The CNN founder reshaped modern television, helping create the 24-hour news cycle while building one of the most influential cable empires in media history.
Ted Turner did not just change television. He changed how the world watched it.
Ted Turner, the media tycoon, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded CNN and helped revolutionize television news, has died at the age of 87.
Over the course of several decades, Turner transformed a small regional broadcasting operation into one of the most influential cable television empires in the world. His impact stretched far beyond entertainment, permanently changing how audiences consumed news, sports, and popular culture.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment. He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement.
An often controversial visionary, Turner built Turner Broadcasting System into a cable powerhouse, launching channels such as TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies. His most groundbreaking achievement came in 1980 with CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news network. The launch fundamentally changed how breaking news was delivered and paved the way for modern cable news competitors.
Born in Cincinnati in 1938, Turner took over his family’s advertising business following his father’s death and quickly expanded into radio and television. By the 1970s, he was using satellite technology to transform a local Atlanta station into a national “superstation,” helping accelerate the rapid growth of cable television across the United States.
Turner’s ambitions extended beyond media. He owned the Atlanta Braves, who captured the 1995 World Series under his leadership, and later launched the restaurant chain Ted’s Montana Grill. His larger-than-life personality and willingness to challenge industry norms made him one of the most recognizable executives in entertainment and broadcasting.
In 1996, Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting for $7.5 billion in one of the most significant media mergers of the era. Although Turner later stepped away from corporate leadership, he remained heavily involved in philanthropy, environmental conservation, and global humanitarian efforts.
“Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative ambition, and willingness to take risks changed the media industry forever,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “He did not just disrupt media. He transformed it.”
Outside the boardroom, Turner donated $1 billion to the United Nations, helped launch the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and became one of the nation’s largest landowners, using much of his property to support conservation efforts and restore bison populations.
Turner was married and divorced three times, most notably to actress and activist Jane Fonda. He is survived by five children.
Few figures shaped modern television as dramatically as Ted Turner. From pioneering 24-hour cable news to helping define the rise of cable entertainment, his influence on the media industry will continue to be felt for generations.
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