TCM Host ‘Heartbroken’ Over Layoffs as #SaveTCM Campaign Gains Steam

A Turner Classic Movies host is speaking out after the cable network’s staff suffered a series of devastating layoffs this week, igniting controversy in the film world.

“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. “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.”

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.”

Ryan Reynolds also threw his support behind TCM in a tweet: “Turner Classic Movies has been a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. It’s a holy corner of film history — and a living, breathing library for an entire art form. Please don’t f–k with [TCM].”