Ted Turner

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Ted Turner
BornRobert Edward Turner III
19 11, 1938
BirthplaceCincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur, media proprietor, television producer, philanthropist
Known forFounding CNN, Turner Broadcasting System, United Nations Foundation
EducationBrown University
Spouse(s)Template:Plainlist
AwardsTemplate:Plainlist

Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938), known professionally as Ted Turner, is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist whose career fundamentally reshaped the landscape of American broadcasting. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980, creating the world's first 24-hour television news channel, and built the Turner Broadcasting System into one of the most influential media conglomerates in the United States.[1] Turner pioneered the "superstation" concept in cable television through WTBS, and later launched networks including TBS and TNT. Beyond media, Turner became known as a prominent sports team owner—guiding the Atlanta Braves to a 1995 World Series championship—a competitive sailor who won the America's Cup in 1977, and one of the largest private landowners in the United States. His philanthropic endeavors include a landmark $1 billion donation to create the United Nations Foundation and the co-founding of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Known for his outspoken personality, which earned him the nicknames "The Mouth of the South" and "Captain Outrageous," Turner's influence has extended across media, sports, environmentalism, and international diplomacy.[2]

Early Life

Robert Edward Turner III was born on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He was the son of Robert Edward Turner II, a businessman who operated an outdoor advertising company. The family relocated to Savannah, Georgia, during Turner's childhood, where his father built Turner Outdoor Advertising into a successful billboard enterprise.[1]

Turner's early years were shaped significantly by a turbulent relationship with his father, who was known to be demanding and, at times, physically disciplinary. Robert Turner II held exacting standards for his son and sent the young Ted to boarding schools, including the McCallie School, a military academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[3] The elder Turner was known for his belief in rigorous education and pushed his son to study the classics. In a well-documented letter to his son's school, Robert Turner II expressed both pride and high expectations for Ted's intellectual development.[4]

Turner's relationship with his father would take a tragic turn. In March 1963, Robert Edward Turner II died by suicide. At the time, the elder Turner had recently completed a deal to significantly expand his billboard business but had grown anxious about the financial risks involved. Ted Turner, then 24 years old, took over the family business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, which was valued at approximately $1 million.[1] The experience of losing his father at a young age and the sudden assumption of business responsibilities proved formative in Turner's development as an entrepreneur. Turner later spoke publicly about the lasting impact of his father's death on his personal life and business philosophy.[5]

Education

Turner attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he studied economics and was active in the university's sailing program, developing skills that would later serve him in competitive yacht racing.[1] Turner's time at Brown was not without controversy; he was reportedly expelled from the university before completing his degree, though the specific circumstances have been recounted differently in various sources.[3] Despite this interruption in his formal education, Turner's entrepreneurial acumen and ambition quickly became evident upon his assumption of the family billboard business following his father's death.

Career

Billboard Business and Early Broadcasting

After assuming control of Turner Outdoor Advertising in 1963, Turner moved swiftly to stabilize and grow the family enterprise. He proved adept at the business, and the billboard company provided the financial foundation that enabled his entry into broadcasting. In 1970, Turner purchased an UHF television station in Atlanta, Georgia—Channel 17, then known as WJRJ-TV. This acquisition marked the beginning of what would become the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS).[1]

Turner renamed the station WTCG (later WTBS) and adopted an innovative programming strategy. Recognizing the emerging potential of cable television and satellite distribution, Turner transformed the local independent station into a "superstation" by transmitting its signal via satellite to cable systems across the United States. This concept was revolutionary in the late 1970s, as it allowed a single local station to reach a national audience for the first time. WTBS became one of the first cable channels available nationwide, featuring a mix of old movies, syndicated television series, and Atlanta Braves baseball games.[1]

The superstation model proved enormously profitable and positioned Turner as a leading figure in the nascent cable television industry. Turner's willingness to take substantial financial risks and his understanding of the transformative potential of satellite technology distinguished him from more cautious competitors.

Founding of CNN

On June 1, 1980, Turner launched the Cable News Network (CNN), the world's first 24-hour all-news television channel. The concept was met with considerable skepticism within the broadcasting industry, and the fledgling network was derisively referred to by some competitors as the "Chicken Noodle Network."[1] Industry observers questioned whether a round-the-clock news format could attract sufficient viewership and advertising revenue to sustain itself.

Turner invested heavily in the venture, and the network's early years were marked by significant financial pressure. Burt Reinhardt, a veteran television newsman, played a central role in the operational launch and early management of CNN, helping to establish the network's journalistic standards and operational framework.[6]

CNN's format gradually proved its value, particularly during breaking news events. The network's ability to provide continuous live coverage of major events such as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Gulf War in 1991 demonstrated the appeal and newsworthiness of 24-hour news. CNN became a fixture in American households and expanded internationally, eventually reaching audiences in more than 200 countries. The network fundamentally altered the news industry, establishing a model that would later be replicated by competitors including Fox News and MSNBC.[1]

In addition to CNN, Turner launched CNN Headline News (now HLN) in 1982 and continued expanding his cable network portfolio. He founded Turner Network Television (TNT) in 1988, which became a major cable channel featuring original programming, films, and sports.

Film and Entertainment Ventures

Turner's media ambitions extended into the film industry. In 1986, he purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film library, gaining control of thousands of classic films including titles from the Warner Bros. and RKO Pictures catalogs. This acquisition provided a vast content library for his cable networks, but it also generated controversy when Turner began the colorization of classic black-and-white films, a practice criticized by filmmakers and preservationists.[1]

The MGM deal proved financially burdensome, and Turner was forced to sell back the studio itself while retaining the film library. Despite the financial strain, the library of content became a cornerstone asset for Turner Broadcasting, providing programming for TBS, TNT, and other channels.

Turner also created the environmentally themed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which debuted in 1990. The show reflected Turner's personal interest in environmentalism and was designed to educate young audiences about ecological issues. It ran for six seasons and became a recognizable cultural touchstone of 1990s children's television.[1]

Sports Ownership

Turner was an active and high-profile sports team owner. He purchased the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball in 1976 and the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the same period. Turner's ownership of the Braves was frequently unconventional; in 1977, he briefly served as field manager of the Braves, a move that was quickly overruled by the league.[7]

The Braves experienced a dramatic transformation under Turner's ownership, particularly in the 1990s when the team became one of the dominant franchises in baseball. Under the leadership of general manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox, the Braves won 14 consecutive division titles beginning in 1991 and captured the 1995 World Series, defeating the Cleveland Indians.[8] The national broadcast of Braves games on WTBS contributed significantly to the team's popularity beyond Atlanta.

Turner also played a role in professional wrestling. He purchased Jim Crockett Promotions and rebranded it as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which became a major competitor to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during the so-called "Monday Night Wars" of the 1990s. WCW's flagship program, WCW Monday Nitro, briefly surpassed the WWF's Monday Night Raw in television ratings before WCW's eventual decline and sale in 2001.[1]

Additionally, Turner launched the Goodwill Games in 1986 as an international multi-sport event intended to ease Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. While the Games were not a financial success, they represented Turner's interest in using sports as a vehicle for international cooperation.[1]

Sailing and the America's Cup

Turner was an accomplished competitive sailor. In 1977, he skippered the yacht Courageous to victory in the America's Cup, defeating the Australian challenger Australia in the final series. The victory was widely covered in the sports press and further enhanced Turner's public profile.[9] Turner had been active in competitive sailing for years prior to the America's Cup win and continued to participate in major ocean races throughout his career.

Time Warner Merger and Corporate Struggles

In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner in a deal valued at approximately $7.5 billion. The merger made Turner a major shareholder and vice chairman of Time Warner, one of the world's largest media companies. However, Turner's influence within the combined entity gradually diminished, particularly after Time Warner's subsequent merger with AOL in 2001, a deal that Turner supported but that proved to be a financial disaster.[10]

The AOL Time Warner merger, once projected as a transformative combination of old and new media, resulted in massive losses and a dramatic decline in the company's stock price. Turner, who had a significant portion of his personal wealth tied to AOL Time Warner stock, saw his net worth decline by billions of dollars. He later expressed deep frustration with the course of events at the company and with the diminution of his role within it.[11]

In a 2003 commentary, Turner publicly discussed the challenges of media consolidation and the risks of concentrated corporate ownership of news outlets. He expressed concern about the direction of the media industry and the loss of independent voices in broadcasting.[12] Turner resigned as vice chairman of AOL Time Warner in 2003 and stepped down from the company's board of directors in 2006.[13]

Personal Life

Turner has been married three times. His first marriage was to Julia Gale Nye in 1960; the couple divorced in 1964. He married Jane Shirley Smith in 1965, and the marriage lasted until 1988. His third marriage was to actress and activist Jane Fonda in 1991; they divorced in 2001.[2]

Turner has five children from his first two marriages.[5]

Turner became one of the largest private landowners in the United States, amassing approximately two million acres across multiple states, including significant holdings in New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and other western states.[14] He held the title of largest private landowner in the country until 2011, when John C. Malone surpassed him.[15][16]

Turner uses much of his land for bison ranching and has built the largest private bison herd in the world. His restaurant chain, Ted's Montana Grill, was founded to serve bison meat and promote its consumption as an alternative to beef. Turner has stated that he considers the entire planet his home.[17]

Turner also previously owned St. Phillips Island, a private island off the coast of South Carolina, which later became a state park. As of 2025, the island was reported to be losing five to ten feet of beach per year due to erosion.[18]

Turner has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological condition.[5]

Philanthropy and Environmental Activism

Turner's philanthropic activities have been among the most significant of any American businessman. In 1997, he announced a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations, which led to the creation of the United Nations Foundation, a public charity established to support UN causes and broaden American support for the organization. Turner has served as chairman of the United Nations Foundation's board of directors.[1]

In 2001, Turner co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia. The NTI is a non-partisan organization focused on reducing global reliance on nuclear weapons and preventing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Turner has served as co-chairman of the NTI board of directors.[2]

Turner's environmental interests have been extensive. His land holdings serve not only as bison ranches but also as conservation areas. His Vermejo Reserve, a 558,000-acre property in northern New Mexico near Raton, has become a notable conservation project. The property, which spans wilderness, ranchland, and former coal mines, has been the subject of a 2025 documentary film, Preserved, directed by Ben Clark, which chronicles the ecological restoration efforts undertaken on the land.[19][20][21]

Turner has also devoted resources to wildlife conservation, including efforts to restore bison populations across the American West, and has been a vocal advocate for addressing climate change and protecting natural ecosystems.[1]

Recognition

Turner has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. He was named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1991 in recognition of his achievements in broadcasting and his role in transforming television news.[1]

His victory in the 1977 America's Cup brought him recognition in the sailing world, and he was featured prominently in Sports Illustrated for his accomplishments on the water.[9]

Turner's creation of CNN is considered one of the defining innovations in the history of American broadcasting. The network's influence on the 24-hour news cycle and on how breaking news is consumed globally has been the subject of extensive academic and journalistic analysis. Turner's broader contributions to cable television—through the superstation concept, the creation of multiple cable networks, and the acquisition of vast film libraries—helped shape the modern media landscape.[1]

His philanthropic work, particularly the $1 billion United Nations Foundation gift, has been recognized as one of the largest single charitable donations in history. Turner has received numerous humanitarian awards for his charitable giving and advocacy on behalf of nuclear disarmament and environmental protection.[2]

Legacy

Ted Turner's influence on American media, sports, and philanthropy is extensive. The superstation concept he pioneered with WTBS helped establish cable television as a mainstream medium, and the founding of CNN transformed how news is produced and consumed worldwide. His model of 24-hour news broadcasting became the standard for television journalism and spawned numerous imitators.

Turner's ownership of the Atlanta Braves helped turn the franchise into one of baseball's most recognized teams, with the national broadcast of games on WTBS creating a fan base that extended far beyond the Atlanta metropolitan area. His involvement in professional wrestling through WCW contributed to one of the most competitive and commercially successful periods in the history of the sport.

As a landowner and conservationist, Turner's efforts to restore bison populations and preserve large tracts of American wilderness have had tangible ecological impacts. The Vermejo Reserve and other properties in his portfolio have become sites of active conservation research and restoration, as documented in the 2025 film Preserved.[22]

Turner's philanthropic legacy, particularly the United Nations Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, represents a sustained commitment to global causes that has outlasted his active involvement in the media industry. His career trajectory—from inheriting a small billboard company to building a media empire and then pivoting to large-scale philanthropy—reflects a pattern of ambitious risk-taking that defined both his successes and his setbacks, most notably the financial losses associated with the AOL Time Warner merger.

Turner's public disclosure of his Lewy body dementia diagnosis has also brought attention to the disease and its effects, adding a personal dimension to his public legacy in his later years.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 "Ted Turner | Biography, CNN, TBS, & Facts".Britannica Money.https://www.britannica.com/money/Ted-Turner.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Ted Turner Fast Facts".CNN.November 11, 2025.https://www.cnn.com/us/ted-turner-fast-facts.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ted Turner".Film Reference.http://www.filmreference.com/film/19/Ted-Turner.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ "This is my son. He speaks Greek.".Letters of Note.July 2012.http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/07/this-is-my-son-he-speaks-greek.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Tragic Details About CNN Founder Ted Turner".The List.January 2026.https://www.thelist.com/1754987/tragic-details-cnn-founder-ted-turner/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Burt Reinhardt dies at 91; newsman helped launch CNN".The Washington Post.April 14, 2011.https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/burt-reinhardt-dies-at-91-newsman-helped-launch-cnn/2011/04/14/AFMd9mkG_story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Turner managed Braves for one game".MLB.com.March 20, 2008.http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080320&content_id=2446061&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Atlanta Braves: 1995 World Series Champions".MLB.com.http://m.mlb.com/news/article/1968024/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Ted Turner: Sports Illustrated profile".Sports Illustrated.https://web.archive.org/web/20130615165546/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092438/index.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ MunkNinaNina"The Lost Tycoon".The New Yorker.April 23, 2001.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/04/23/the-lost-tycoon.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Ted Turner goes to town on Time Warner".Condé Nast Portfolio.November 11, 2008.https://web.archive.org/web/20081113003314/http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/11/11/ted-turner-goes-to-town-on-time-warner.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ "Ted Turner on media consolidation".The Guardian.April 25, 2003.https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/apr/25/newscorporation.pressandpublishing.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "Turner Resigns from Time Warner Board".The Washington Post.February 24, 2006.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/24/AR2006022401888.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "Where Does Ted Turner Live Now? Exploring the Media Magnate's Portfolio—Which Includes Over 2 Million Acres of Land".Architectural Digest.https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/where-does-ted-turner-live-now.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ "Ted Turner was passed as nation's top private landowner".The New York Times.January 29, 2011.https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/us/29land.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ "Turner becomes largest private landowner in US".The Independent.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/turner-becomes-largest-private-landowner-in-us-761711.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ "Where Does Ted Turner Live Now?".Architectural Digest.https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/where-does-ted-turner-live-now.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ "Ted Turner's former private island, now a state park, is eroding rapidly".Hilton Head Island Packet.November 14, 2025.https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/environment/article312903629.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ "Just south of Colorado, Ted Turner's ideal of conservation takes shape".The Colorado Sun.January 14, 2026.https://coloradosun.com/2026/01/14/preserved-film-ted-turner-ben-clark-vermejo-new-mexico/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Ted Turner's reserve healed a landscape. See the story in 'Preserved'".The Coloradoan.February 3, 2026.https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/colorado/2026/02/03/documentary-about-ted-turners-vermejo-reserve-returns-to-fort-collins/88491701007/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "New film, 'Preserved,' digs into history and conservation work at Ted Turner's Vermejo Reserve".Colorado Public Radio.October 21, 2025.https://www.cpr.org/2025/10/21/film-preserved-history-raton-new-mexico-ted-turner-vermejo/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ "New film, 'Preserved,' digs into history and conservation work at Ted Turner's Vermejo Reserve".Colorado Public Radio.October 21, 2025.https://www.cpr.org/2025/10/21/film-preserved-history-raton-new-mexico-ted-turner-vermejo/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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