Joey Paur
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After it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery laid off several employees of Turner Classic Movies including executive VP and general manager Pola Chagnon and Network Programmer Charles Tabesh, directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson joined forces to fight to save TMC as the studio is cutting budgets and changing content. In regard to the layoffs, an insider said:
“What that shows is a fundamental misunderstanding or willful ignorance about how TCM works. TCM is more than just scheduling films. We’re trying to present these movies in a way that honors the filmmakers and contextualizes the time in which they were made. That comes from us, not just someone who the day before was working on MILF Manor.”
TCM is a network for film buffs, and fans have worried about the future of the network. Spielberg, Scorsese, and Anderson had an emergency meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav about the issue and now the studio it’s reversing course.
THR is reporting that Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will take control of TCM, and take over for the division run by WBD TV networks chief content officer chief Kathleen Finch. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement: “Part of this is the creation of a more sustainable structure behind the screen, one that benefits from the vast resources and promotional engine of WBD’s networks group, so that TCM is set up for long-term success.”
There’s more good news, though! It was revealed that Tabesh will also be returning to the network, and he will also be able to bring back some of his laid-off staff. Then there’s the fact that Spielberg, Scorsese, and Thomas Anderson, will now have a hand in programming it from here on out. They had this to say in a joint statement:
“We have already begun working on ideas with Mike and Pam, both true film enthusiasts who share a passion and reverence for classic cinema that is the hallmark of the TCM community. This unique arrangement, initiated by David Zaslav, reflects his commitment to honoring the TCM legacy while also involving us on curation and programming.”
A TMC veteran went on to say: “TCM does so much with so little. We’ve been so tiny and we’ve managed to run a cruise, a film fest, so many things. We’re very good stewards of the money as well as the movies. We just love this thing so much.”
It’s great to see that Warner Bros. is figuring things out with TCM and that it will continue to properly live on.