In Depth
TLC Moves Operations to Los Angeles
Discovery Communications’ TLC is moving operations to L.A., staffers at the network were told Monday.
New TLC President Angela Shapiro-Mathes originally had planned to be based in L.A. but to operate the network as a bicoastal operation, with some staffers in Discovery’s Silver Spring, Md., headquarters.
“However, it is clear after much discussion that to achieve the greatest level of success both from a creative and a financial standpoint, TLC should be operated as a consolidated business unit based solely in Los Angeles,” Ms. Shapiro-Mathes said in an internal memo.
She said a number of current TLC employees will be moving to L.A. in their current jobs. Other staffers have indicated they won’t be making the move. Those jobs will be posted in December in Los Angeles.
Some of the network’s ad sales teams will remain based in New York.
The move comes after a two-month review of TLC’s operations by Ms. Shapiro-Mathes. TLC was the only Discovery network not affected by new CEO David Zaslav’s reorganization earlier this year, before Ms. Shapiro-Mathes was hired in July.
“My objective was to ensure we have the strongest organization possible that meets David Zaslav’s direction of tapping more aggressively into the creative community in Los Angeles and energizing the TLC brand,” Ms. Shapiro-Mathes said in the memo. “These changes affect people who have served the company for many years. I extend my deepest appreciation for all they have done for TLC and Discovery Communications, and I know the entire company joins me in wishing them success in all their future endeavors.”
(Editor: Horowitz)
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Comments 3
Andrew Ensor
Believe it or not this move is just symptomatic of what is wrong with cable television, specifically, the forced multi tier buying imposed on customers by cable companies and it should be brought to an end as soon as possible. Cable TV Franchises were originally issued with the firm intent of serving the communities into which they are imbedded not to drive the profit ambitions of nation production companies like Discovery. The only way a company like Discovery, or Disney, and many others are going to come to the reality that community interests come before profit is by the use of force. This is why multi tier channel billing should be ended. As for the move itself the reasoning of the company has only two motives. The first, most significant and overriding reason for the move are the egos of Ms. Shapiro and Mr. Zaslav. Anything to the contrary should only be received simply as propaganda to support a really bad decision. The creative out put of Maryland and its universities can match California any day of the week. So that part of the decision is all a charade. If Discovery is having ratings or profit problems it is because of bad programming decisions not because of location. One example would have to be this summer’s running of “Ice Road Truckers” on the History Channel. Viewers keep asking themselves; “what has this crap got to do with history?” The answer is nothing and a History watcher would be justified in not having to be forced to pay for it. To be able to drop the channel off their billing is the only way production companies will get the message about their programming.
AJ Ensor
Analyst, Gerson Lehrman Group
Robb Child-Technical Director
I'm not in love with these companys either having my career shortened by CBS buying TNN and moving it to New York and calling it The Spike Channel. But the bottom line is they have the right to move their companys whereever they see fit, ego or not. I think it's a stretch to drive this move into a cable tier argument.
Regarding the Ice Truckers show on History, their is a history of Ice Trucking in the Great White North that dates back til the early parts of last century. This show was both fascinating and a major major hit cable ratings wise, I can't tell you how many Southerners stopped me and mentioned this show. I didn't see anything wrong with it being positioned on History, hell I would've loved having it on TNN instead of Hee Haw. But cable companys are in an all out war to keep their viewers and if it means mixing genres on their network and viewers watching or not they'll soon know by the numbers posted each week with ratings services.
Granted placing the movie Baby Boom on Country Music Television Sunday evening was a ridiculous programming stretch for a Country Music cable network but these companys have the freedom to try what they may to survive...if the numbers aren't there you fire these execs and you hire people like you Andy or me to run these networks!
Pam Huling
Just a comment to set the record straight: The History Channel is not one of Discovery's networks, although it is often mistaken for one. It belongs to A&E in New York.