 2007 to 2009, when it was canceled.
AT&T U-verse dropped Great American Country, and sister networks Food Network, Cooking Channel, HGTV, and DIY Network on November 5, 2010, due to a carriage dispute over an increase in retransmission fees.[4] Two days later, however, the dispute was resolved.[5][6]
On October 1, 2013, the network unveiled a new logo inspired by the U.S. flag, dropping the "GAC" acronym in favor of using the Great American Country name in full. The network stated that it wanted to emphasize its expansion from a country music-oriented channel to one with a larger emphasis on "country" as referring to a "sense of place" and lifestyles (citing programming such as Celebrity Motor Homes and Farm Kings as examples).[7] With the channel's rebranding, the daily music video show Daily Countdown was renamed Great American Playlist. Top 20 Country Countdown continued to air (although it was cancelled in December 2018), and the network still offered country music specials including Backstory, Introducing and Origins.[8]
Programming
The network's original programming includes Kimberly's Simply Southern, a cooking show featuring Kimberly Schlapman (member of the country music group Little Big Town); Farm Kings, a reality show chronicling the King family of Freedom Farms; and Celebrity Motorhomes, featuring different celebrities showcasing their motor homes.[9] The network also features reruns of shows from former Scripps Networks Interactive sister networks such as You Live in What?, Flea Market Flip, Tiny House, Big Living, and We Bought the Farm.
From 2011-2013, the network broadcast the National Finals Rodeo.[10][11]
References
- Seidman, Robert (February 22, 2015). "List of how many homes each cable network is in as of February 2015". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- The Official Garth Brooks Website Archived 2009-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Hot & Happening: Breakout Networks - 31 October 2005 - Broadcasting & Cable
- AT&T's U-verse Drops Food Network, HGTV and Other Scripps Networks, Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2010
- Food Network, HGTV, Back on U-verse, Chicago Tribune, November 7, 2010
- AT&T U-verse, Scripps Reconnect on Carriage Contract, MultiChannel News, November 7, 2010
- "Great American Country Broadens Expanse". MediaPost. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
- Watts, Cindy (October 2, 2013). "GAC announces rebranding, programming changes". The Tennessean.
- "Great American Country Unveils New Brand Identity". The Wall Street Journal. September 30, 2013., The Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2013
- "GAC channel a perfect fit for National Finals Rodeo". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- "After rift, Vegas rekindles 'lovefest' with NFR". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2014.