Last week we learned that some of the leadership behind Turner Classic Movies (TCM) had been let go. This led Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Anderson to schedule an emergency call to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav as they try to save the network. For now, the US network seems to be safe, but TheWrap has confirmed that the UK channel will shut down in July according to The Wrap.
Warner Bros. Discovery has laid off TCM’s VP and general manager Pola Changnon; senior VP of programming and content strategy, Charles Tabesh; VP of brand creative and marketing Dexter Fedor; VP of enterprises and strategic partnerships Genevieve McGillicuddy. These cuts are part of a about 100 employees laid off from Warner Bros. Discovery cable networks.
Because of this move, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Anderson arranged an emergency meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav. The group hopes its talk with David Zaslav will help save TCM from being shut down here in the United States. For now, that seems to be working, but in the UK the channel will soon shutdown in July 2023.
In the United States, Michael De Luca, and Pamela Abdy the heads of Warner Bros. Pictures will now oversee TCM according to The Wrap.
It seems that Warner Bros. Discovery is joining a growing number of companies cutting back on cable TV staff as it focuses more on streaming. This news comes as Warner Bros. Discovery recently launched Max and has been focusing its efforts on the new streaming service. The question now is will TCM be on the cutting block as efforts move over to Max. For now, in the United States, it seems safe, but with new leadership, it raised the question of what the TCM network will look like going forward.