Male-centric Grit and female-centric Escape networks will launch simultaneously at noon ET on August 18, with classic movies High Noon , and Body Heat , respectively. Owned and operated by Katz Broadcasting , the two networks are cleared in 50% of the country, with more distribution to be announced shortly, CEO Jonathan Katz said today. The networks will be seen in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Houston, Miami, San Francisco and other major markets.

Grit will focus on Western, war and action movies, while Escape will feature stories of crime, justice and mystery. High Noon will kick off “Seven Days of The Duke” on Grit, a weeklong 21-movie tribute to John Wayne, with pics including Sands Of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Hondo, The Sons of Katie Elder, War Wagon, The Cowboys, Rio Grande, and McLintock! Upcoming movies on Escape include Malice, Copycat, Sliver, The Grifters, Final Analysis, Bless The Child, Star 80 and Rendition .