Ted Turner: The Visionary Behind CNN’s 24-Hour News Revolution

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Entered the media industry at 24 after his father’s death
Expanded into media by acquiring ‘Channel 17’
Founded CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news channel
CNN’s profile rose sharply during the 1990 Gulf War

Ted Turner, the media entrepreneur who founded CNN and helped make 24-hour news a global standard, has died at 87.

On the 6th (local time), Turner Enterprises said Turner died at his home in Florida, surrounded by family.

Turner had been treated for progressive Lewy body dementia since 2018, and his condition worsened last year after he also contracted pneumonia.

Born in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Turner inherited his father’s large outdoor advertising business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, at age 24 and entered the media industry. The company carried heavy debt and faced a crisis, but Turner turned it around and in 1970 expanded his holdings by purchasing Atlanta’s television station Channel 17.

He rechristened the station WTCG and built a steady audience with sitcoms and movies. After acquiring the Atlanta Braves, Turner arranged to broadcast every season game on WTCG, a move that substantially boosted viewership.

Leveraging that success, Turner broadened his television ambitions. In 1976 he converted Channel 17 from a local outlet to a satellite-distributed signal, turning it into one of the first cable “superstations” — a local station transmitted nationwide via satellite.

According to CNN, Turner had shown little interest in news until he realized that people who arrived home after 7 p.m. often missed evening newscasts. Seeing an unmet demand for news after work hours, he launched CNN in 1980 as the world’s first 24-hour news network.

CNN lost money for several years after its launch, but the 1990 Gulf War proved a turning point. As the first war to be broadcast live, the conflict underscored CNN’s distinction: uninterrupted, around-the-clock live coverage that drew a large national and international audience.

In 1996 Turner sold the network to Time Warner for 10.86 trillion KRW (about 8.145 billion USD). He remained vice chairman at Time Warner, overseeing cable news, before resigning in 2003.

Following news of his death, President Donald Trump offered condolences while criticizing the network, saying, “My friend, a giant in broadcasting who was always there when needed, has passed,” and adding, “But CNN has completely fallen apart since Turner left.”