The influential CEO who launched CNN and drove early cable programming died May 6 at age 87
Plus IconCynthia Littleton
Business Editor
@Variety_Cynthia See All
BRENT HUMPHREYS Ted Turner made his mark across media and entertainment as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Nowhere was his impact more profound than in journalism with the launch of CNN. Ted Turner was also nothing short of a gift to the journalists who covered his long run in the public eye.
Turner, the media mogul who died May 6 at the age of 87, was always colorful copy. The cable TV visionary launched the world’s first all-news channel on June 1, 1980, forever changing the cadence and process of newsgathering. With a flick of the switch, Turner created the 24/7 news cycle. More important, his Turner Broadcasting System had the financial fortitude to keep CNN on the air, against all odds and in the face of huge losses in its early years.
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