Hallmark competitor Great American Channels Media (GAC) is changing the name of its lead channel while continuing to offer the same family-friendly programming, its CEO says.
GAC Media, which owns the new channel, said this month that GAC Family will be known as “Great American Family” while its sister channel, GAC Living, will become “Great American Living.” The channels will “continue to offer family-friendly series, original holiday movies and seasonal romcoms that celebrate faith, family and country,” according to a news release.
The name change will take place on August 20.
GAC Media made national headlines earlier this year when it signed Hallmark veteran Candace Cameron Bure to develop, produce and star in movies and television shows. GAC Media has hired more than a dozen Hallmark actors and actresses for its channels, including Danica McKellar, Jen Lilley, Daniel Lissing, Jessica Lowndes, Merritt Patterson, Neal Bledsoe, Jesse Metcalfe, Sara Canning, Trevor Donovan and Lori Loughlin.
“As the company expands across different media verticals, renaming our linear networks Great American Family and Great American Living better reflects our vision for each brand and firmly aligns the company under our new Great American Media umbrella,” said Bill Abbott, president and CEO of GAC Media. “Fans can expect more of the same quality, family-friendly programming they have come to love from our channels, and we look forward to rolling out the new name this summer in time for the return of our original movie premieres.”
Great American Family in recent days also announced a film event dubbed “New Movie Saturday Nights,” which begins August 20 and runs through October 21. A new movie will debut each Saturday night during those weeks. Among them is Love in Bloom, which airs Saturday, August 27 and stars Susie Abromeit (Much Ado About Christmas, Jessica Jones) and Julian Haig (Riverdale).
Its annual holiday event, “Great American Christmas,” returns on October 28 with new Christmas content.
Related:
Candace Cameron Bure Leaves Hallmark, Signs with Family-Friendly Rival GAC Media
Hallmark Rival GAC Media Will Be 'Relentlessly Family-Friendly,' CEO Bill Abbott Says
Photo courtesy: ©Great American Family, used with permission
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
