By Andrew Sanford | TV | June 6, 2024 |
By Andrew Sanford | TV | June 6, 2024 |
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is a godsend of a network, in a media landscape that is so focused on what is new, shiny, and easier to pay less in residuals for. Some people have been known to make something only to not release it at all. At TCM, the focus is on preservation. They present older movies and show classics, harder-to-find films, and everything in between. However, there was a point when TCM would be done away with entirely.
Cue David Zaslav. I don’t love having to write about everyone’s least favorite CEO. The man actively shows disdain for the media he is responsible for. He shelved Batgirl but shoved The Flash down our throats. A movie was made that featured Will Forte as Wyle E. Coyote’s lawyer and Zaslav has ensured it will never see the light of day. There’s a decent chance that his company, Warner Brothers Discovery, will lose the rights to air NBA games because of his negotiating. He sucks, and to drive that point home, he once tried to kill TCM.
For people like Zaslav running media companies, it’s all about making shareholders happy. They look at everything as “content” and try to find ways to make more by making less. That way, their bonuses are inflated to DR. Evil level numbers. Eventually, they quit and move on to find another company to gut. As part of gutting WBD, Zaslav tried to shutter TCM. It took a meeting with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson to get him to stop. He relented and is now finding new ways to kill the network.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that TCM has been facing programming issues. At one point, the channel was supposed to show the Steve Martin film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Instead, audiences were met with a black screen for several minutes. When the network finally came to life, it showed the Anne Baxter film Carnival Romance instead. A similar instance occurred when the Barbara Stanwyck Western Forty Guns was due to air and was instead replaced at the last moment by the William Powell film Jewel Robbery. Forty Guns was supposed to be followed by commentary from Steven Spielberg, which also didn’t air.
TCM has blamed both instances on a technical error. People paying attention will know better. This is (allegedly) all part of Zaslav’s plan to keep stripping WBD for parts. He will not stop until all that’s left is Michigan J. Frog, buried beneath a skyscraper, never to return.