• by Karlene Lukovitz , June 29, 2023

Following backlash from fans and scrutiny by concerned Hollywood players in response to last week’s announced restructuring of Turner Classic Movies, Warner Bros. Discovery has reversed its decision to oust at least one longtime TCM executive, and agreed to give three high-profile directors an active role in shaping the network going forward.

Charles Tabesh, who has headed TCM’s programming for 25 years, will now stay on. Other senior staff, including Pola Changnon, who has run the business side as general manager, are not being reinstated.

Changnon will still be replaced by Michael Ouweleen, who previously ran TCM, and has been serving as president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family and Boomerang.

In other restructuring news, while TCM remains part of WBD’s U.S. Group, headed by Kathleen Finch, WBD announced that TCM executives will now report to Warner Bros Motion Picture Group co-heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.

Further, directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson — the trio who voiced their concerns about TCM’s future to WBD CEO David Zaslav last week — have agreed to work with De Luca and Abdy, providing input on the curation and scheduling of films for the network.

“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,” the Warner Bros. Discovery representative said in a statement.