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Ted Turner, CNN Founder and Cable TV Pioneer, Dies at 87

His bets on satellites and on owning classic film rights rewired how TV reached viewers.

Overview

  • Ted Turner has died at 87, prompting new assessments of his imprint on news and cable television.
  • He launched CNN in 1980 as the first 24-hour news network, creating the model for nonstop coverage.
  • CNN’s live reporting during the 1991 Gulf War cemented the channel as a global standard for breaking news.
  • He turned a low-rated Atlanta UHF station into the TBS superstation by sending its signal nationwide via satellite.
  • He bought MGM/United Artists and kept its film and TV library, which powered TNT, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network.