TCM Host Offers Encouraging Update Amid Layoffs: ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere’

Claire Franken
Updated ·2 min read
28
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz is offering encouraging words amid reports of a flurry of layoffs that ignited concern in the film world and launched a #SaveTCM social media campaign.

On Saturday, Star Wars icon Mark Hamill tweeted his support for the channel, as one of many movie stars expressing worry over the fate of TCM, calling it “vital” and saying he “can’t imagine a world without my all-time favorite station.”

More from TVLine

Mankiewicz responded in a tweet, thanking Hamill for his support and adding, “you don’t have to imagine it. We aren’t going anywhere.”

On Tuesday, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced the dismissal of a number of top TCM executives, including longtime general manager Pola Changnon, who worked there for more than 25 years. (The channel’s staff will be slashed from about 90 to about 20, The Wrap reports.) Fans of the network, which preserves and celebrates classic movies with commercial-free airings and thoughtful host intros, rallied to offer their support, with #SaveTCM becoming a trending topic on social media.

Top film directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson even personally weighed in on the controversy, meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to express their concerns. “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,” the filmmakers said in a joint statement. “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.”

They added: “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.”

Karger addressed the shake-up on Twitter last week.

“A note to our passionate TCM viewers: It’s been a tough week to say the least and I’m beyond heartbroken that we are losing so many brilliant colleagues who are also dear friends,” host Dave Karger told fans on Twitter on Friday. “I’ve seen all of your support online and it means so much to all of us. My goal (and I know the other hosts agree) is to try to be a stabilizing and familiar presence in the months ahead. There will be some bumps, but we will all be on the road together.”

Best of TVLine

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter

Click here to read the full article.