Ted Turner: The Media Mogul Who Changed News Forever – A Look Back at CNN’s Founder

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Ted Turner, the media entrepreneur who founded CNN—the world’s first 24-hour cable news network—has died. He was 87.

CNN and The New York Times reported on May 6 (local time) that Turner died at his home in Tallahassee, Florida, with family at his side.

He was diagnosed in 2018 with progressive Lewy body dementia and was treated for pneumonia last year.

Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. At 24, he inherited his father’s large outdoor advertising business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, and entered the media industry. In 1976 he converted Channel 17 into a satellite signal, expanding its reach to cable subscribers nationwide; the move became one of the first examples of a “superstation.”

Turner’s signature achievement came on June 1, 1980, when he launched CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news channel. He followed with CNN2 (now HLN) in 1982 and CNN International in 1985, and he later created Turner Network Television, Cartoon Network and several other cable channels.

CNN covered pivotal moments such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Tiananmen Square protests, recording history as it unfolded. Despite bold, sometimes risky acquisitions and large debts, Turner Broadcasting System achieved major commercial success, and CNN came to reach roughly 50 million households worldwide.

In 1996 Turner sold the network to Time Warner for 11 trillion KRW (approximately 8.25 billion USD). He served as vice chairman of Time Warner and helped oversee its cable news operations before resigning in 2003, and he remained active in philanthropy in later years.

Known for his loud, blunt style, he earned the nickname the “Mouth of the South.” He was a controversial figure — three marriages and divorces, along with frequent affairs, drew public scrutiny. His third marriage was to actress Jane Fonda; they divorced after ten years.

Although he described himself as a “right‑wing Republican,” he counted Cuban leader Fidel Castro among his friends and defended some policies of the Chinese Communist Party.

President Donald Trump mourned Turner’s death, calling him “a giant of broadcasting history” and “a friend who was there when I needed him,” and added that CNN “fell apart” after it left Turner’s hands.