Save TCM

It was earlier this week that news of layoffs at Tuner Classic Movies broke. Among those laid off were Pola Changnon, general manager of TCM (who had been with the channel for 25 years), Charles Tabesh, senior vice president in charge of content and programming (who had been with TCM from the beginning), Genevieve McGillicuddy, vice president of enterprises and strategic partnerships (who organized the annual TCM Classic Film Festival), and Anne Wilson, vice president of studio production. The layoffs sent shock waves throughout TCM fandom, with many concerned that Turner Classic Movies may not have long to last. The hashtag SaveTCM began trending on Twitter and was still trending as of today. A campaign to save TCM by emailing David Zaslav and writing the Warner Discovery Board of Directors started almost immediately.

News of the layoffs was followed almost immediately by news that directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson, all of them ardent supporters of TCM, had met with David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Discovery, to discuss the future of the cable channel. The three directors issued a joint statement which said, among other things, "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." This statement allayed some of the fears held by many TCM fans, particularly given it came from Martin Scorsese, one of the most beloved figures in classic film fandom. Still, many TCM fans remain concerned that even if Turner Classic Movies is not closed down, it could be changed beyond all recognition. Hence the reason that the campaign to save TCM continues and the hashtag SaveTCM is continuing to trend on Twitter.

The fact is that if Turner Classic Movies were closed or if it was changed from what it has been for the past 29 years, it would be an enormous loss to the classic film community and to the cause of film preservation. As it is, laying off many of those responsible for the curation of films on TCM cannot help the channel in the short or long run. Indeed, not only do TCM fans know who Pola Changon, Charles Tabesh, and Genevieve McGillicuddy are, but we hold them in high esteem.Some fans were even privileged to call them friends. Those laid off were fellow classic film fans who insured that TCM continued its mission of showing classic films and never succumbed to  the temptation to show only the latest hits.

Indeed, while many of us discovered classic cinema on the independent television stations that proliferated in the Seventies and Eighties, there is a whole generation that discovered classic films on TCM. I don't know how many of my fellow TCM fans are Millennials or Zoomers who discovered the wonderful world of classic movies on the channel. The stereotype that TCM only appeals to an older audience is very, very false. For those of us who were already classic movie fans when TCM debuted in 1994, Turner Classic Movies would introduce us to many classics we had never seen before. TCM is where I first saw Baby Face (1933), It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947), Mystery Street (1950), The Loved One (1960), and many other favourites. Without Turner Classic Movies, my experience of classic movies would be much, much poorer.

Of course, Turner Classic Movies is much more than a cable channel. It is even more than a brand. For many of us it is an extension of our identities. We identify as TCM fans and we feel camaraderie with other TCM fans. And for many of us TCM has made a huge difference in our lives. I discovered many of my closest friends through TCM fandom, most through TCMParty, the informal group of fans who live tweet films shown on TCM using the hashtag of that name (and of which I was one of the original members). It was through TCMParty that I met the single most important person in my life, Vanessa Marquez. When Vanessa was murdered nearly five years ago, it was Turner Classic Movies and my fellow TCM fans who helped me get through those dark days following her death. I truly don't think I would be alive if it had not been for TCM and my fellow fans.

What is more, mine is not an isolated case. Others like me believe that TCM saved their lives. TCM has been a comfort to many suffering not only from grief, but from illness, divorce, or the loss of a job. Quite simply, Turner Classic Movies is a positive force in people's lives and it makes people's lives better. It has had an enormous impact on its fans. I don't think the same thing can be said about TLC or VH1 (at least in their current forms).

For those of you who want to save Turner Classic Movies, I would suggest writing the Warner Brothers Discovery Board of Directors at Board of Directors; Warner Discovery; c/o Office of the Corporate Secretary; 230 Park Avenue South; New York City, New York 10003. You can also email David Zaslav (if you're a TCM fan you have probably already seen his email address on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter--just search #SaveTCM). While I know many of you are angry (I know I am), by all means please be polite. Insults and disrespect won't accomplish anything. Simply explain why TCM is important and how it has had an impact on your life. I have already emailed David Zaslav. I plan to write the Board of Directors tomorrow.

Turner Classic Movies is different from other cable channels not only in that it shows classic movies, but in that it is an integral part of its fans' lives. Indeed, I have friends and acquaintances who work for the channel, and I am hardly alone in that. In many ways TCM and its employees, from the hosts to those working behind the scenes, are like family. More importantly, Turner Classic Movies has introduced new generations to classic cinema and proven pivotal in the preservation of classic movies. To lose TCM would not simply be a loss to TCM fans or the film industry, but to all of us.