SFM Movie Network from the 1980's

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Note this was a syndicated movie banner
that aired movies to local TV stations around the nation. KTLA Los Angeles was one of the stations that aired it at the time.

Note these clips showed that SFM even used the Heavy Action theme for it's opening. (Heavy Action is the official
song for Monday Night Football)

 

[gr8oldies]

We ran SFM Holiday Network movies at the TV station I worked at in the 1990s; as part of our Saturday Night late movie. I don't remember any of the other SFM movies.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I don't remember SFM Movie Network airing in San Francisco though when I lived there. I only know the SFM Movie theme best because ABC Sports was using the Heavy Action song for 49ers games that aired on KGO-TV ABC7.

If SFM Movie Network was used in Northern California it may have been covered up by a local branding at the time.

 

[gr8oldies]

I don't remember SFM Movie Network airing in San Francisco though when I lived there. I only know the SFM Movie theme best because ABC Sports was using the Heavy Action song for 49ers games that aired on KGO-TV ABC7.

If SFM Movie Network was used in Northern California it may have been covered up by a local branding at the time.

I'm pretty sure they were offered movie by movie, not as "the SFM Movie of the Week".

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I'm pretty sure they were offered movie by movie, not as "the SFM Movie of the Week".

I was guessing local banners like Primetime Movie, Afternoon Movie or Movies til Dawn if you lived in parts of the country where the SFM Banner was not included in your area.

 

[gr8oldies]

I was guessing local banners like Primetime Movie, Afternoon Movie or Movies til Dawn if you lived in parts of the country where the SFM Banner was not included in your area.

It wasn't a "wired" network. When we did movies, they could have come from any distributor.

 

[JayR]

The SFM Holiday Network. In my area it was carried by one of the three major network affiliates at the time (we had no independent station and FOX didn't exist). I like this one from KTLA. It was featured as part of their "Movies 'til Dawn" overnight time slot.

KTLA Channel 5 (1990): SFM Holiday Network Commercial Break

 

[gr8oldies]

New Line Cinema was another movie "network" even branding as "New Line Cinema will be right back"

 

[anotherguyTN]

I could never figure out why they called it the SFM Holiday Network because at least in my area the movies weren't shown on holidays and in most cases weren't connected to any holiday. There may have been something shown around Christmas, but otherwise they could be at any time,

Is there any kind of website that would show what movies were shown, when, and on what stations? I'm thinking in my area they were on either WHBQ (Then ABC, later Fox) 13 or WPTY (Originally independent, later Fox, then ABC) 24 in Memphis.

 

[crainbebo]

KNDO-23 Yakima aired the SFM Holiday Network in the early 1980s. I believe those movies were sent on videotape at first, then uplinked to wild satellite feeds later.
The "Universal Pictures Debut Network" was another one. Doug Paul was the voiceover for those movies. Anyone who watched WGN in the '80s recognized that voic, he is in announcer heaven now.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I could never figure out why they called it the SFM Holiday Network because at least in my area the movies weren't shown on holidays and in most cases weren't connected to any holiday. There may have been something shown around Christmas, but otherwise they could be at any time,

Is there any kind of website that would show what movies were shown, when, and on what stations? I'm thinking in my area they were on either WHBQ (Then ABC, later Fox) 13 or WPTY (Originally independent, later Fox, then ABC) 24 in Memphis.

According to the Wikipedia article on SFM at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SFM_Holiday_Network the movies were supposed to be shown near holidays but apparently my local station didn't always do that.