Z Channel Eyed by SportsChannel for Merger

First came the addition of sports--Dodger games, Angel games, Clipper games, even Loyola Marymount games. Now, in another jolt for its serious movie-buff subscribers, the Z Channel has discontinued its quirky and informative monthly program guide.

This month’s edition of the nearly 15-year-old Z Magazine will be the last--a victim of cost considerations.

But that may not be the worst of it for devotees of the Z Channel’s eclectic mix of movies old and new. Independent sources confirmed published reports Friday that negotiations are ongoing for New York-based SportsChannel America to purchase the Z Channel--a merger that could end all movie programming on Z.

Executives from the Z Channel and Cablevision could not be reached for comment Friday.

SportsChannel America, a subsidiary of Cablevision, is a recently launched sports network with aspirations of competing with ESPN. It currently owns five other regional cable sports channels in New York, New England, Chicago, Florida and Philadelphia--all of which air regional pro and college sporting events and will soon also begin airing national sports and business programs provided by NBC. SportsChannel is also bidding on a major league baseball package that would begin in 1990.

The Z Channel, which was purchased by American Spectacor last January and introduced sports for the first time in April, already has secured the rights to Dodgers, Angels and Clippers home games, and would seem to fit perfectly into the SportsChannel’s plan to become a competitive sports channel on both a national and regional basis.

It is possible that the Z Channel would retain some movie programming even if the sale goes through, but all of the other SportsChannel affiliates plan to carry only sports and news.

For now, however, movies and sports as Z Channel subscribers have come to know them during the last year will continue.

As for the bimonthly movie guide, which was launched with the Channel back in 1974, Z Channel President Jack Williams said in a letter to subscribers this month that the channel could no longer afford to publish the magazine.

“In an effort to invest our programming dollars where Z subscribers will benefit most . . . Z Magazine will no longer be published,” Williams wrote. The letter went on to say that the “Z Channel (movie) lineup you’ve admired over the years will not change.”

Harry Klein, a spokesman for the Z Channel, said that the magazine, which offers reviews, background and insight into all the films the channel carries as well as an astrology column and a complete listing of times and dates for all sporting events and movies, costs Z more than $750,000 a year to design, print and mail.

He said the channel had looked into charging its subscribers for the guide, but only about 20% of Z’s approximately 115,000 customers had said they’d be willing to pay for it.

Z Channel said that a less-elaborate monthly program guide will be available to subscribers through their individual cable companies.