Ted Turner

Lore & Background

Turner began his media empire in March 1963 when he took over his father's billboard business—Turner Outdoor Advertising, then worth $1 million—after his father's suicide at age 53. His purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System. In 1980, he founded CNN, one of the most prominent news networks in the world. Turner owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team, which won the 1995 World Series, and launched the charitable Goodwill Games. He was also a passionate proponent of professional wrestling as a television product, having aired wrestling on TBS dating back to 1971, and credited wrestling with helping TBS gain a national footprint. In 1988, Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions, which he rebranded as WCW, a promotion that would supersede the World Wrestling Federation in popularity during the mid-1990s.

As a philanthropist, he gave $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden U.S. support for the United Nations; Turner served as co-chairman of its board of directors. In 2001, he co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative with U.S. senator Sam Nunn. In 2020, Forbes awarded Turner a perfect philanthropy score of 5, placing him among an exclusive group of just ten Forbes 400 members who have each given away at least 20% of their fortune. Turner was also known for his controversial statements, earning him the nicknames 'The Mouth of the South' and 'Captain Outrageous'. He was the largest private landowner in the United States until John C. Malone surpassed him in 2011, and he used much of his land for ranches to re-popularize bison meat for his Ted's Montana Grill chain, having amassed the largest privately owned bison herd in the world.

Reader's Guide

Ted Turner fundamentally reshaped American media by creating CNN, the first 24-hour cable news network, and pioneering the superstation model with WTBS, which used satellite transmission to reach national audiences. His Turner Broadcasting System built a portfolio of influential cable channels including TNT, TBS, The Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies. Beyond television, Turner's ownership of the Atlanta Braves turned the team into a nationally popular franchise, and his acquisition of Jim Crockett Promotions created WCW, which briefly rivaled the WWF in popularity. His philanthropy was notable for its scale: a $1 billion gift to create the United Nations Foundation and co-founding the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Forbes recognized him with a perfect philanthropy score in 2020. Turner's legacy includes both his transformative impact on cable television and his substantial charitable contributions, though his career was also marked by controversial public statements.

Did You Know?

• Turner founded CNN in 1980, the first 24-hour cable news channel.
• He purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and the team won the 1995 World Series.
• Turner gave $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation.
• He amassed the largest privately owned bison herd in the world for his Ted's Montana Grill chain.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Our future is in our hands. We do have global communications, and we know what's going on all over the world, and we know what's right, and we know what's wrong. The question is, are we going to do something about it?" — Ted Turner "If I only had a little humility, I'd be perfect." — Ted Turner "Ted Turner created an unstoppable media revolution for the BENEFIT of all humankind.

Throughout nearly 43 years at CNN, working for Ted and his vision has been the proudest achievement of my lifetime." — Ted Turner "Don't let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons." — Ted Turner