After staff cut announcements last week, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson took a stand against the potential shutdown of Turner Classic Movies. The trio spoke out against shelving the channel through an emergency meeting with the network’s CEO David Zaslav and it appears to have worked. Warner Bros. Discovery has reorganized efforts to continue broadcasting the channel.
Warner Bros will be bringing on Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson to work with Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. They will be overseeing the creative direction of TCM from here on out. Formerly among the list of employee layoffs, Senior Vice President of Programming and Content Strategy Charles Tabesh will stay on at TCM.
“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,” said Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson in a joint statement. “This unique arrangement, initiated by David Zaslav, reflects his commitment to honoring the TCM legacy while also involving us on curation and programming. We are thrilled that longtime programmer Charlie Tabesh will be staying with TCM and gratified to know that the team is focused on preserving TCM’s mission of celebrating our rich movie history while at the same time ensuring that future generations of filmmakers and film lovers have TCM as a valuable resource.”
The news brings a sigh of relief for long-time fans of TCM as well as staffers and other classic cinema enthusiasts. David Zaslav was on board with the mission to save TCM from the start, agreeing with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson on a number of suggestions they discussed with him during the meeting.
“TCM is a cultural treasure, and we are honored to help steer the future direction of this beloved brand with the partnership of three of the most iconic filmmakers of our time, Steven, Marty, and Paul,” said Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy as reported by Deadline. “David Zaslav led the charge, driven by our shared love of storytelling, to bring us together for a project about which we are so passionate. Over the last year, we have meaningfully increased our content investment in TCM, and intend to further enhance TCM’s on-air programming and engagement with fans.”