Turner Classic Movies reaches a 15-year milestone
by: Gene Kosowan
Archived Articles:
Roll 'em!
If you think of Turner Classic Movies as a human being, the kid would be too young to drive, drink in a bar, or even vote. The personification is ironic, considering the channel's content of big-screen gems transcends generations of motion picture history, all the way back to a time when Hollywood was better known for growing bananas and pineapples than spinning celluloid.
With a 15th birthday celebration this month, TCM, like most adolescents, is growing like a weed. And for Charles Tabesh and the rest of the crew at TCM, nurturing the channel through its development has been more of a joy than a challenge.
"The staff is legitimate, passionate and really caring," says Tabesh. "People are there specifically because they love classic movies and the fans pick up on that."
Fifteen of the channel's biggest fans also get to pick their favorite movies, and appear as a guest programmer with TCM primetime host Robert Osborne (whom Tabesh describes as essential to the channel's success) throughout the month. Fans range from ages 14 to 69 and come from all over the U.S. with choice titles including Gone with the Wind, Singin’ in the Rain, The Maltese Falcon and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Although TCM could have used screen idols as guests for the occasion, Tabesh thought the campaign would serve as a better link with its audience.
"It's very important to connect to our loyal fans, and while we can't give everybody a chance to get on the network, we love the idea of giving airtime to some people we got to know through our message boards and other means. It's almost symbolic to say it's not really about the celebrities, but about the passionate fans who are out there."
The loyalty has existed from the beginning when TCM media mogul Ted Turner launched the channel April 14, 1994, with a special airing of Gone With the Wind in New York's Times Square—exactly a century after the debut of public movie presentations in North America. From the start, TCM didn't simply slot a movie to fill a gap in the roster. With a dash of marketing savvy and a healthy respect for cinematic culture, TCM deftly packaged flicks into a daily assortment of themes and film star dedications, and expanded the idea into its more ambitious 31 Days of Oscar marathon and its Summer Under the Stars tour de force held each August.
Tabesh states that context is everything when it comes to programming TCM. "That is the key to the entire network," he says. "From a programming perspective, every night has a different theme. Sometimes you see movies that may not qualify as a classic, but when you understand why it's there, it makes sense. At least we hope so."
That mentality is also reflected on its website at turnerclassicmovies.com, which features biographies, film synopses, schedules, and message boards to allow viewers to contribute comments. The platform is a work in progress, preparing for a day when broadband and a changing consumer market will offer a totally vibrant content delivery medium.
Whatever technology path TCM follows, Tabesh hopes one element won't change, when the channel hits another milestone 15 years from now.
"I certainly hope the fundamental content is the same. It's still a celebration of the history of movies. I would imagine it maybe in 15 years there's a more films to get them in a more robust way, where you can get on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of movies available and in an organized way with context. That's a guess, and trust me, it's a guess."