On May 6, it was announced that media mogul Ted Turner has died at the age of 87 in an official news release from the Turner Enterprise.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his judgment,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”
Turner, born Robert Edward Turner III on Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, drew inspiration from his father, Robert Edward Turner II, a billboard magnate.
“He told me something I’ve never forgotten. He said, ‘Son, be sure to set goals so high you couldn’t possibly achieve them in one lifetime.’ That way you’ll always have something ahead of you,” Turner wrote in his 2008 memoir, “Call Me Ted: My Life, My Way.”
The garrulous broadcast entrepreneur, known as “The Mouth of the South,” sold his father’s successful billboard business to purchase Atlanta independent station WJRJ channel 17 in 1970. Turner expanded that purchase into Turner Broadcasting System, or TBS, which included Turner Network Television, or TNT, and the groundbreaking 24-hour news channel Cable News Network, or CNN, which launched its nonstop news coverage in 1980.
Turner’s business acumen extends beyond media and into the sports industry, as he was an owner of both the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks, helping provide key content for his news station. In the 90s, the Braves were considered bottom feeders in MLB, but with Turner at the helm, the Braves rose to prominence, eventually securing a 1995 World Series victory.
“Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative ambition, and willingness to take risks changed the media industry forever,” David Zaslav, CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, wrote in a May 6 statement. “He believed deeply in the power of ideas, in doing things differently, and in building platforms that could inform, inspire, and connect people around the world. That belief inspired generations of leaders, myself included. He did not just disrupt the media. He transformed it.”
Turner is survived by five kids, 14 grandchildren, and two wonderful-grandchildren. “A private family service is planned, and a public memorial will be held at a later date, with details to follow,” Turner Enterprises said in its statement.