Ted Turner (November 19, 1938 – May 6, 2026) was an American media mogul, television pioneer, businessman, sports team owner, sailor, and philanthropist best known for founding CNN, the world’s first 24-hour cable news network. Turner took over his father’s billboard advertising company, Turner Advertising, at age 24 after his father’s suicide in 1963. He expanded the business successfully before pivoting to television. In 1970, he acquired a struggling Atlanta UHF station (Channel 17), which became the foundation of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS).
1976: Launched TBS as a “superstation” by beaming Atlanta’s Channel 17 via satellite nationwide, pioneering widespread cable distribution of independent stations.
1980: Founded CNN in Atlanta, which debuted as the first 24-hour all-news network. Skeptics doubted there was enough news to fill the time, but CNN became a global powerhouse.
He later launched TNT (1988), Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and others, acquiring film libraries (e.g., MGM) to fuel programming.
In the 1990s, Turner acquired the Atlanta Braves (making them a national brand via TBS) and Hawks, plus World Championship Wrestling. He merged Turner Broadcasting with Time Warner in 1996 for about $7.5 billion (becoming the largest individual shareholder), though he later stepped down after the AOL merger struggles.
