This not unexpected axing happened this morning while I was out (so sorry, tipsters). Variety got it first. The Fox TV and ABC TV vet will be replaced as GM by 17-year Discovery vet Eileen O’Neill, who most recently launched Discovery’s Planet Green channel. O’Neill also oversaw TLC during an interim period in 2007 prior to Shapiro-Mathes’ arrival over a year ago. I’m told Discovery Communications’ David Zaslav have been underwhelmed by TLC’s ratings, which still stink even after an earlier restructure. (Discovery is hoping for better things from Oprah’s higher profile OWN network.) Earlier this year, TLC’s SVP of programming Brant Pinvidic quietly departed. Funny thing: Shapiro-Mathes kept shooting down the recent rumors of her exit, saying ”I’m not going anywhere.”

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