Charles Tabesh, TCM’s SVP of Programming who was reinstated at Warner Bros. Discovery after widespread outcry over his dismissal from the classic movie network, thanked fans for their continued support on Tuesday. “The support for TCM, and for me, has been wonderful,” he tweeted.
“I just want to say that it’s always taken a true team to make it work,” he added. “There are too many people to name so I won’t, but the talent and dedication has always been across the network. I know how lucky I’ve been to work with them.”
After speaking with industry heavyweights Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, WBD CEO David Zaslav backtracked on Tabesh’s firing and agreed to bring him back on.
About 70 employees were cut amidst the drastic belt-tightening, leaving less than two dozen staffers at the network, insiders told TheWrap. Among them were top executives including Anne Wilson, VP of studio production; Dexter Fedor, VP of marketing and creative; and Genevieve McGillicuddy, VP of TCM Enterprises. Their dismissal was preceded by the exit of TCM general manager Pola Chagnon after 26 years.
WBD execs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy will oversee programming and creative content for TCM while Anderson, Spielberg and Scorsese will provide guidance on curation and programming scheduling.
While it’s not clear what’s ahead for TCM, Tasbesh’s return had classic movie fans breathing a little easier.
“Rejoice, classic film fans! Charles Tabesh — SVP of programming and the architect of all that is great about TCM — has been unfired,” tweeted writer/producer Will McKinley after the news was announced on June 24.
McKinley also celebrated that the TCM Classic Film Fest had been confirmed for 2024. ” #SaveTCM worked (at least for now).”
