It's been confirmed that programming executive Charles Tabesh will now be staying on at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) after Warner Bros. Discovery's announced layoff and cutbacks. He is a 25-year veteran of the company.
Originally, Tabesh was part of the cutbacks, however, he will now stay and work alongside report to Warner Bros. Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, as well as being part of the new collaboration between TCM and filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
"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. 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," said Spielberg, Scorsese, and Anderson in a joint statement.
De Luca and Abdy also commented, saying, "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. 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."
Despite the cutbacks that were made across the Warner Bros. company, the TCM content budget did see an increase of one-third for this year.
"TCM is a cultural treasure which WBD is fully committed to safeguarding, supporting, and investing in for the future. This year, TCM's content investment has grown by 30% and we plan to build on that in future years. That said, TCM is not immune to the very real pressure on the entire linear ecosystem, but we have taken steps to ensure that we stay true to the mission of the network - bringing more titles to the air, driving content investment, and preserving and protecting the culture of cinema. 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 formidable networks group, so TCM is set up for long-term success," said a Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson.
