CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87
4 hours ago
- #Media Mogul
- #CNN
- #Ted Turner
- Ted Turner, founder of CNN and media pioneer, died at age 87 after revolutionizing 24-hour television news.
- He built a media empire including superstation WTBS, TNT, TCM, and Cartoon Network, and owned sports teams like the Atlanta Braves.
- Turner was a philanthropist who pledged $1 billion to the UN, founded the United Nations Foundation, and advocated for nuclear disarmament and conservation.
- CNN launched in 1980 as the first 24-hour news channel, gaining prominence during the 1990 Persian Gulf War with live coverage.
- Turner sold his networks to Time Warner in 1996 for $7.5 billion but later faced significant financial losses after the AOL-Time Warner merger.
- His personal life included a challenging childhood, a marriage to Jane Fonda, and a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia in 2018.
- Turner was a major conservationist, reintroducing bison and becoming one of the largest private landowners in the U.S. with 2 million acres.