(shorter for '''''F'''ox E'''x'''tended Networks'') is the name of a number of related subscription TV channels owned by
News Corporation 's
Fox Entertainment Group .
, 1994–1997]]
The first fX channel was launched in the
United States on
June 1 ,
1994 . Broadcasting from a large "apartment" in
Manhattan , fX ushered in a new era of interactive television, but did not exist long enough to see the eventual success of such interactivity. The network centered around original programming, broadcast live every day from the "fX Apartment", and rebroadcasts of kitschy shows from the
1960s ,
1970s , and
1980s .
fX had two taglines: "TV Made Fresh Daily" and "The World's First Living Television Network". The "f" was lower-case to portray a type of relaxed friendliness. The "X" was upper-case and represented the network's roots: the crossing spotlights of the
20th Century Fox logo.
fX's first venture into live sports was in gaining the live broadcast rights to the
1996 World Cup Of Hockey , purchased from Fox, who at the time had the
NHL rights. In response to this, ''
Sports Illustrated '' described the deal as "giving
rights to an unproven cable-box channel that fills its airtime with reruns of ''
Vega$ ''."
The network's concept was officially retired in early
1997 . The clearance (number of
Cable systems carrying the channel) was too low to justify the large budget. Ironically, the first incarnation of fX was not even available on the local cable system in New York City, where programming originated. During the time the network launched in the mid-1990s, cable systems around the United States were upgrading their infrastructures to increase channel capacity and were not regularly adding channels until these upgrades were complete. This is partly to blame for the network's demise.
The fX Apartment was located on the second floor of a 3-story building leased by FX Networks that overlooked
Madison Square Park in
New York City . The first floor contained sales offices, and the third floor contained production offices. The second floor was home to all programming, and was made up to look like a large apartment. The apartment had several rooms. First was a large common room that contained the living room, dining room, and kitchen areas. Other rooms included a small library, a game room (complete with arcade and pinball machines) and a fully-functioning restroom. At the rear of the apartment was a large "
Ballroom " that served several purposes. A third-floor balcony lined the ballroom. The network's shows would often venture into Madison Square Park for some features, especially in the summer. FX's lease on the building expired on
December 31 ,
1998 . All furnishings were auctioned and the building has since been renovated.
- ''Breakfast Time'' - a morning show with lifestyle segments and 'roving reporters' (aka 'Road Warriors') who visited unique sites across the country each day. This was the network's flagship show and utilized every room of the apartment. Hosted by Tom Bergeron , Laurie Hibberd and Bob the Puppet. Aired 7am to 9am EST.
- ''Personal fX, The Collectibles Show'' - similar to '' Antiques Roadshow '', in which collectors would have unique items appraised in-studio, and a 'roving reporter' would visit collectors nationwide. Broadcast from the "Dining Room". The last live show to be cancelled. Hosted by Claire Carter and John Burke . Aired Noon to 1pm EST.
- ''The Pet Department'' - a call-in/interview show about domesticated pets. Usually broadcast from the "Game Room". Hosted by Steve Walker , Luann Lee , and fX's pet dog Jack. Suzanne Whang replaced Lee after her departure. Aired 2:30pm to 3:00pm EST.
- ''Under Scrutiny with Jane Wallace'' - an in-depth news program broadcast each night from the "Library". Given a Cable ACE award for news programming in 1995 . The first live show to be cancelled. Hosted by Jane Wallace . Aired 7pm to 7:30pm EST.
- ''Sound fX'' - a show dealing with all things music, from the latest major artists to the most creative garage band tactics. Music videos were regularly shown on this show, which originated from the "Ballroom". Hosted by Karyn Bryant , Orlando Jones , and Matt Ostrum . Jeff Probst replaced Jones after his departure. Aired 11pm to Midnight EST.
- ''Backchat'' - fX ended each broadcast day with a viewer mail show. Viewers could write, call, or e-mail comments about fX and its shows, and the host would spend 30 minutes each night reading and responding to these comments. Broadcast from the "Kitchen". Hosted by Jeff Probst and Jane Fergus . Aired 12:30am to 1:00am EST. Near the end of its run, ''Backchat'' was pre-taped and moved to 7:30pm to 8:00pm EST.
fX, in
1994 , was the first television network to openly embrace
E-mail and the
World Wide Web as methods of feedback. The network prided itself on its interactivity with viewers. Select viewers were allowed to spend a day at the 'apartment' and take part in all of the network's shows. fX's viewer base was very loyal, but the budget was simply too high for the clearance the network was receiving. The live shows were canceled one-by-one until only ''Personal fX'' remained. ''Breakfast Time'' was moved to the
FOX Network and renamed ''FOX After Breakfast'' in mid-
1996 . It never found a substantial audience and was cancelled less than a year later. Eventually, all live programming with the exception of ''Personal fX'' was dropped and the network focused entirely on its classic television shows until its relaunch in mid-
1997 . ''Personal fX'' remained on the refocused FX until
May 1 ,
1998 .
Some of the young talent discovered on the fX network that have moved on to larger, more successful projects include:
- Tom Bergeron (Host, ''Breakfast Time'') - Host of '' America's Funniest Home Videos '', '' Dancing With The Stars '', and '' Hollywood Squares ''
- Laurie Hibberd (Host, ''Breakfast Time'') - Reporter for CBS 's '' The Early Show '' and wife of '' Live With Regis And Kelly '' producer Michael Gelman .
- Orlando Jones (Co-host, ''Sound fX'') - Actor (''Evolution'', '' Office Space '', '' MADtv '') and perhaps most famous as pitchman for 7-up .
- Jeff Probst (Host, ''Backchat''; Co-host, ''Sound fX'') - Host of '' Survivor ''
- Phil Keoghan (Road Warrior, ''Breakfast Time'') - Host of '' The Amazing Race ''
- John Burke (Road Warrior, ''Personal fX'') - Host of '' E! News Live ''
-
2000 ]]
See Also: Fox Movie Channel
A spinoff network, fXM (fX Movies), was launched in
1994 and broadcast only classic movies from the
20th Century Fox catalog. It has since been renamed
Fox Movie Channel .
fX was relaunched as FX: Fox Gone Cable in early
1997 , targeting men aged 18 to 49. The network is known for original drama
Series and
NASCAR programming. As of
2004 , the channel was available in 85 million U.S. homes.
- A---S---H_(TV_series)" class="copylinks">M---A---S---H '' and '' Buffy The Vampire Slayer ''. Soon after its relaunch, the tagline "Fox Gone Cable" was dropped.
In recent years, however, the network has emerged as a major force in original cable programming, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for daring, edgy dramas. This began in
2002 with the release of its breakout hit, ''
The Shield '', a police drama that took viewers and critics by surprise with its extreme graphic content. This trend continued the following year with ''
Nip/Tuck '', which chronicles the world of plastic surgery, and the
Denis Leary -helmed ''
Rescue Me '', about
FDNY firemen and their lives. The network has often been compared to
HBO in the sense that they, unlike many broadcast networks, are willing to take risks with their programming and push the envelope of what can be done with television. It's important to note that while these shows draw attention due to their graphic content, they are also critically acclaimed for their strong storylines and characters.
Capitalizing on the success of the hit documentary ''
Super Size Me '', creator
Morgan Spurlock launched a new series, ''
30 Days ,'' on FX in
June 2005 . The series puts its subjects in situations uncomfortable to them for 30 days, such as making millionaires work for minimum wage, and having Christians live in a Muslim community.
In the summer of
2005 , FX debuted two new comedy series, ''
Starved '', about the daily lives of four friends with eating disorders who live in New York, and ''
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia '', about four people who own a bar in the titular city and somehow always wind up having comic misadventures, usually very un-PC. Both of these shows feature frank sexual dialogue and strong language. ''Starved'' and ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' again display just how much FX wants to stay on the cutting-edge of television, by continuing to push the very limits of the medium.
In 2006 FX debuted two new series, the
Reality Television show
Black. White. and the drama
Thief .
FX also airs selected
NASCAR events from the
NEXTEL Cup and
Busch Series from February to June of each year as part of
Fox 's NASCAR television package.
In the fall of 2005 FX started airing reruns of ''
That '70s Show '', ''
Dharma And Greg '', and ''
Spin City .'' Also, FX will start airing reruns of ''
Malcolm In The Middle '' in 2007 and ''
The Bernie Mac Show '' in 2008.
In 1995, FX launched in Australia. It became a channel for 40+ females. In
2004 it was renamed
W as a way to make this focus more apparent.
See Also: FX (UK)
In
2004 ,
Fox International Channel (UK) launched an
FX channel for the
United Kingdom and
Ireland . The channel originally carried the ident "FX 289", referring to its
Sky Digital EPG number, however, it was moved to 270 in
May 2005 , and dropped the 289 name. It is now also available on the
NTL cable network. Like the American channel, FX UK targets men, but the target ages will be those aged 25 to 44. This was the third Fox-branded channel for the UK, after
Fox News and
Fox Kids (later Jetix).
See Also: FX Latin America
In Latin America a cable television network called FX (but using a different logo) targeting men has been launched.
In autumn 2005 Fox International Channels (UK) Ltd applied for a broadcasting slot in the Swedish digital terrestrial television network for a service called "FX"
{Link without Title} . This could hint a launch of the channel in Sweden or Scandinavia. When the recommendations were revealed in November 21, FX was not one of the ten recommended channels. As of November 2005, no further information has been revealed.
Also in mid to late 2005, FX launched the channel "FX Brasil" in Brazil.
