Ted Turner, Media Mogul Who Revolutionized 24-Hour News, Dies at 87
American media titan Ted Turner, founder of Cable News Network (CNN), has died at the age of 87, BBC and NPR reported on Tuesday.
Turner launched CNN in 1980, creating the world’s first 24-hour news channel and fundamentally transforming how people consume news. Before CNN, American viewers relied on scheduled news programs from the three major broadcast networks. CNN made “breaking news” possible and shaped the rhythm of modern journalism.
During the 1991 Gulf War, CNN’s live reporting from a Baghdad hotel made the network synonymous with global news coverage. Turner was widely hailed as the “father of cable television.”
Beyond CNN, Turner owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Atlanta Hawks basketball team, and was a major philanthropist in environmental conservation. He donated $1 billion worth of stock to support the United Nations Foundation.
NPR described Turner as a “brash and visionary media pioneer” who not only changed the face of journalism but also deeply influenced American pop culture and social agendas.
The New York Times noted that the 24-hour news cycle Turner created has only accelerated in the social media era, and its impact continues to shape global information distribution today.