Here’s a day-old statement from Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson about (a) the sudden, savage whacking of several Turner Classic Movies execs, and (b) the three directors’ subsequent discussions with Warner Bros. Discovery honcho David Zaslav:
“Turner Classic Movies has always been more than just a channel. It is truly a precious resource of cinema, open 24 hours a day seven days a week. And while it has never been a financial juggernaut, it has always been a profitable endeavor since its inception.
“Earlier this week, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, got in touch to talk about the restructuring of TCM. We understand the pressures and realities of a corporation as large as WBD, of which TCM is one moving part.
“We have each spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema are very important to him. Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected.
“We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone that we all treasure.”
HE translation: “We are heartened by Zaslav’s statements to us about protecting TCM and ensuring its continuance, as well as respecting its valuable cultural importance for the film community.
“At the same time we regret that Zaslav has decided to decimate the creative and managerial team behind TCM — TCM’s general manager Pola Chagnon, TCM’s senior vice president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, vice president of studio production Anne Wilson, vice president of marketing and creative Dexter Fedor and TCM Enterprises vice president Genevieve McGillicuddy — all of them whacked like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.
“TCM will henceforth be a different operation with a different personality. Are we happy about this? Not actually, no but…well, we don’t what to think or do, to be perfectly honest. It’s probably better to not to squawk too loudly and hope for the best.”
Mark Harris tweets about this situation: “You cannot run a media company and make your Year One signature moves (a) the deplatforming of completed work, (b) the dilution of two long-respected brands (first HBO, now TCM), and (c) the dismissal of execs with decades of expertise, talent, and grasp of what they’re custodians of.
“Or rather, you CAN — you can tell yourself that you’re a businessman who doesn’t give into sentiment about ‘art’ — but it’s going to cost you the respect, the allegiance, and ultimately the services of the top-tier directors and producers you want to attract and hold onto.
“Last year, WBD lost one of its longtime star directors, Christopher Nolan, to Universal for Oppenheimer. The company reportedly wants him back. But are A-list artists going to want to be associated with a corp. that views talent as expendable and ‘content’ as interchangeable?
“It’s important to note that Turner Classic Movies, by cost, is a TINY part of the WBD empire; by impact, however, it is huge. Its existence amounts to a statement that Warner Bros honors not only its own 100-year history, but that of many studios, since over the years, the Warner Bros. library has grown to include hundreds of movies from other studios, and the expert leadership of people like Pola Changnon and Charlie Tabesh has made the brand synonymous with cultural responsibility. There is no equivalent at other studios.
“David Zaslav may answer this by saying, ‘But we’re not folding TCM.’ But TCM isn’t just a library — it’s a small, intense, and exceptional talent pool. It isn’t defined simply by its content, but by the people who curate and nurture it. That is true of all great culture brands.
“A failure to understand that is not simply a disappointment to those who think that one can simultaneously value commerce and art. It’s a dereliction of duty and a profound misunderstanding of the worth of the assets you manage.”