The man widely credited with changing television journalism forever, Ted Turner, has died at the age of 87.
Turner, the energetic American businessman behind the creation of CNN, was confirmed dead on Wednesday by the network he founded more than four decades ago. The media pioneer had been living with Lewy body dementia, a degenerative neurological disease.
Known for his bold personality, love for sailing and huge influence in the media industry, Turner reshaped news broadcasting in 1980 when he launched Cable News Network, introducing nonstop television news coverage in the United States for the first time.
CNN rose to international prominence during its extensive reporting of the 1990-91 Gulf War, setting a new standard for live global news coverage.
The network became recognised for delivering real-time reports from major world events, including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Tiananmen Square protests in China. Its decision to keep correspondents reporting from Baghdad during American bombardments on Iraq helped establish CNN as a leading source for breaking international news.
“Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognise him and his impact on our lives and the world,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN.”
Born Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, Turner attended military school in Tennessee before enrolling at Brown University, where he did not complete his studies after being expelled.
He later assumed control of his family’s struggling advertising business following the death of his father, who took his own life amid financial troubles.
Turner eventually ventured into broadcasting through the acquisition of radio stations before purchasing a struggling television station in Atlanta in 1970.
That investment later evolved into the Turner Broadcasting System, whose financial success paved the way for the establishment of CNN in 1980.
The success of CNN later inspired the rise of other 24-hour television news stations, including Fox News, founded by Turner’s long-time rival Rupert Murdoch, as well as MSNBC and several similar networks around the world.
Beyond news broadcasting, Turner expanded his empire with channels such as TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, making him one of the most influential figures in global television history.