3/4 🧵 His biggest swing came in 1980 with the launch of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news network. At the time, plenty of people thought nonstop news was a ridiculous idea. It wasn’t. CNN changed how wars, elections, disasters, and breaking events were consumed, especially during moments like the Gulf War, when live global coverage became the new standard. Turner kept expanding — MGM’s film library, Cartoon Network, Turner Network Television, and major sports properties including the Atlanta Braves and Hawks all became part of his orbit. Later, after the Time Warner merger diluted his direct control, he shifted more visibly into philanthropy, land conservation, nuclear threat reduction, and the UN, including a massive $1 billion pledge to support United Nations causes. His legacy is simple: modern cable news exists because Ted Turner was arrogant enough to think the world would watch news all day — and annoyingly, he was right.
2/4 🧵 Robert Edward Turner III was born on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati and grew up largely in the American South. His father ran a billboard business, and Turner eventually took it over after his father’s death, turning a regional advertising company into the base of a media empire. That pattern defined him: inherit something solid, then go completely off the rails in the most profitable direction possible. He bought a struggling Atlanta UHF station, transformed it into the “superstation” WTBS beamed nationally by satellite, and proved cable could compete with the old broadcast giants. WikipediaNPR
1/4 🧵 @taskmaster4450le Ted Turner didn’t just found CNN — he basically forced television into the 24-hour era by sheer will and ego. The man was part advertising hustler, part pirate captain, part billionaire conservationist. Messy, brilliant, reckless at times, and impossible to ignore. CNNNPRWikipedia
4/4 🧵 CNN CNBC US News
#threadstorm
3/4 🧵 His biggest swing came in 1980 with the launch of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news network. At the time, plenty of people thought nonstop news was a ridiculous idea. It wasn’t. CNN changed how wars, elections, disasters, and breaking events were consumed, especially during moments like the Gulf War, when live global coverage became the new standard. Turner kept expanding — MGM’s film library, Cartoon Network, Turner Network Television, and major sports properties including the Atlanta Braves and Hawks all became part of his orbit. Later, after the Time Warner merger diluted his direct control, he shifted more visibly into philanthropy, land conservation, nuclear threat reduction, and the UN, including a massive $1 billion pledge to support United Nations causes. His legacy is simple: modern cable news exists because Ted Turner was arrogant enough to think the world would watch news all day — and annoyingly, he was right.
2/4 🧵 Robert Edward Turner III was born on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati and grew up largely in the American South. His father ran a billboard business, and Turner eventually took it over after his father’s death, turning a regional advertising company into the base of a media empire. That pattern defined him: inherit something solid, then go completely off the rails in the most profitable direction possible. He bought a struggling Atlanta UHF station, transformed it into the “superstation” WTBS beamed nationally by satellite, and proved cable could compete with the old broadcast giants. Wikipedia NPR
1/4 🧵 @taskmaster4450le Ted Turner didn’t just found CNN — he basically forced television into the 24-hour era by sheer will and ego. The man was part advertising hustler, part pirate captain, part billionaire conservationist. Messy, brilliant, reckless at times, and impossible to ignore. CNN NPR Wikipedia