So long to HBO as we've known it

Richard Plepler has been the face of modern HBO, known as the network with high-quality programming that valued challenging, creative work. He's now stepped down, saying he doesn't really see a future for himself under the new AT&T ownership, where the focus may well be more on revenue than Emmy count. HBO has always been able to pitch itself as the place with prestige--we'll see if that still applies a few years from now. So it's the end of an era there, and at Turner as well, the one-time indie cable network is getting spliced as consolidated into other units. It's all being done in the name of saving money, and as part of that, a lot of jobs will be lost in the process.