{{Short description|American pay television network}} {{distinguish|text=other TV channels named Documentary Channel}} {{Infobox television channel | name = Documentary Channel | logo = The Documentary Channel.png | logo_alt = | logo_size = 200px | launch_date = {{Start date and age|2006|1|26}} | closed_date = {{End date and age|2013|8|1}} | picture_format = 480i (SDTV) | network = | owner = Participant Media | country = United States | area = National | headquarters = Nashville, Tennessee | former_names = | replaced = | replaced_by = Pivot }}
The '''Documentary Channel''' was an American digital cable and satellite television network that featured documentary programming.<ref>[https://www.ilovesatellitetv.com/what-channel-is-the-documentary-channel-on-directv.html What Channel is the Documentary Channel on DIRECTV?]</ref> It aired independent documentary films <ref>[http://direct-vs-dish.com/channels/documentary-channel/ Documentary Channel Channel Information|DIRECTV vs. DISH]</ref> from around the world, including those not released in the United States. The channel (along with Halogen TV) was replaced by Pivot,<ref>[https://medium.com/jsk-class-of-2018/the-future-of-high-quality-documentaries-reaching-a-world-audience-c5c2033c87fd The future of high quality documentaries reaching a world audience - Medium.com]</ref> a channel aimed at young adults between 18 and 34 years old, that was also owned by Participant Media, and debuted on August 1, 2013.<ref>[https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/wake-up-kids-disruptive-tv-is-here-1200328697/ Wake Up, Kids: Disruptive TV Is Here Via Participant Media’s Pivot Cabler], ''Variety'', March 27, 2013.</ref> Pivot ceased operations on October 31, 2016, folding the former Documentary Channel channel space.
==Background== Documentary Channel launched in January 2006. It was founded by Tom Neff,<ref>[http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2009/03/16/smallb2.html A conversation with Tom Neff, Documentary Channel] ''Nashville Business Journal'' March 13, 2009</ref> Oscar nominated and Emmy winning documentarian, and attorney John Forbess. Originally, it was supported in part by WNPT, the Nashville PBS station.
Documentary Channel won its first Emmy Award, for Outstanding Documentary, in September 2007, for ''Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire.''<ref>[http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2007/10/15/daily19.html Nashville-based Documentary Channel grabs an Emmy] ''Nashville Business Journal'' October 17, 2007</ref>
Documentary Channel's signature series, ''DocTalk'', entered its third season July 1, 2011. ''DocTalk'' was a weekly half-hour program featuring filmmakers and their newest documentary film projects and releases.
The channel was independently owned and operated until it was purchased by Participant Media in December 2012.
==Closure== In March 2013, Participant Media announced that Documentary Channel and Halogen TV would merge, with both relaunching as Pivot, a network focused on 18 to 34 year olds, with elements of programming from both networks. The change was later announced to take place on August 1 of that year.
Documentary Channel built up to the launch of Pivot with a countdown clock in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, where the logo normally is, saying "xx Hours xx Minutes until we document and pivot", but there was no special programing taking a look back at the channel's history, instead just showing a normal day of programing.
At approximately 6 p.m ET on Dish receivers, the channel's EPG name changed from "DOC" to "PIVOT", signifying the change happening overnight, in 12 hours time.
At 5:40 a.m ET, the channel's final documentary, ''8: The Mormon Proposition'', ended. 5 minutes later, the channel's final regularly scheduled program, the channel's original program ''Doc Talk'', began, with the subject being "Full Frame Fest 2". At 5:58 a.m ET, the channel began playing an old style Indian Head test card, and started playing Edward R. Murrow's "Wires and Lights in a Box" speech, talking about how television can help people learn, but only if they accept it. Midway through the speech, in the bottom right corner, a message appeared:
{{blockquote|Good night and good luck. Coming in October, pivot.tv}}
At 6:00:04 a.m ET, Pivot begun, with the final words spoken on the network being "Good night, and good luck." When the successor channel DocPivot folded three years later the last program on the network was five consecutive showings of the film ''Good Night, and Good Luck'' from 8PM on the 30th onward until the shuttering. The film choice was likely a nod to the final words spoken on Documentary Channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pivot.tv/schedule/Eastern/10-31-16|title=Pivot On-Air Schedule {{!}} Pivot.tv|last=|first=|date=October 28, 2016|website=Pivot.tv|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028200002/http://www.pivot.tv/schedule/Eastern/10-31-16|archive-date=October 28, 2016|access-date=October 28, 2016}}</ref>
==See also== *National Film Board of Canada-some of their documentaries were featured on the US channel prior to DocPivot *Documentary film *List of documentary television channels
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718214619/http://digitalfilmmaker.net/dv/features/whosetime/index.html An Idea Whose Time Has Come] - DigitalFilmmaker article on Documentary Channel's launch *[https://twitter.com/DOC_Channel DOC Channel on Twitter]
{{U.S. movie television channels}} {{Tom Neff}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doc: The Documentary Channel}} Category:Defunct television networks in the United States Category:Documentary television channels Category:Television channels and stations established in 2006 Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 2013