Media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner, who pioneered the modern 24-hour news cycle when he launched the Cable News Network in 1980, has died at the age of 87, the channel announced.
Turner founded CNN as the first dedicated rolling news channel, transforming television journalism globally. The network was initially mocked as the “Chicken Noodle Network” by sceptics but won credibility with continuous coverage of the 1981 assassination attempt on US President Ronald Reagan, the 1986 Challenger disaster, and the 1990–1991 Gulf War. Then-US President George H. W. Bush once said he learned more from CNN than from the CIA.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson called Turner “the giant on whose shoulders we stand,” describing him as “intensely involved and committed, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement.” US President Donald Trump, who has been a fierce critic of the current network, paid tribute to him as “one of the greats of broadcast history, and a friend of mine.”
Born in Ohio and based for most of his career in Atlanta, Turner — known as “The Mouth of the South” and “Captain Outrageous” for his blunt personality — built his media empire from a family billboard business and an Atlanta radio station. The Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) eventually included the first cable superstation, popular movie and cartoon channels, and ownership of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise.
Beyond media, Turner was an internationally recognised yachtsman, founder of the United Nations Foundation, and a prominent campaigner for nuclear disarmament and conservation. He was also one of the largest private landowners in the United States.
